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 Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby. Taxonomy The potoroids are sm ...

), it is active at night and feeds on fungi and plant roots. Like other

marsupials Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

, 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), were placed into a single species with two subspecies by Wakefield in 1967:Wakefield, N. (1967). Some taxonomic revision in the Australian marsupial genus ''Bettongia'', with description of a new species. The Victorian Naturalist. 84:8-22.Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2011). ''Bettongia gaimardi gaimardi'' in Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. Available from: http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat. Accessed Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:51:31 +1100. (http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66656) * ''B. g. gaimardi'', mainland subspecies (now extinct) * ''B. g. cuniculus'', Tasmanian subspecies The introduction of the

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

and European rabbit to Australia led to the extinction of the mainland subspecies during the 1920s. The Tasmanian subspecies still exists. In 2012, a small population was

reintroduced Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustainin ...

to the mainland in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. The reintroduction to Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary was successful, and led to further reintroductions using an on-site breeding program out of the nearby Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and wild eastern bettongs translocated from Tasmania.

Diet and behaviour

This animal's habitat is dry, open eucalypt forests and grassy woodlands at altitudes between sea level and 1,000 meters. A major component of their diet is truffles and other underground fungi, as well as roots and tubers. Insects and grubs are also eaten. It is unique in that it will travel up to 1.5 km from its nest to a feeding area, a considerable distance for such a small creature.Department of Primary Industries and Water (August 2006).

The Tasmanian bettong]''. Department of Primary Industries and Water. A Nocturnality, nocturnal animal, the bettong sleeps during the day in a domed nest. The nests are made with densely woven grass, leaves and shredded bark in a sheltered site such as a shallow depression in the ground or under a fallen log or clump of vegetation. The animal uses its curved prehensile tail to transport the nesting materials to the nest site. The animal only uses the nest for one or two nights, before it moves on in search of food. Like other bettongs, the eastern bettong is a

continuous breeder Continuous breeders are animal species that can breed or mate throughout the year. This includes humans and apes ( bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons), who can have a child at any time of year. In continuous breeders, female ...

, producing young throughout the year.University of Tasmania, School of Zoology.

Profile – Tasmanian Bettong]''. University of Tasmania. The

gestation period In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus, and ends once it ...

is 21 days, after which the infant (referred to as a "joey") remains in the pouch for an additional 105 days.

Threats

While the mainland population became extinct in the 1920s, the Tasmanian population has remained secure. One concern is that most of the bettongs are found on private land, with only two groups found within reserves.

Red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

es are a major threat.Department of Primary Industries and Water - Foxes in Tasmania http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/ThemeNodes/LBUN-5K438GFoxes in Tasmania-Invasive Animals CRC Report http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/publications/lbun-6r26gg? The International Union for Conservation of Nature has raised the threat status for eastern bettongs from least concern to near threatened.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Bettongia Mammals of Tasmania Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Mammals described in 1822