rat kangaroo
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What is a rat kangaroo?
Rat kangaroos are small Australian and Tasmanian marsupials belonging to the families Potoroidae and Hypsiprymnodontidae, related to the kangaroo family, Macropodidae.
They differ from other kangaroos in skull and urogenital anatomy, jaw musculature, and large canine teeth and develop more rapidly within the mother’s pouch than other kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized or smaller, have prehensile tails to grasp nesting material, and live in undergrowth. Most are nocturnal, foraging for grass, tubers, and underground fungi, with some eating grubs and worms.
There are 11 living species of rat kangaroos. Examples include the short-nosed rat kangaroos (bettongs), potoroos, the rufous rat kangaroo, the desert rat kangaroo, and the musky rat kangaroo.
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How is a rat kangaroo different from other kangaroos?
Rat kangaroos are marsupials belonging to the families Potoroidae and Hypsiprymnodontidae, related to the kangaroo family, Macropodidae.
They exhibit differences from other kangaroos in several ways:
* Skull and urogenital anatomy
* Jaw musculature
* Large canine teeth
* More rapid development within the mother’s pouch
* Size, as they are rabbit-sized or smaller
* Prehensile tails, which they use to grasp nesting materialThe musky rat kangaroo is the only one active during the day; the rest are nocturnal. They forage for grass, tubers, underground fungi, grubs, and worms.
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Where do rat kangaroos live?
Rat kangaroos are Australian and Tasmanian marsupials related to the kangaroo family. They live in undergrowth.
Different species inhabit different areas:
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The Tasmanian or eastern bettong is limited to eastern Tasmania, though it once lived on Australia's southeastern mainland.
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The brush-tailed bettong, or woylie, can be found in small, isolated pockets in Western Australia.
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The burrowing rat kangaroo, or boodie, now lives on a few offshore islands but was once widespread in South and Western Australia.
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The Northern bettong lives in a few small patches of northeastern Queensland.
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The long-nosed potoroo lives in the underbrush of forests in Tasmania and on the eastern mainland from the border between South Australia and Victoria to southern Queensland.
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The rufous rat kangaroo lives in tussock grass country in open woodlands, from eastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales.
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The musky rat kangaroo inhabits the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland.
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What do rat kangaroos eat?
Rat kangaroos, also called potoroids, are Australian marsupials related to the kangaroo family. They are rabbit-sized or smaller and live in undergrowth, foraging for food. Most rat kangaroo species are active at night, except for the musky rat kangaroo, which is active during the day.
Their diet consists of:
* Grass
* Tubers
* Underground fungi
* Grubs
* WormsThe chisel-toothed kangaroo rats are one of the few mammals that can eat the salty leaves of the saltbush. They peel the skin from each leaf with their lower front teeth and consume the underlying layers, which are rich in water and nutrients.
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How do female rat kangaroos care for their young?
Female rat kangaroos, like other marsupials, give birth to underdeveloped young. The joey uses its forelimbs to crawl into the mother's pouch and attach to a teat, which swells to hold it in place. After weeks of continuous attachment, the joey becomes more active and spends time outside the pouch, leaving completely at 7–10 months.
Many female macropodids enter heat within days of giving birth. Mating and conception occur while the first offspring is still in the pouch. The embryo enters a dormant state called diapause, lasting until the first joey leaves the pouch or conditions are favorable. The second embryo's development resumes, with a gestation of about 30 days. During this time, different teats produce different milk compositions for young at different stages.
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Are rat kangaroos endangered, and what threatens their survival?
Several species of rat kangaroos are listed as either near threatened or endangered. The Tasmanian bettong and the burrowing bettong are considered near threatened, while the woylie and the northern bettong are endangered. The broad-faced potoroo has been listed as extinct since 1982, and confirmed sightings of the desert rat kangaroo have not occurred since 1935.
All rat kangaroos are vulnerable to predation because they are small and live on the ground. Introduced foxes have significantly impacted their populations. All species, except perhaps the rufous rat kangaroo, have reduced ranges or are extinct, except on offshore islands like Tasmania without foxes.
