A bandicoot is any of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia.
The word bandicoot is an anglicised form of the Telugu word pandi-kokku, which originally referred to the unrelated Indian
Bandicoot Rat. The other two species of peramelemorphs are the bilbies.
Bilbies are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia and closely related to the
bandicoots. Before European colonisation of Australia there were two species. One became extinct in the 1950s, the other survives
but remains endangered. The term bilby is a loan word from the Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language of northern New South Wales,
meaning long-nosed rat.
Peramelidae is the family of marsupials that contains all of the extant bandicoots. One known extinct species of bandicoot,
the Pig-footed Bandicoot, was so different than the other species that it was recently moved into its own family. There are
four described fossil Peramelids. They are found throughout Australia and New Guinea, with at least some species living in
every available habitat, from rain forest to desert.
Pig-footed Bandicoot refers to the species Chaeropus ecaudatus, a small, mostly herbivorous marsupial of the arid and semi-arid
plains of inland Australia. About the size of a kitten, in form, it was almost bilby-like on first sight, having long, slender
limbs, large, pointed ears, and a long tail. On closer examination, however, it became apparent that the Pig-footed Bandicoot
was very unusual for a marsupial.
The Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), also known as the Quenda from the local Noongar tongue, is a short-nosed
bandicoot found mostly in southern Australia. This bandicoot shows some sexual dimorphism, with females being sightly smaller
than males. The average male length is 330 mm, with a tail of 120 mm. Females are about 30 mm shorter, with a 10 mm shorter
tail. Males weigh an average of 0.9 kg, females 0.7.
The Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is the largest of the bandicoots. At 1 to 2.4 kg, the male is about the same size as
a rabbit; although male animals in good condition have been known to grow up to 3.7 kg in captivity. The female is smaller,
and weighs around 0.8 to 1.1 kg. The Greater Bilby has an excellent sense of smell and sharp hearing. Its fur is blue-grey
with patches of tan and it is very soft. The tail is black and white with a distinct crest.
