Mammals of Australia

Bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

Once called the Common Rabbit Bandicoot, the Bilby is now restricted to a few small locations in remote Central and Northern Australia. Rabbit trappers in the immediate vicinity of Adelaide once took more Bilbys from their traps than rabbits. Bilbys obtain water from a diet of insects, tubers, fruits and seeds, found in soil with their acute sense of smell. Two young are reared in a backward opening pouch. They avoid the extreme daytime heat in an extensive warren system about three metres long and up to two metres deep.

cube Distribution of the Bilby in Australia.

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