Bilbies
| Bilby | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Greater bilby at Monarto Zoo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Peramelemorphia |
| Family: |
Thylacomyidae Bensley, 1903 |
| Genus: |
Macrotis Reid, 1837 |
| Type species | |
|
Perameles lagotis Reid, 1837 |
|
| Species | |
|
Macrotis lagotis |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Paragalia Gray, 1841 |
|
Macrotis lagotis
† Macrotis leucura
† Ischnodon australis
† Liyamayi dayi
Paragalia Gray, 1841
Peragale Lydekker, 1887
Phalacomys anon., 1854
Thalaconus Richardson, Dallas, Cobbold, Baird and White, 1862
Thylacomys Blyth, 1840
Bilbies, or rabbit-bandicoots, are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species. It is on average 55 cm (22 in) long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 centimetres (11 in) long. Its fur is usually grey or white, it has a long pointy nose and very long ears, hence earning its nick-name, the rabbit-eared bandicoot.
Macrotis means ‘big-eared’ ( + ‘ear’) in Greek, referring to the animal's large, long ears.
The family's current name Thylacomyidae is derived from an invalid synonym Thylacomys, meaning ‘pouched mouse’, from the Ancient Greek thýlakos (θύλακος, ‘pouch, sack’) and mys (μῦς, ‘mouse, muscle’), sometimes misspelt Thalacomys.
The term bilby is a loanword from the Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language of northern New South Wales, meaning long-nosed rat. It is known as dalgite in Western Australia, and the nickname pinkie is sometimes used in South Australia. The Wiradjuri of New South Wales also call it "bilby".
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Wikipedia