A Real Cutie

For the past couple of weeks this little Long-nosed Bandicoot, Perameles nasuta, has been a regular evening visitor to my lightsheet. It seems to be a juvenile because it is so small and generally unafraid.

It crunches up beetles, moths and other insects that drop to the ground at night.

Bandicoots are nocturnal and are marsupials. Females have a small pouch that is directed towards the rear of the animal and produce young after a gestation period of only 12 days. Newborn young are only 13 mm long and weigh 0.25 g. They grow rapidly and are weaned after 60 days.

When not dining at entomological collecting sites, the bandicoots use their front feet to dig neat conical holes in woodlands and lawns to retrieve insects, worms etc. They are not very popular with gardeners  and greens keepers.

Unfortunately, they are popular with the local felines. Cats probably account for their demise in residential areas. We have a number of irresponsible neighbours that throw their cats out after dark. Hopefully the local pythons and paralytic ticks will read this a do something about the situation.