Does a bilby have any special features or abilities?

Answer 1

Yes. The Bilby (Macrotis Lagotis), sometimes known as a rabbit eared bandicoot, is a small marsupial of Australia which has developed a number of special features which help it to survive in its harsh desert environment.

1. Large ears.

The large ears have several purposes. The main reason for having large ears is for thermo regulation (to cool the bilby). Blood flows quickly into the thin tissue around the Bilby's ears, preventing them from getting too hot during the day and from losing body heat quickly at night.

These large ears give the bilby an excellent sense of hearing, which makes up for the fact that their sense of sight is not as well-developed. They can also be rotated, much as a cat's ears do, to discern direction and distances of sounds.

2. Sharp Claws

The bilby has sharp claws similar to those of the bandicoot. These claws allow for burrowing deep into the arid earth which pawed animals would have difficulty penetrating. There are five front digits on each foot, with the central three being longer than the outside ones.

Sharp claws also allow the marsupial to dig out plants for eating. Bilbies are omnivores and must forage for invertebrates such as insects, as well as digging out plant bulbs and tubers.

3. A Long Tongue

The bilby has a long tongue to help it when feeding on fungi, root bulbs and insect larvae.

4. Backwards-Facing Pouch

The female bilby has a backwards-facing pouch. This prevents dirt from getting into the pouch when the creature is digging.

5. Water Needs

The bilby does not need to drink water. It obtains enough moisture from the food it eats.

6. Long Snout

The bilby has a long snout, and an excellent sense of smell. These two adaptations help it to hunt out and catch small prey such as the small invertebrates (insects and larvae) on which it feeds, and also helps it to reach other foods such as bulbs, fruit, fungi and seeds easily.

7. Reproduction

As a marsupial, the bilby has a shorter gestation period than other mammals. Its gestation period is only around fourteen days.