Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) lives in grassland across Southeastern Australia. It feeds on insects and worms. Its conservation status is Vulnerable.
Fascinating facts about the Eastern Barred Bandicoot
- Weighing just under 2 kg, the eastern barred bandicoot is the size of a rabbit, but Tasmanian adults tip the scales at about 1 kg while their Victorian cousins average only 750 g. Females can have up to five young per litter, but usually raise two to three, and a single gestation lasts a mere 12 days, one of the shortest among mammals. Because the young stay with their mother for 86 days, a female can produce up to five litters a year in ideal conditions.
- The species once roamed the basalt plains of southwest Victoria, but introduced foxes, cats and farmland cleared its habitat, driving the mainland subspecies to critically endangered status. Since 1989 eight reintroduction sites have been set up, and a predator-proof 400-hectare fence at Woodlands Historic Park keeps feral predators out. In 2008 the Victorian wild population was estimated at just 150 individuals, yet by September 2021 numbers had surged to about 1,500, prompting Australia's first ever downgrade from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered".
- A male's home range can span roughly 100 acres (40 ha), dwarfing the 75-acre (30 ha) territories of females. Their nocturnal foraging relies on a long, pointed snout that probes deep into soil, then powerful claws dig out invertebrates such as beetles, grubs and earthworms.
- Bandicoots live only two to three years in the wild, so every breeding season is crucial. Their lifespan in captivity stretches to about three years, yet mortality remains high, especially among juveniles, making each successful litter a key buffer against extinction. This short life span, combined with a high reproductive capacity, means population recovery hinges on protecting mothers during the narrow window from birth to 86 days when the young are still dependent.
- The eastern barred bandicoot's closest relatives are the western barred and long-nosed bandicoots, all sharing a long pointed snout and small ears. Together they belong to the order Peramelemorphia, which split from placental mammals about 100 million years ago, making them distant cousins of kangaroos and koalas.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSoutheastern Australia
HabitatGrassland
DietInsects and worms
About the Eastern Barred Bandicoot
In the moonlit underbrush, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot emerges as a fleeting shadow, its pointed snout twitching as it snuffles out a nocturnal feast of insects and worms. With a curious, almost furtive gait, it darts across the forest floor, its distinctive barred fur blending seamlessly into the dappled darkness, a masterful camouflage that has allowed this enigmatic creature to thrive in the wild. As it pauses, one hind leg tucked neatly beneath its body, the bandicoot's large, round eyes shine like lanterns in the night, filled with a quiet, unassuming intelligence that has captivated the hearts of all who have been fortunate enough to encounter it.
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