Pig-legged bandicoot: habitats, appearance, lifestyle

The pig-legged bandicoot is a small marsupial mammal that inhabits predominantly in the arid regions of Australia. From the middle of the XX century it is considered extinct. It is also known as the marsupial badger and shrew.

Appearance of a pig bandit

This animal had an oblong pointed muzzle, long pointed ears and thin limbs. The jaw counted 46-48 teeth. The length of the body was 23-26 cm, and the thin tail - 10-15 cm. The coat was coarse, but without spines. The fur on its back had a brown-gray or orange-brown hue, and on the belly it was white. On the upper side of the tail, sometimes a small comb of black, gray and yellowish hair was observed.

The pig-legged bandicoot got this name, because on the forelegs, he had two fingers, at the tips of which were claw claws, reminiscent of the analogous formations of artiodactyls. The hind legs had a completely different appearance: they ended with four rudimentary and one enlarged finger.

The scientific name Chaeropus ecaudatus in Russian sounds like "tailless pig". The man who first noticed this animal in the history of biology believed that all representatives of this species were without tails. Later it was discovered that the specimen during life for some reason lost this part of the body, but it was too late to change the name from the point of view of science.

Habitat and disappearance

The pig-legged bandicoot was first described in the 19th century by specimens found in the north-western region of Victoria (Australia), as well as in the arid southern, western and northern territories of the country. The last representative of this species was found in the drying Lake Eyre in 1907. However, it is assumed that the pig-legged bandicoots existed until the 30-40s of the last century in remote areas of Western and Southern Australia. Animals of this species preferred semi-desert, steppe and savannah zones for living.

The main reason for the sharp decline in the population and ultimately the extinction is the grazing of sheep and cattle in the habitat of bandicoots and eating them imported to Australia by foxes, cats and other predators.

For a long time, the aborigines who inhabited the country burned the grassy areas of the earth, which allowed the plants to quickly regenerate and give marsupials food. European colonization of Australia stopped this process, which forced the bandicoots to look for a new dwelling in which everything would be necessary for their residence.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Representatives of this species preferred solitude. Activity was mainly at night, although often they could be found in the afternoon. The lifestyle of the pig bandit depended on the environment. Some animals dig holes of small depth, while others built nests on the surface of the earth.

These animals used different kinds of gait during the movement. Bandicoots moved slowly, if only the hind legs (like rabbits) were involved. For rapid movement of the animal used all four legs, while their gait looked somewhat awkward. Aborigines reported that, if necessary, pig-legged bandits (photos you can see in the article) developed very high speed.

In search of food, animals used olfaction. The digestive system and teeth of bandicoots testify that they were omnivorous and preferred to eat plant roots, lettuce, grass, grasshoppers, termites, ants and even meat.

Reproduction

The pig-legged bandicoot had eight nipples. The females had bags opening at the back. Reproduction occurred in May and June. The pregnancy period was very short - about twelve days. The birth of bandicoots lasted about 10 minutes. The number of young in each offspring did not exceed two. The weight of each was 0.5 g. The next mating process occurred in about 50 days, because by this time the offspring stopped eating mother's milk.

Small rabbit bandicoot

This species of mammals is now vanishing, as its representatives often fall into traps for rabbits. This animal for some time was called yallar. The habitat of the animal was mainly the central regions of Australia. Thomas was the first zoologist to describe a small rabbit bandicoot. The scientist took advantage of the only specimen of the species kept in the British Museum.

The rabbit bandicoot has the same body length as the pig-legged, and its tail can reach 22 cm. The fur is silky and has a light chestnut-gray color and a dark blackish-gray hue. Reproduction usually lasts from March to May, although animals control this process according to weather conditions and the availability of sufficient food.

Animals are characterized by a stubborn, unyielding, aggressive nature. Unlike the hog bandikut, yallar, when trying to take him in his arms, responds with hissing, scratching and resistance. Animals are kept alone, at night they hunt small rodents, ants, termites, collect plant seeds and roots. In the afternoon they rest in burrows not more than 1-2 m deep, which they themselves dig up. Entrance to their home rabbit bandits providentially fall asleep with sand.