Bilby

Bilby - Ark.au

Macrotis Lagotis

Other Names: Greater Bilby, Rabbit-eared Bandicoot, Rabbit Bandicoot, Dalgyte, Macrotis

Family: Thylacomyidae

Size: Head-to-body 30-55 cm, Tail 20-29 cm.

Weight: 800-2400 grams.

Distribution: Their distribution used to be much larger, over much of arid inland Australia. Now they only live in scattered colonies in parts of NT and WA and a tiny part of QLD.

Status: Vulnerable

Habitat: Desert country.

References: Menkhorst and Knight.

About the Bilby

Bilbies are nocturnal and live in long, deep burrows during the daytime.

Weight: 800-2400 grams.

Diet: Bilbies forage through topsoil for arthropods, tubers (plant roots) and fungi.

Breeding: Births mostly in March-May but can be any time in good conditions. They usually have litters of two.

Bilby - Macrotis Lagotis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2853 x 1875.

Bilby - Macrotis Lagotis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2840 x 1893.

Bilby - Macrotis Lagotis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2867 x 1911.

Bilby - Macrotis Lagotis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2753 x 1835.

See Also

Australian Frogs
Australian Fish
Australian Spiders and Their Faces

Return to Australian Mammals