100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Speculation that threatened long-nosed potoroo could be hiding on the Coast

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

‘Stairway to haven’ helps fish migrate, breed

Two new fishways are being installed on a Coast creek to help native fish navigate weirs, which act as barriers to reaching breeding habitats. The More

Photo of the day: whopper catch

Blake Shannon landed a 80cm dusty flathead at Golden Beach on Father's Day. The photo was sent in by Wayde Shannon. If you have a More

Firearm and car seized as emergency declaration revoked

Police have revoked an earlier emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) following a reported incident at Glenview. Officers were called to an More

Surf club rises from the ashes to reach milestone

A club that almost collapsed after its clubhouse was destroyed by fire is poised to mark a special anniversary. Dicky Beach Surf Life Saving Club, More

Work starts on multimillion-dollar parcel facility

Construction has started on a new Australia Post facility that is expected to process up to 16,000 parcels a day. Work is underway on building More

Your say: units proposal, caravan parking and more

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and More

The search is on for an elusive native animal with expensive taste to determine whether the species still exists in certain pockets of the Sunshine Coast.

The long-nosed potoroo is a shy, nocturnal marsupial that is listed as a threatened species.

There is speculation it still resides in pockets of Mt Ninderry Reserve after decades of land-clearing.

Coolum and North Shore Coast Care (CaNSCC) has used $28,000 in federal funding to set up 12 infra-red motion-detecting cameras in the Mt Ninderry Reserve and eight on residential properties nearby.

Delicious truffle oil is being used to try and lure out any long-nosed potoroos as truffles are their favourite food.

“Anecdotal sightings from reliable sources suggest that the long-nosed potoroo survives in this area. We know they survive in some isolated pockets of forest habitat around the Sunshine Coast,” said project coordinator Jasmine Connors.

Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article 

CaNSCC president Leigh Warneminde said the goal was to help map the distribution of remaining populations of vulnerable fauna in bushfire-prone areas.

One of the smallest members of the kangaroo family. Picture: Shutterstock

“We know these fires are inevitable and a better understanding of these fire-sensitive species will help improve their management,” she said.

The long-nosed potoroo is listed as vulnerable in Australia and endangered in some states.

It is one of the smallest macropod (kangaroo family) marsupials and subsists on a diet of fungi (truffles and mushrooms), and plant material. A shy animal, it uses areas of dense understorey for shelter and to hide from predators.

The landcarers have already collected eight cameras and are now combing through thousands of photographs.

They will collect the rest of the cameras at the end of November and run a workshop with other volunteers to go through more photos, hoping to find evidence of the long-nosed potoroo.

Ms Connors said there was little research available about long-nosed potoroos in Queensland and she was further researching them.

“They are considered critical to forest biodiversity because they spread the spores of native truffles throughout the landscape, helping to maintain plant health and acting as ecosystem engineers,” she said.

“The animal lives along the east coast of Australia, but its numbers and distribution have declined significantly.

“They continue to face habitat loss from land clearing, habitat fragmentation and other threats, including unplanned fire and predators such as foxes, dogs and cats.”

Anyone who spies a long-nosed potoroo on their property in the Mt Ninderry area is encouraged to get in touch with CaNSCC at president@coolumcoastcare.org.au

The project is being funded as part of the Australian Government’s $14 million Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants, supporting projects in regions affected by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share