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A Diet Study Of Australia's Most Critically Endangered Mammal, Gilbert's Potoroo, Potorous Gilbertii (Marsupialia : Potoroidae), Vinh Nguyen
Theses : Honours
After 125 years of presumed extinction, Gilbert's Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii) was rediscovered in 1994 in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Albany. As only one population is known to exist, conservation is of prime importance. Faecal analysis was used to examine the diet of P. gilbertii. The species was found to be predominantly mycophagous (fungus-feeding) with invertebrate and plant matter fanning only a small part of its diet. Fungal material made up more than 90% of faecal matter throughout the year. A total of 44 fungal spore types were discerned. Of these, five were tentatively identified to species level with the …