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Bettongia
Bettongs, species of the genus ''Bettongia'', are potoroine marsupials once common in Australia. They are important ecosystem engineers displaced during the colonisation of the continent, and are vulnerable to threatening factors such as altered fire regimes, land clearing, pastoralism and introduced predatory species such as the fox and cat. Conservation status All species of the genus have been severely affected by ecological changes since the European settlement of Australia. Those that have not become extinct became largely confined to islands and protected reserves and are dependent on re-population programs. The diversity of the genus was poorly understood before their extirpation from the mainland, and new taxa have been identified in specimens newly discovered and already held in museum collections. In 2021 August, 40 Bettongs were released in different parts of South Australia; they were raised in captivity to increase their numbers. Taxonomy Four extant species ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Penicillata
The woylie or brush-tailed bettong (''Bettongia penicillata'') is a small, critically endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and is active at night, digging for fungi to eat. It is also a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. Once widespread, the woylie mostly died out from habitat loss and introduced predators such as foxes. It is currently restricted to two small areas in Western Australia. There are two subspecies: ''B. p. ogilbyi'' in the west, and the now-extinct ''B. p. penicillata'' in the southeast. Taxonomy A species was first described by J. E. Gray in 1837, based on the skin and skull of an adult male obtained by the Zoological Society of London, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The origin of the holotype has not been determined, but it is presumed to be New South Wales. The two subspecies recognised are: * ''Bettongia penicillat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woylie
The woylie or brush-tailed bettong (''Bettongia penicillata'') is a small, critically endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and is active at night, digging for fungi to eat. It is also a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. Once widespread, the woylie mostly died out from habitat loss and introduced predators such as foxes. It is currently restricted to two small areas in Western Australia. There are two subspecies: ''B. p. ogilbyi'' in the west, and the now-extinct ''B. p. penicillata'' in the southeast. Taxonomy A species was first described by J. E. Gray in 1837, based on the skin and skull of an adult male obtained by the Zoological Society of London, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The origin of the holotype has not been determined, but it is presumed to be New South Wales. The two subspecies recognised are: * ''Bettongia penicillat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boodie
The boodie (''Bettongia lesueur''), also known as the burrowing bettong or Lesueur's rat-kangaroo, is a small, furry, rat-like mammal native to Australia. Once common throughout the continent, it is now restricted to a few coastal islands. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it lives in burrows and is active at night when it forages for fungi, roots, and other plant matter. It is about the size of a rabbit and, like other marsupials, carries its young in a pouch. Before European settlement, it was the most common macropod in Australia (a group that includes kangaroos, wallabies, and other Australian mammals). Competition and predation by introduced rabbits, cats, and foxes, as well as habitat loss, pressured the population. It was declared a pest in the 1900s and was wiped out by the 1960s; however, the loss of the boodie and other ground-foraging animals has degraded soil quality. Populations persisted on three west coast islands (Bernier, Dorre, and Barrow), and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Lesueur
The boodie (''Bettongia lesueur''), also known as the burrowing bettong or Lesueur's rat-kangaroo, is a small, furry, rat-like mammal native to Australia. Once common throughout the continent, it is now restricted to a few coastal islands. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it lives in burrows and is active at night when it forages for fungi, roots, and other plant matter. It is about the size of a rabbit and, like other marsupials, carries its young in a pouch. Before European settlement, it was the most common macropod in Australia (a group that includes kangaroos, wallabies, and other Australian mammals). Competition and predation by introduced rabbits, cats, and foxes, as well as habitat loss, pressured the population. It was declared a pest in the 1900s and was wiped out by the 1960s; however, the loss of the boodie and other ground-foraging animals has degraded soil quality. Populations persisted on three west coast islands (Bernier, Dorre, and Barrow), and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Bettong
The eastern bettong (''Bettongia gaimardi''), also known as the southern or Tasmanian bettong, is a small, hopping, rat-like mammal native to grassy forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it is active at night and feeds on fungi and plant roots. Like other marsupials, it carries its young in a pouch. The eastern bettong is under pressure by introduced predators and habitat loss. The subspecies on mainland Australia (''B. g. gaimardi'') is extinct, but populations of the Tasmanian subspecies (''B. g. cuniculus'') have been reintroduced there.Rose, R. (1997). Metabolic rate and thermal conductance in a mycophagous marsupial, ''Bettongia gaimardi'''. The World Wide Web Journal of Biology 2: 2-7. The animal is called ''balbo'' by the Ngunnawal, an Aboriginal people who used to keep them as pets. Subspecies Two formerly recognised species, ''Bettongia cuniculus'' (Tasmanian bettong) and ''Bettongia gaimardi'' (eastern betton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Setosa
