Omari Gates
The bilby is a native Australian marsupial and an important 'ecological engineer' in the iconic Australian bush. Once found across 70% of the Australian mainland, today, the only remaining wild populations are fragmented and restricted to remote locations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and southwest Queensland. The bilby is revered for a variety of ecological and cultural reasons and is the largest species in the bandicoot family.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common name | Bilby |
| Scientific name | Greater Bilby |
| Habitat | Spinifex grasslands, mulga scrublands, arid and semi-arid areas, rocky soils with little ground cover, scrublands, woodlands |
| Location | Tanami desert in the Northern Territory, the Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia, southwest Queensland |
| Population | Unknown, but estimated to be over 100 in the Currawinya National Park community |
| Diet | Omnivorous: bulbs, fruit, seeds, fungi, insects, worms, termites, small lizards, spiders |
| Lifespan | 5-6 years in the wild, up to 10 years in captivity |
| Weight | Up to 2.5kg |
| Length | Up to 55cm, with a tail of up to 29cm |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable to extinction |
| Threats | Feral cats, foxes, habitat destruction, fire regimes, grazing, deforestation |
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What You'll Learn
Bilbies are found in the Tanami desert in the Northern Territory
The Tanami Desert is located in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, with a rocky terrain and small hills. The desert covers 25,997,277 hectares and is considered one of the most important biological areas in Australia. It provides refuge for several of the country's rare and endangered species, including the bilby.
Bilbies, or Greater Bilbies, are native to Australia and are known for their distinct appearance, being large and strikingly marked bandicoots. They are nocturnal, elusive, and prefer to dwell in burrows, digging up to 2 metres deep to find safety from predators and maintain a constant temperature range of 23-24°C.
In the past, bilbies were found across 70% of the Australian mainland, from the Great Dividing Range in the east to the Gascoyne coastline in the west. Today, their natural habitats are limited to spinifex grasslands and mulga scrublands in hot, dry, arid, and semi-arid regions. They are now only found in remote parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and western Queensland.
The Tanami Desert, being a remote and protected area, provides an ideal habitat for bilbies. The desert's high temperatures, averaging 38°C during the day, may contribute to the bilbies' preference for deep burrows to maintain a cooler temperature. The rocky terrain and small hills of the Tanami Desert may also offer some protection from predators and extreme weather conditions.
The bilbies in the Tanami Desert, and elsewhere, are vulnerable to extinction due to threats such as feral cats and foxes, habitat destruction, and inappropriate fire regimes. Conservation efforts are underway to protect these endearing creatures, including the establishment of protected areas and the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into habitat management and conservation practices.
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They are also found in the Great Sandy Desert
The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert in Australia, covering an area of 284,993 square kilometres. It is located in the north of Western Australia, with a small part extending into the Northern Territory. The desert is bordered by the Pilbara and Kimberley regions to the north and west, the Tanami Desert to the east, and the Gibson Desert to the south.
The Great Sandy Desert experiences high daytime temperatures, with summer days reaching 38 to 42°C or more. The region has low rainfall, but for a desert, it receives a surprising amount of rain, especially during the wet season from November to April/May. The average yearly rainfall is about 250-300 mm for most areas, with higher amounts in the northern regions bordering the Kimberley.
The vegetation of the Great Sandy Desert is dominated by spinifex grasslands, which are important habitats for bilbies. The desert also features sandstone country, low hills, salt lakes, sand dunes, and shrublands in the south. The region is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including feral camels, dingoes, mulgara, marsupial moles, rufous hare-wallabies, and red kangaroos.
The Great Sandy Desert is sparsely populated, with the main inhabitants being Aboriginal Australian communities, including the Martu in the west and the Pintupi in the east. The Nyikina Mangala people of the Kimberley region in far north Western Australia also have territory extending south into the Great Sandy Desert.
The bilby, also known as the Greater Bilby or "Mankarr" in the Martu language, is a large, endearing, and strikingly marked bandicoot native to Australia. Bilbies are nocturnal, elusive, and dig deep burrows to protect themselves from predators and maintain a constant temperature. They are under threat from feral cats and foxes, habitat destruction, and inappropriate fire regimes and are now only found in remote locations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and western Queensland.
Conservation efforts are underway to protect bilbies and their habitats, including in the Great Sandy Desert, where the Nyikina Mangala people are working to conserve 4,500 hectares of habitat for the Greater Bilby and other native wildlife.
