The active sex life of Potoroos could see
them breed back from endangered status
Image by Istockphoto

It may be small and shy of humans, but the Gilbert’s potoroo seems to know a thing or two when it comes to romance.

Intensive monitoring of the thriving Bald Island population has revealed that although the tiny nocturnal marsupials live in “well-defined” husband and wife-style pairs, a fair bit of moonlighting goes on.

“We’ve found no evidence that these animals are particularly faithful,” says endangered fauna expert Dr Tony Friend, of the Department of Environment and Conservation.

DNA testing has found that a third of the youngsters do not share the DNA of both their parents.

“It is the dominant males who are sowing their wild oats,” Dr Friend says.

“It’s fascinating – because the Bald Island project was so important to the survival of the species, they have been really closely studied, and we’ve found out a lot about them.”

If the marsupials are protected from feral predators and fire, they will breed their way to survival, he says.

The Gilbert’s potoroo had not been seen for well over 100 years and was believed to be extinct when a population of about 20 was discovered on the remote Two People’s Bay peninsula near Albany by a PhD student in 1994.

A meticulous search of the southern coast failed to find any other populations, and the Bald Island colony was established between 2005 and 2007.

To meet the Red List’s criteria for being critically endangered, a species must have a single declining population of less than 50 animals.

“The Gilbert’s potoroo is bucking all this criteria, but there is a five-year rule. If we can maintain this success, their status will be downgraded to endangered – which is far, far better than extinct,” Dr Friend says.

Carrying on from his work with the Potoroo, Dr Friend is travelling to Saudi Arabia to help save vulnerable animals such as the Oryx, sand gazelle and red-necked ostrich.