The NSW (New South Wales) National Parks and Wildlife Service recently shared trail-cam footage of a rare marsupial in an Australian national park. The animal, a long-footed potoroo, is in a family called rat kangaroos—and yes, they’re related to kangaroos.
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Of the potoroo species, the long-footed potoroo (Potorous longipes) is “very rare,” due to the struggles it faces in the wild. It only lives in “a handful of forested areas in northeastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales.”
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One of those areas is Kosciuszko National Park. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service shared the exciting find on social media, writing:
“Fancy seeing you here! In exciting news, we’ve spotted a Long-footed Potoroo in #KosciuszkoNationalPark while reviewing feral cat monitoring survey images. This is only the second location the critically endangered marsupial has been detected in NSW since the 1990’s. [. . .] Another potential population is encouraging for the species’ long-term survival, as it reduces the risk of extinction by feral predators, and by natural hazards like bushfires.”
Watch this rare marsupial hop around in front of a trail cam here:
Header stock image of Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko by Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
