Apr 30, 2014
Long-nosed potoroo - Potorous tridactylus | ©Jonathan Ayres
Potorous tridactylus (Diprotodontia - Potoroidae) is an Australian rabbit-sized rat-kangaroo with an elongated muzzle, widely distributed in southeastern Australia and Tasmania.
The Long-nosed potoroo is one of the first mammals recorded from Australia. Its name comes from an erroneous description in which is referred to the foot of this creature as having only three toes (due to the conjoining of its second and third digits). Therefore, the syndactylous condition found in P. tridactylus is responsible for the misnomer that has stuck with this animal ever since [1].