Bandicut - description, habitat, lifestyle

Bandikuta called marsupial badgers. These animals can be attributed to exotic species. They inhabit endemic Australian territories. The range of their distribution is associated with sufficient latitude, and some representatives live in an area whose height is 2,000 m above sea level. Despite the wide habitat, today in Australia this animal is very rare and is on the verge of extinction.

general description

The marsupial badger is a small animal. Its body length is in the range from 17 to 50 cm. The animals weigh about 2 kg. The weight of individual large individuals can reach 5 kg. Dimensions of males are somewhat larger in comparison with females.

External signs

It is easy to learn the marsupial badger, and its specific external data will help in this:

1. The animal has a pointed face, which is extremely similar to a rat. As for the body, it resembles a rabbit. The animal has a compact body with rather long legs. They are more developed from behind and are very powerful.
2. The muzzle is equipped with relatively small eyes, which have good sensitivity to daylight.
3. On the ears there is no hair, and their shape is determined by the type. They may be rounded or pointed.
4. The forelegs are equipped with long fingers. They have claws, but they are missing on the first and fifth fingers.
5. The hind limbs lack the first finger. The second finger grows together with the third (syndactyly), but the claws on them are separate. In this they differ from other marsupial representatives. Spliced ​​fingers with separate claws form a kind of comb, with which the animal combs its wool.
6. There is wool on the tail, and it has a small length.
7. In the lower part of the body is a bag that opens back.
8. The nature of the wool is determined by the type.In some, it is soft and long, while others have short and hard hair.
9. In the color there is a dark gray or brown range of colors. In the area of ​​the sacrum are dark transverse bands.
10. In Australia, even a coin with a depiction of a marsupial badger on the reverse is in circulation. She appeared in circulation in 2011.

Lifestyle properties

Life expectancy is no more than two years. Only a few instances manage to reach three years of age. If you put an animal in bondage, you can tame it pretty well. At home, with proper maintenance may well live for 4 years.

In accordance with the classification, the Bandikuti detachment consists of three families. In turn, they are divided into subfamilies, and those into genera, which include various species.

Habitat

The whole territory of Australia, as well as the island of Tasmania, are home to long-nosed and short-nosed bandicoot. In this area they are very comfortable. For them, preferably a wooded area where there is dense vegetation. But they can also be located in open areas near villages.

Prickly bandicoot are found only on the territory of Papua New Guinea. They love to settle in places with stormy mountain vegetation. For the New Guinea bandicoot is characterized by the presence in certain areas of the island of New Guinea and Yapen. They can be found where high in the mountains there are dense bushes and grass.

Vocalization properties

This animal is not capable of making loud sounds. But the bandicoot perfectly snaps teeth. In this way he tries to frighten and stop his enemy. Long-nosed bandicoot may signal the approach of danger. He wears a creaking character.If the animal is awakened in the middle of the night, it begins to sneeze intensively. In this way, the bandicoot is trying to clear the nose of the land that has fallen into it.

The nature of the bandicoot diet

These fauna belong to omnivorous animals. Their fangs are small, but they possess quite considerable strength. Due to this, they will easily cope with the prey if they get a lizard or small rodents. If they do not meet in the way of a bandikuta, he is not averse to eat other food that has less appeal. These can be worms, snails, termites, larvae of various insects.

In addition, in the diet of the animal there are fruits and eggs of birds, roots and seeds of plants. But the main ration in the diet is food that the animal finds on the soil surface.

They do not need much liquid, because they receive it in sufficient quantity with food. This amount is enough for them to exist.

Reproduction and nature of offspring

For bandicoot is characterized by isolated life. Mostly they prefer a separate stay on their territory, which is tagged with the help of a special secret. It is produced by glands that are located behind his ears.Males live in more extensive territories in comparison with females. But when the mating period comes, their solitary existence ceases, and they look for a mate for themselves.

They become sexually mature when they are 4 months old. Potential partner to find a bandicoot is not easy at all. They spend a lot of time on this.

The female bears pups for about two weeks. For the year she is able to bring up to 16 cubs. In the framework of one litter from 2 to 5 small cubs are born. They are born in tiny sizes. The length of their body does not exceed 0.5 cm. But, only having been born, they have the strength to move into the mother's bag. Instinctively they are attracted by the “milk ridge”, which is located there. Each of them chooses a nipple for himself and receives mother's milk.

Interesting fact! The most highly marsupial is the long-nosed bandicoot. This species is associated with the presence of the placenta. It can be compared with the one that have higher mammals. The animal is already beginning to receive food, being in an embryonic state. Therefore, such individuals have larger sizes at birth.

When a cub is 2 months old, it becomes strong enough and finds strength to leave the mother's bag. This moment becomes the reference point of independent life. In this case, any custody of them terminates.

Presence of natural enemies

But not only man is the enemy of bandicoots. They are prey to many predators living in the wild. These include foxes, cats, owls and some other representatives that live in the wild in Australia.

Population size and status in which the species is located

The natural habitat of animals is associated with significant changes.This naturally affects the population size in the direction of its reduction. Small rabbit, pig-legged and steppe species became extinct at all. New Guinean species is on the verge of extinction. There are very few short-legged bandicoot in the wild. If we compare bandicoot with other marsupial animals living in the wild Australian nature, then they suffered more than others.

Today, almost all species of this animal are listed in the Red Book. Scientists have been given the task of reviving and protecting the bandicoot zoocenosis. Even a whole program has been developed, according to which an animal is propagated in captivity, and then released into the wild.

Video: bandicoot (Peramelemorphia)