The eastern bettong (''Bettongia gaimardi''), also known as the southern or Tasmanian bettong, is a small, hopping, rat-like mammal native to grassy forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it is active at night and feeds on fungi and plant roots. Like other marsupials, it carries its young in a pouch. The eastern bettong is under pressure by introduced predators and habitat loss. The subspecies on mainland Australia (''B. g. gaimardi'') is extinct, but populations of the Tasmanian subspecies (''B. g. cuniculus'') have been reintroduced there.Rose, R. (1997). Metabolic rate and thermal conductance in a mycophagous marsupial, ''Bettongia gaimardi'''. The World Wide Web Journal of Biology 2: 2-7. The animal is called ''balbo'' by the Ngunnawal, an Aboriginal people who used to keep them as pets. Subspecies Two formerly recognised species, ''Bettongia cuniculus'' (Tasmanian bettong) and ''Bettongia gaimardi'' (eastern bettong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Gaimardi
The eastern bettong (''Bettongia gaimardi''), also known as the southern or Tasmanian bettong, is a small, hopping, rat-like mammal native to grassy forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it is active at night and feeds on fungi and plant roots. Like other marsupials, it carries its young in a pouch. The eastern bettong is under pressure by introduced predators and habitat loss. The subspecies on mainland Australia (''B. g. gaimardi'') is extinct, but populations of the Tasmanian subspecies (''B. g. cuniculus'') have been reintroduced there.Rose, R. (1997). Metabolic rate and thermal conductance in a mycophagous marsupial, ''Bettongia gaimardi'''. The World Wide Web Journal of Biology 2: 2-7. The animal is called ''balbo'' by the Ngunnawal, an Aboriginal people who used to keep them as pets. Subspecies Two formerly recognised species, ''Bettongia cuniculus'' (Tasmanian bettong) and ''Bettongia gaimardi'' (eastern bettong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Anhydra
''Bettongia anhydra'', also known as desert bettong, is a recently extinct species of potoroine marsupial. Taxonomy A skull collected in the 1930s that was placed as ''Bettongia penicillata anhydra'', and later regarded as a synonym of ''Bettongia lesueur''. The first description was by Hedley Herbert Finlayson, published in 1957. An examination of morphology and molecular evidence proposed this specimen as the type of this new species. The type was collected from a fresh carcass at Lake Mackay in the western Northern Territory by Michael Terry in 1933. The phylogeny of the species separates this species and ''B. lesueur'' from lineages that emerged at a later period. Description A species of genus ''Bettongia'', small to medium sized mammals that are usually nocturnal and fungivorous Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Pusilla
The Nullarbor dwarf bettong, ''Bettongia pusilla'', was a potoroine marsupial that occurred in Australia. The animal is only known from skeletons found in caves of the Nullarbor Plain and is now classified as recently extinct. Taxonomy The Nullarbor dwarf bettong was a species of ''Bettongia'', a genus that includes still living species such as the northern bettong, belonging to the subfamily Potoroinae. The description was first published in 1997 by R. A. McNamara, using specimens collected on the Nullarbor Plain from the Koonalda and Weekes Caves. The holotype is part of a juvenile's right jaw, with some teeth absent, obtained at the Koonalda site. The author recognised an earlier description, misidentified as ''Caloprymnus campestris'' by Ernest Lundelius and William D. Turnbull in 1984, and the informal reference to an potoroid species. McNamara's paper on the new species details his diagnosis as arising independently, but gives credit for the discovery to earlier worker's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Bettong
The northern bettong (''Bettongia tropica'') is a small, endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests in northeast Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and lives in burrows, feeding at night on roots and fungi. It is also a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. The northern bettong is threatened by habitat loss, and is now restricted to a few small areas. Habitat The northern bettong is restricted to some areas of mixed open ''Eucalyptus'' woodlands and ''Allocasuarina'' forests bordering rainforests in far northeastern Queensland, Australia. Lifespan The typical bettong lives in the wild for about 4 to 6 years. This is a very short life span, but according to the Smithsonian's National Zoologist, they can, under proper care, live up to the age of 15 years. Behavior All species of the bettong are nocturnal. They carry nesting materials with their long tails and can be found in underground burrows that they escape to duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettongia Tropica
The northern bettong (''Bettongia tropica'') is a small, endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests in northeast Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and lives in burrows, feeding at night on roots and fungi. It is also a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. The northern bettong is threatened by habitat loss, and is now restricted to a few small areas. Habitat The northern bettong is restricted to some areas of mixed open ''Eucalyptus'' woodlands and ''Allocasuarina'' forests bordering rainforests in far northeastern Queensland, Australia. Lifespan The typical bettong lives in the wild for about 4 to 6 years. This is a very short life span, but according to the Smithsonian's National Zoologist, they can, under proper care, live up to the age of 15 years. Behavior All species of the bettong are nocturnal. They carry nesting materials with their long tails and can be found in underground burrows that they escape to duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nullarbor Dwarf Bettong
The Nullarbor dwarf bettong, ''Bettongia pusilla'', was a potoroine marsupial that occurred in Australia. The animal is only known from skeletons found in caves of the Nullarbor Plain and is now classified as recently extinct. Taxonomy The Nullarbor dwarf bettong was a species of ''Bettongia'', a genus that includes still living species such as the northern bettong, belonging to the subfamily Potoroinae. The description was first published in 1997 by R. A. McNamara, using specimens collected on the Nullarbor Plain from the Koonalda and Weekes Caves. The holotype is part of a juvenile's right jaw, with some teeth absent, obtained at the Koonalda site. The author recognised an earlier description, misidentified as ''Caloprymnus campestris'' by Ernest Lundelius and William D. Turnbull in 1984, and the informal reference to an potoroid species. McNamara's paper on the new species details his diagnosis as arising independently, but gives credit for the discovery to earlier worker's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
