Australia is home to many plant and animal species that are found nowhere else in the world or only in Australia and the nearby New Guinea. This is in part due to the continent’s location that isolated it from the rest of the world for thousands of years. Among the unique animal species found on the content include bandicoots, kangaroos, koalas and wombats. Interestingly, a good proportion of uniquely Australian mammalian species are marsupials. Let’s take a look at the bilby otherwise known as the long-eared bandicoot.
The long eared bandicoot gets its name from its characteristic long ears that are very similar to those of a rabbit. The ears are an important adaptation that facilitates thermoregulation. That way, the bilby can quickly lose excess body heat and stay cool in the searing heat of the Australian outback. The bilby is a small animal with a black and white tail. The tail can grow as long as 20 cm. The bilby’s fur is bluish-grey and soft. It has a pointed snout that is one of its most recognizable features.
The bilby has to burrow through earth in order to establish its home and this is why it has strong claws. Its main weakness is poor eyesight. But it more than compensates for this with the long ears which give it good hearing and the elongated snout that gives it a great sense of smell. The bilby prefers very arid areas. This explains why it is nocturnal – they only go out at night when it is a whole lot cooler in the desert.
Arid areas by their very nature have little or no water. The bilby thus gets most of its water supplement from its diet that includes ants, grubs, termites, centipedes and grasshoppers. Their long snouts and slender tongues particularly come in handy when reaching into termite holes and ant hills. The bilby also feed on fungi, seeds and roots that they dig out of the ground using their long sharp claws.
The bilby is a territorial and solitary animal. The only time long eared bandicoots come together is during mating. The bandicoots do not have a specific mating season and have a relatively short gestation period that lasts between 2 and 3 weeks. Like all marsupials, after birth the young continue to reside in the mother’s pouch for up to 80 days. Once mature, the baby bilby stays in the burrow. Burrows are very deep and spiral to keep predators away. After for six months, the bilby will be ready to fend for itself.
Unfortunately, the bilby is on the verge of extinction and is no longer a frequent sight in the desert. The few remaining long eared bandicoots can be found in the western, northern and southern parts of Australia. Some have been known to inhabit the arid parts of Queensland. The government of Australia has established laws to protect the long eared bandicoot and ensure its continued survival. The bilby must be on your must see list of animals on your immigration to Australia.
Back to the Australian animals overview
References:
http://Australian-animals.net/bilby.htm
