Bandicoots are nocturnal marsupial mammals native to Australia, including Tasmania, New Guinea, and their neighboring islands. They belong to the order Peramelemorphia and are characterized by a long, pointed, V-shaped snout, large ears, and sharp claws. These claws are utilized to dig through the soil while foraging for prey. Due to the tapering shape of their snouts, they end up building characteristically conical burrows in the soil.
They are opportunistic omnivores that feed on a wide range of food, including fungi, grass seeds, fruits, insects, spiders, lizards, and mice, among others. These marsupials face predation from foxes, dingoes, quolls, tiger snakes, and owls.
Bandicoots are generally harmless and play a significant role in our ecosystem as soil aerators and seed-dispersing agents.
These animals are between 11 and 31 in (28 and 79 cm) in length, including a tail of about 4 to 12 in (10 to 30 cm) long. They weigh between 0.4 and 3.5 lb (0.18 and 1.6 kg).
The largest bandicoot, the greater bilby, measures about 33.5 in (85 cm) and weighs up to 5.5 lb (2.5 kg). In contrast, one of the smallest species, the Western barred bandicoot, weighs only about 220 g.
They are characterized by a long, V-shaped snout or muzzle that tapers into a pointed end. This tapering snout makes them resemble elephant shrews despite being distantly related to them. They have large ears (relative to their body size), a long tail, and tiny yet sharp teeth for chewing.
Their hindlimbs are longer than the forelimbs, which adapts them well for jumping. Two digits, specifically the second and third ones, on each hindfoot are fused into a single toe through the fusion of the surrounding skin and soft tissue (syndactyly). This toe is a specialized grooming structure that helps comb the fur and remove dirt or parasites from the bandicoot’s body.
As marsupials, female bandicoots have a pouch (marsupium) on the underside of their bodies, typically containing 6 to 10 teats, depending on the species. This pouch is reversed, meaning its opening directs toward the rear end of the body, an adaptation that prevents dirt from entering while digging through the soil. Male bandicoots, like most marsupial males, have bifurcated or two-pronged penises, which align with the female’s bifurcated reproductive tract.
Their bodies are covered by coarse fur that, depending on the species, may appear in shades of brown, black, gray, golden, or even white. Two species, the Eastern and Western barred bandicoots, typically have three thick, dark stripes on their rump.
The bandicoot derives its name from the Telugu word pandikokku, which translates to the pig-rat. It actually refers to members of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia, also known as bandicoot rats.
There are 21 species of bandicoots (all under the superfamily Perameloidea) grouped under 2 extant families (Thylacomyidae and Peramelidae) and 7 extant genera.
These mammals are native to Australia, including Tasmania, New Guinea, and other nearby islands. The range of some species also extends eastward to the Bismarck Archipelago and westward to Seram and Halmahera.
The short-nosed bandicoots are found along the Australian coastline, with their range extending to New Guinea and Tasmania. Similarly, the long-nosed bandicoots extend along the forested regions of the east coast of Australia, ranging from north Queensland to Victoria, and extending to Tasmania.
The eastern barred bandicoot is found in Tasmania, while the western barred bandicoot, once common in mainland Australia, is currently confined to the Bernier and Dorré Islands of Western Australia.
Bandicoots are opportunistic omnivores that feed on both plant and animal matter, depending on their availability. They generally consume plant-based items such as grass seeds, berries, fruits, and fungi, along with a few animals, like insects and their larvae, spiders, snails, lizards, and mice.
They are generally short-lived, surviving between 2 and 5 years in the wild.
Though generally solitary, during the breeding season, the males approach the females for mating. A single male may mate with multiple females in their lifetime. Bandicoots may breed up to four times a year, depending on the species and resource availability.
Although marsupials are technically non-placentals, the embryo of bandicoots remains attached to the uterus via a small chorioallantoic placenta, though temporarily. In addition to the chorioallantoic placenta, they have a choriovitelline placenta, a characteristic shared by all marsupials, which supports the embryo before the chorioallantoic placenta develops.
The females of most species give birth to 2 to 6 young after a gestation period of about 11 days, the shortest among all marsupials. These young are born underdeveloped (altricial), furless, and blind, measuring barely 1 cm. They attach to the teats of the mother and feed on her milk. After about 3 months, the young are weaned, and they venture out independently.
These marsupials are preyed upon by both native predators, like dingos, quolls, tiger snakes, and owls, as well as introduced ones, such as red foxes, feral dogs, and feral cats.
They have a low basal metabolic rate and a low body temperature, adaptations that help many bandicoots thrive, particularly in hot and arid climates. Additionally, they cool themselves through profuse panting to endure extreme heat.
They are an ecologically important mammalian group as they constantly aerate the soil, increase the rate of leaf litter decomposition, and recycle soil nutrients. Additionally, these animals help disperse seeds of plants and fungal spores.
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