The greater bilby: a long-eared, rabbit-sized marsupial of Australia that lives in burrows and comes out at night. Once widespread, it now survives only in parts of northwestern and central Australia because of habitat loss and introduced predators such as foxes. It is vulnerable.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
It lives in a burrow and comes out at night to feed on insects, fruit and fungi.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAustralia
HabitatDesert, Grassland
ColoursGrey, White
SizeSmall
Length29–55 cm
WeightMales 1–2.4 kg, females 0.8–1.1 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for7–10 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Parts of northwestern and central Australia.
- What it eats
- Insects, fruit and fungi; it gets all the water it needs from its food.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Australia sells chocolate bilbies at Easter instead of rabbits.
The lesser bilby died out in the 1950s, leaving the greater bilby as the only one.
One bilby may dig up to a dozen spiralling burrows in its home range.
Often confused with
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