Long-nosed bandicoot
A nocturnal marsupial and one of the smaller Australian native animals, the long-nosed bandicoot is found across eastern Australia. Populations in the Sydney region have dwindled since European settlement, leaving only endangered colonies in inner western Sydney and at North Head, near Manly. The long-nosed bandicoot has grey-brown fur and a pointed snout which it uses to forage for worms and insects.
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Long-nosed bandicoots are found in rainforests, as well as damp areas in woodlands and forests, across eastern Australia in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Once widespread in the Sydney region prior to European settlement, the numbers of long-nosed bandicoots have since dwindled.
This nocturnal marsupial is the size of a small rabbit, with pointed ears, grey-brown fur and a white belly and feet. The long-nosed bandicoot digs cone-shaped holes with its forefeet, and forages with its pointed snout for worms and insects.
Generally a solitary animal, the long-nosed bandicoot sleeps during the day under well-concealed mounds of leaf litter or soil, and has even been known to make use of rabbit burrows.
Animal facts
- Common name
- Long-nosed bandicoot
- Scientific name
- Perameles nasuta
- Conservation status in NSW
- Protected