Greater bilby

The greater bilby, or simply bilby, (Macrotis lagotis) is a long-eared, rabbit-like mammal native to Australia. It lives in burrows and is active at night, feeding on insects, fruit, or fungi. The bilby is a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. Threats include habitat loss, disease, and introduced predators such as foxes. Formerly widespread, bilbies are now restricted to arid parts of northwestern and central Australia.

This article is about the extant species. For the extinct species, see Lesser bilby.

Greater bilby
Bilby (right) and spinifex hopping mouse at Sydney Wildlife World
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Peramelemorphia
Family: Thylacomyidae
Genus: Macrotis
Species:
M. lagotis
Binomial name
Macrotis lagotis
Reid, 1837
Distribution of greater bilbies

It is commonly called bilby after the lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) became extinct in the 1950s. Other names include dalgyte, pinkie, or rabbit-eared bandicoot.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.