potoroo

[ poh-tuh-roo ]

noun

, plural po·to·roos.

1. any of several small, ratlike kangaroos of the genus Potorous, of Australia.

potoroo

/ ˌpɒtəˈruː /

noun

1. another name for kangaroo rat

Word History and Origins

Origin of potoroo¹

1790; perhaps < Dharuk

Word History and Origins

Origin of potoroo¹

from a native Australian language

Example Sentences

He said the island’s wildlife, which includes dingoes, potoroos, wallabies and an array of birds, lived across heathlands, coastal dunes and rainforests and would be suffering.

From The Guardian

Significant numbers of the southern brown bandicoot and the long-footed potoroo, a kind of wallaby whose entire habitat has been ravaged by fire, have also most likely been lost.

From Seattle Times

And a great many of those species, like the koala, the southern brown bandicoot and the long-footed potoroo, have populations living in the regions now being obliterated by the fires.

From New York Times

Now, “The future of the largest known population is in serious doubt,” says Mark Graham, an ecologist with NWS’s Nature Conservation Council, who has worked for 20 years to protect the potoroo.

From Science Magazine

But conservationists say killing cats and fencing enclosures have already saved several species from extinction, including the Gilbert’s potoroo in Western Australia and the bridled nailtail wallaby in New South Wales.

From Economist