Hello! I’m Patterson a Long-nosed Potoroo

Potoroos are omnivores, eating a range of foods including vegetation, fruits, plant roots, insects and fungi.  By feeding on fungi, potoroos spread spores which allow fungi to colonise the roots of native plants, which helps those plants to take nutrients out of the soil.  These fungi are so important to plant growth that many plants either struggle or fail to survive without their fungi, so by spreading fungal spores the potoroos are helping to keep their ecosystem healthy.

The National Zoo and Aquarium is home to 2 Potoroos; Patterson, and Gumnut.