Description
The Bilby is the largest of several species of bandicoot (family Peramelidae) found in Australia. It is of light delicate build and is variable in size ranging in length from 30 to 55cm with a maximum tail length of 23cm. The long soft fur is generally fawn-grey, blue-grey or ash-grey in colour except for the underparts of the body which are white. The distinctive tail is black with a white tip. 

Other distinguishing features are a long snout which is naked from the nose back along the top of the muzzle for about 2cm and the ears which are long like those of a rabbit.

The ears not only aid in hearing but also assist in thermoregulation by acting as radiators of body heat. They have unusually long hind limbs with short and powerful forelimbs to allow it to dig deep burrows in the soil. The front feet have three prominent toes with long, strong claws which are used for digging. The female tends to be much smaller than the male and although she has eight teats inside her backwardly opening pouch, she usually only rears two young.

Distribution
The distribution of this marsupial has been greatly reduced over the past 200 years. Before European settlement in Australia, the Bilby was scattered over most of Australia, below 18 degrees South latitude in arid to semi-arid environments.

The Bilby is now restricted to the Kimberleys in Western Australia, the Tanami Desert of Alice Springs and areas in SW Queensland where rainfall does not exceed 250mm. Remaining distribution in these areas is very patchy.

Conservation Status and Threats
Reasons for the Bilby's endangered status include habitat loss, introduction of livestock, introduced predators and competition for food by rabbits. In Western Australia they were considered as pests and were shot for pelts.Major threats are predation and competition from foxes and habitat destruction by introduced herbivores.

Diet
Insects , larvae, seeds, bulbs, fruit, fungi, lizards and small mammals

General Information
Originally inhabiting arid to semi- arid woodlands, the Bilby is now restricted to hummock grasslands and acacia shrublands with various soil types and spinifex or tussock grass. It is more commonly found in areas that are regenerating after fire. The Bilby is a nocturnal animal and uses its burrow to escape the heat of the day. The burrow can be up to 3 metres long and as deep as 1.8 metres. The entrance is against a termite mound, or small shrub and the burrow entrance is open at all times.

Research Program
The few remaining wild populations of bilbies are small and highly fragmented and less than 50 individuals are held in captive breeding programs. Because of the small populations, inbreeding and genetic drift threaten the long term survival of the species. It is therefore imperative that we gain a meaningful understanding of Bilby reproduction and behaviour so that current state-of-the-art reproductive technologies can be applied. This will maximise the genetic variation and natural reproductive potential of the bilby, thus enhancing it's prospects for long term survival.

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