Greater Bilby

BilbyThe Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is a marsupial, wearing its pouch backward to prevent any dirt coming in while digging. The other species in the genus Macrotis, the Lesser Bilby is extinct since the 1950s, because of fur trapping and the introduction of foxes and competition with introduced rabbits. The Greater Bilby is a nocturnal animal which live under the ground in burrows. Its diet consists of insects and their larvae which they search by digging small holes about 10 centimeters deep. They do not need to drink water as they get that from their food. Their numbers greatly declined because of the same reasons as the extinction of the Lesser Bilby. Bilbies have a long muzzle, characteristic to bandicoots and very long ears. There have been succesful reintroduction programs of the Bilby in Western and Southern Australia once rabbits, cats, and foxes are removed.

Links

Queensland government Environmental Protection Agency - Bilby

Keywords: nocturnal

The Bilby, dalgyte, greater bilby, greater rabbit-eared bandicoot is listed as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Countries
Australia
Some facts about the
Rabbit-bandicoot or bilby

Adult weight : 1.3 kg (2.86 lbs)

Maximum longevity : 10 years

Female maturity :150 days

Gestation : 17 days

Weaning : 110 days

Litter size : 2

Interval between litters : 175 days

Basal metabolic rate : 2 W

Body mass : 1.246 kg (2.7412 lbs)

Temperature : 34.85 °C (94.73 °F)

Source: AnAge, licensed under CC

More animals beginning with B

Custom Search
Play animal guess

Contact Us | ©2011 TheWebsiteOfEverything.com | Privacy information | Bilby or greater bilby