Bilbies

Yes. A bilby is a small, large-eared marsupial that lives in semi-arid areas of the Australian outback.

The bilby is critically endangered, with just small colonies of this marsupial left in a few pockets of land.

a full grown bible can weigh up to about 23 pounds!

Bilbies are nocturnal so they avoid the hot days in their harsh environment.

They have large ears which are 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.

The bilby also does not need to drink water, which is difficult to find in its habitat. It obtains enough moisture from the food it eats.

the females anntenna are longer than the males

The Greater Bilby, a small marsupial sometimes known as the rabbit-eared bandicoot, is endangered, and can only be found in isolated areas of far western Queensland and the Northern Territory, and areas of the Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara and Kimberley areas of Western Australia. In Queensland, it may be seen in a protected area near Charleville, in the west.

Bilbies live in burrows in hot, dry grasslands and semi-arid spinifex areas. The burrow entrance is often positioned against a termite mound or small shrub, and a single bilby may have up to a dozen burrows that it uses either for shelter during the day, or as a quick escape route from predators.

Amazingly adaptable for their size and the threats to them, bilbies can live in sandstone ridges, gibber plains, rocky soils with little ground cover, a variety of grasslands, and acacia scrub.

Baby bilbies are known as joeys, and female bilbies can give birth to two or three joeys at a time. The birthing process is much like that of puppies in that they do not lay eggs. They are pouch producing mammals.

The Greater bilby, with the scientific name of Macrotis lagotis, is a small marsupial of Australia. It is a member of the bandicoot family, and a nocturnal omnivore which is found in arid and remote areas of the continent. The Greater bilby is the only surviving bilby: its cousin, the Lesser bilby, has not been sighted since 1931.

No.

The bilby is an endangered native marsupial of Australia. Native animals are protected by law, and in most cases may not be kept as pets. The bilby may not be kept as a pet under any circumstances.

A bilby is heterotrophic. It moves. It is multicellular. Its cells lack cell walls, chloroplasts, and a central vacuole, but do have the complexities of an animal cell. It is therefore an animal.

Bilbies have large ears 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. Because of these large ears, the bilby has an excellent sense of hearing, which makes up for the fact that its sense of sight is not as well-developed. The ears can also be rotated, much as a cat's ears do, to discern direction and distances of sounds.

Bilbies live in the dry outback, and they have sharp claws for burrowing deep into the arid earth. 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. The bilby's long tongue helps it when feeding on fungi, root bulbs and insect larvae. It also has a long snout, and an excellent sense of smell. These two physiological 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.

There is no particular name for the male bilby.

Both male and female bilbies can live for 6-7 years in the wild. There is no consistent significant difference in life span between the genders, despite the fact that among some of the smaller marsupial species in Australia, males live much shorter lifespans.

In captivity, male and female bilbies have been known to live up to 9 years.

Greater bilbies are omnivores and nocturnal feeders. They eat ants, termites, beetles, centipedes and grasshoppers and other insects, larvae, seeds, bulbs, fruit and fungi. Occasionally they may eat small mammals. They use their strong forelegs to dig and search for food, and their long nose to help dig out larvae as well.

Bilbies are omnivores and nocturnal feeders. They eat ants, termites, beetles, centipedes and grasshoppers and other insects, larvae, seeds, bulbs, fruit and fungi. Occasionally they may eat small mammals. They use their strong forelegs to dig and search for food, and their long nose to help dig out larvae as well.

Bilbies drink water, but much of the time they are able to obtain sufficient moisture from the foods they eat.

Greater bilbies (small marsupials sometimes known as rabbit-eared bandicoots) are critically endangered, and can only be found in isolated areas of far western Queensland and the Northern Territory, and areas of the Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara and Kimberley areas of Western Australia. In Queensland, they may be seen in a protected area near Charleville, in the west.

Bilbies live in burrows in hot, dry grasslands and semi-arid spinifex areas. The burrow entrance is often positioned against a termite mound or small shrub, and a single bilby may have up to a dozen burrows that it uses either for shelter during the day, or as a quick escape route from predators.

Amazingly adaptable for their size and the threats to them, bilbies can live in sandstone ridges, gibber plains, rocky soils with little ground cover, a variety of grasslands, and acacia scrub.

Prior to European settlement, bilbies were across about two-thirds of Australia, but being highly vulnerable to habitat loss and competition with introduced animals, it has not survived in those areas.

The link below gives a map showing the current known distribution of the bilby.

Lesser Bilbies are believed to be extinct. Before they were extinct, however, they were shown to be omnivorous, feeding mainly on ants, termites, seeds and roots of the tough spinifex and desert plants that were found in its habitat. Examination of stomach contents of deceased specimens also indicated the fur of rodents, suggesting that it was an opportunistic feeder which would grab the occasional small native hopping mouse.

Unlike its larger cousin, the Greater bilby, there is no evidence to suggest that the lesser bilby ate fruit or fungi.

No. Bilbies cannot climb trees. They are effective burrowers.

Bilbies do not hibernate.

Most Australian marsupials do not hibernate. Only the Mountain pygmy possum is known to hibernate.

Bilbies, also known as rabbit-eared bandicoots, are critically endangered. These marsupials used to cover two thirds of Australia, but now have been pushed back so that they only live in deserts.

The introduction of foxes and cats, which have turned feral, have resulted in their being endangered, as the vulnerable bilby is an easy food source for them, as well as for dingoes. Trapping to catch foxes has unfortunately resulted in the bilbies themselves often being caught.

The introduction of the rabbit, which voraciously eats much of the vegetation the bilby eats, has resulted in reduced food sources. Rabbits also dig burrows which cause problems for the bilby's habitat, as they tend to cause the bilbies to be caved in. The bilby's habitat has also suffered from being trampled on by herds of stock animals.