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As well as the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia
The bilby is a native Australian marsupial and the largest member of the bandicoot family. It is an important ecological engineer, improving soil health by turning over and mixing organic matter, and creating complex subterranean burrows. Bilbies were once found across the Australian continent, from the Great Dividing Range in the east to the Gascoyne coastline in the west, occupying 70% of the Australian mainland.
Today, bilbies are only found in remote locations in northern and central Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and southwest Queensland. They are now most often found in Spinifex grasslands and mulga scrublands in the hot, dry, arid, and semi-arid areas of Australia.
The bilby is under threat from feral cats and foxes, habitat destruction, and inappropriate fire regimes. These threats have led to their vulnerable status and risk of extinction. Conservation efforts are focused on controlling feral cats and implementing strategic burning to avoid large-scale fires that affect bilby habitats.
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A separate population lives in southwest Queensland
The bilby, a native Australian marsupial, is an elusive nocturnal mammal. It is also the largest member of the bandicoot family. Once found across 70% of the Australian mainland, the species now only occupies less than 20% of its former range. The bilby is under threat from land-clearing, habitat destruction, and predation by feral cats and foxes. Due to these threats, the species is vulnerable to extinction.
A separate population of bilbies lives in southwest Queensland, in the Currawinya National Park. This area is a fenced sanctuary that is off-limits to visitors. The bilby population in this area is carefully monitored and tracked. It is believed that there are over 100 bilbies in this community.
The Save the Bilby Fund has played a crucial role in conserving the bilby population in southwest Queensland. They have worked to remove feral cats from the area inside the Bilby Fence and have released bilbies into this safe environment. The fund also supports research and monitoring efforts to better understand bilby populations and determine best practices for land management.
The Nature Conservancy Australia has also been actively involved in the recovery of the bilby species. They co-sponsored the inaugural Indigenous Bilby Knowledge Festival in Australia's most remote community, Kiwirrkurra, in the Gibson Desert. The organization also teamed up with the University of Melbourne to conduct a long-term study of bilbies, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into mapping their distribution and assessing their habitat requirements.
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They are also found in Sturt National Park in north-eastern NSW
Bilbies, the large and strikingly marked bandicoots, were once found across the Australian continent, from the Great Dividing Range in the east to the Gascoyne coastline in the west. They occupied 70% of the Australian mainland at the time of European settlement. Today, they are only found in remote parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and western Queensland. Bilbies are native to Australia and belong to all Australians, so conservation attempts should ideally be made on crown land rather than private sanctuaries.
The Greater Bilby is a nocturnal, burrow-dwelling mammal native to Australia. They are threatened by land-clearing and habitat destruction, and feral cats and foxes. They are also vulnerable to inappropriate fire regimes. The Martu Living Deserts Project, supported by Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa and BHP, is working to protect the Greater Bilby in the Great Sandy Desert.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) feral predator-free areas project is also working to reintroduce locally extinct mammals, including the Greater Bilby, to Sturt National Park in partnership with Wild Deserts. This project is funded by the NSW government and aims to increase the number of bilbies in NSW by 17%. The bilbies released in Sturt National Park came from Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo and were placed in a 2,000-hectare fenced-off area to protect them from cats, foxes, and rabbits.
Sturt National Park is a protected national park located in the arid north-western corner of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park covers 325,329 hectares and was established in 1972. It is named after Charles Sturt, a colonial explorer who spent a year in the area while searching for a fabled inland sea. The park features typical outback scenery of flat, reddish-brown landscapes and is home to a variety of wildlife, including birds, kangaroos, and dingoes. The nearest town is Tibooburra, 6 kilometers away.
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Frequently asked questions
Bilbies are found in remote parts of western Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. They are only found in fragmented populations in the Tanami Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara, and the Kimberley regions.
Before European settlement, bilbies were found on over 70% of the Australian mainland. They are now missing from the wild in most parts of the country and are listed as vulnerable to extinction.
Conservation efforts are underway to protect bilbies in Australia, including the establishment of a feral predator-free sanctuary, monitoring programs, and research to understand their local environments and inform fire and feral animal management.
The main threats to bilbies include habitat loss due to land-clearing and inappropriate fire regimes, competition with introduced species, and predation by feral cats and foxes.