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rat kangaroo, any of the 11 living species of Australian and Tasmanian marsupials constituting the families Potoroidae and Hypsiprymnodontidae, related to the kangaroo family, Macropodidae. Other potoroids are known only as fossils; the Potoroidae were already separated from the Macropodidae by the late Oligocene Epoch, some 25 million years ago.
Rat kangaroos differ from other kangaroos in skull and urogenital anatomy and jaw musculature and in having large canine teeth. They also develop more rapidly within the mother’s pouch than other kangaroos do. All are rabbit-sized or smaller and have prehensile tails, which they use to grasp nesting material for transport to the nest site. Rat kangaroos live in undergrowth. Most species are active at night (except the musky rat kangaroo, which is active during the day), foraging for grass, tubers, and, especially, underground fungi; some also eat grubs and worms.
The four species of short-nosed rat kangaroos, or bettongs (genus Bettongia), have pinkish noses and short ears. The Tasmanian, or eastern, bettong (B. gaimardi) has gray fur along its back and white fur on its chest and abdomen, along with a crest of black hair along its white-tipped tail. The species is restricted to eastern Tasmania, but at one time it also occurred on the southeastern mainland of Australia. The brush-tailed bettong, or woylie (B. penicillata), has a similar crest, but the tail tip is not white; it is found in several small isolated pockets in Western Australia. The burrowing rat kangaroo, or boodie (B. lesueur), which has a thicker, non-crested tail, is the only member of the kangaroo group to dig burrows. It was formerly widespread in South and Western Australia but is today restricted to a few offshore islands. The Northern bettong (B. tropica) has pale gray fur with a whitish underside. It inhabits a handful of small patches of northeastern Queensland. The Tasmanian bettong and the burrowing bettong are listed as near threatened and the woylie and the northern bettong as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
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The potoroos (Potorous) have shorter tails and ears and pointier faces than other rat kangaroos have. The long-nosed potoroo (P. tridactylus) lives in the underbrush of forests in Tasmania and on the eastern mainland from the border between South Australia and Victoria to southern Queensland. A closely related species, Gilbert’s potoroo (P. gilbertii), of southwestern Australia, was long thought to be extinct, but in the 1990s a tiny population was rediscovered near Albany, Western Australia. Another Western Australian species, the broad-faced potoroo (P. platyops), has been listed as an extinct species on the IUCN Red List since 1982. The largest species, the long-footed potoroo (P. longipes), was described in 1980; it is very rare, and the IUCN considers it an endangered species. The long-footed potoroo’s habitat is limited to a handful of forested areas in northeastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales.
The rufous rat kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens) is the largest of the rat kangaroos. Its fur is red-tinged with a faint whitish hip stripe. It attains a length of up to 90 cm (36 inches) and may weigh 3.5 kg (7.7 pounds). It lives in tussock grass country in open woodlands, from eastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales.
Confirmed sightings of the desert rat kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris), which lived in the Queensland–South Australia border region, have not occurred since 1935, and the IUCN has considered the species extinct since 1994. The species was a pale buff colour and was known as a very fast leaper, with long hind legs and very short forelegs.
The musky rat kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) inhabits the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland. The only member of Hypsiprymnodontidae, it is more primitive than any potoroid or macropodid in that it retains the first digit of the hind foot and a small lateral incisor in the lower jaw. Unlike members of other kangaroo families, it bears twins instead of single young. The musky rat kangaroo is dark brown and is the smallest rat kangaroo species, measuring only 40 to 50 cm (15.7 to 19.7 inches) long, including the tail. Adults weigh up to 700 grams (1.5 pounds). Unlike its relatives, the musky rat kangaroo is mainly active during the day. It does not hop but scurries on all fours.
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All members of the Potoroidae and Hypsiprymnodontidae, being small and ground-living, are vulnerable to predation, particularly by foxes, which were first introduced into Australia in the 1850s. This is why all species, except perhaps the rufous rat kangaroo, have much-reduced ranges or are extinct; only on offshore islands where there are no foxes, the largest of which is Tasmania, are potoroids still numerous.