It has been suggested that Isoodon macrourus reached New Guinea via Late Pleistocene flooding of a former land bridge called the Torres Strait (Stonehouse 1977).
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Over the past century, populations of I. macrourus have decreased after the European introduction of rabbits and livestock into Australia. This dramatically heightened the direct competition for food and habitat. Bandicoot populations further suffered after the introduction of the fox and cat, both predators of small animals (Grzimek 1990).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Large short-nosed bandicoots are a delicacy to the aboriginal populations of Australia. Also, this species can be bred with relative ease in captivity. This could allow it to serve as a "model animal" for future experimental studies (Seebeck et al. 1990).
I. macrourus is omnivorous. They eat insects, earthworms, berries, and grass seeds. Sometimes when food is scarce, the female bandicoot will eat her young. These marsupials forage alone during the night and have a keen sense of smell. This allows bandicoots to find food either laying in the open or burried underground. Hunting at night, however, also has its consequences. The bandicoot is prime prey for many nocturnal cats, foxes, and owls found in Australia (Grzimek 1990).
The large short-nosed bandicoot, a marsupial, is found only on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and nearby islands, mainly Papua New Guinea. It is not, however, found far inland in Australia where the environment is extremely hot and unsuitable for most organisms.
Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )
The populations of I. macrourus live in two different habitats: one during the dry season and the other during the wet season. During the dry season, this species lives in thick vegetation consisting of tall weeds, small trees, and dense shrubs. This probably occurs because of the sparse food supply that can be found. During the wet season though, I. macrourus "come out" and roams open grasslands where a more abundant food source exists (Friend and Taylor, 1985).
Large short-nosed bandicoots make individual nests or homes on the ground consisting of simple mounds of hay and twigs that are well camouflaged and waterproof. The inside is hollow and large enough for just the single bandicoot. Some bandicoots use hollowed out tree trunks or abandoned rabbit dens for shelter. In general however, I. macrourus show a strong preference for homes in areas of low ground cover (Seebeck et al. 1990).
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; scrub forest
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 1.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 3.0 years.
These bandicoots can be set apart from other marsupials by two traits. They are both polyprotodont and syndactylous (Seebeck et al. 1990). I. macrourus have typical body and tail lengths of 40cm and 15cm, respectively. On average they weigh 1200g. This rodent-like marsupial has a thick harsh coat but is not spiny. The dorsal pelage is light brown in appearance with speckled black patterns throughout. On the ventral surface it is solid white (Grzimek 1990). This bandicoot also has short, rounded ears and a short nose. One can easily mistake large short-nosed bandicoots for Isoodon obesulus, or small short-nosed bandicoots. The two species differ in both size, with I. macrourus larger, and regional locality, in that I. obesulus are found only on the southern coastline of Australia (Seebeck et al. 1990).
The male is typically 5-7cm longer and half a kilogram heavier than the female (Seebeck et al. 1990).
Range mass: 260 to 1500 g.
Average mass: 1200 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average basal metabolic rate: 3.202 W.
The large short-nosed bandicoot breeds throughout the year. An average litter consists of 2-4 young. Being marsupials, the newborns are naked and immature and thus undergo extensive development within the mother's pouch (Gemmell and Johnson, 1985). The gestation period (12.5 days) is the shortest recorded for any mammal (Seebeck et al., 1990). Bandicoots are also the only metatherian marsupials that have placentas similar to eutherian mammals. Juveniles are weaned at 60 days post partum. By this time, the marsupial young are capable of sustaining endothermy on their own (Gemmell and Johnson, 1985). I. macrourus have a lifespan of approximately two years.
Female bandicoots produce between 8-11 litters in their lifetime (Gemmell and Hendricks, 1993). Male bandicoots don't play a signifacant role in the care of juvenile I. macrourus.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 0.1883 g.
Average gestation period: 12 days.
Average number of offspring: 4.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 200 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 122 days.
The northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus), a marsupial species, is a bandicoot found only on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and nearby islands, mainly Papua New Guinea. It is not, however, found far inland.[1]
This species can be set apart from other marsupials by two traits; it is both polyprotodont (i.e., several pairs of lower front teeth) and syndactylous.[3] The northern brown bandicoot has typical body and tail lengths of 40 and 15 cm (15.7 and 5.9 in), respectively. On average it weighs 1,200 g (2.6 lb). This marsupial has a thick harsh coat but is not spiny. The dorsal pelage is light brown in appearance with speckled black patterns throughout. On the ventral surface it is solid white.[4] The northern brown bandicoot has a reverse pouch so it won't fill with soil when digging.[5] This bandicoot also has short, rounded ears and a short nose. One can easily mistake the northern brown bandicoot for the southern brown bandicoot. The two species differ in both size, with the northern brown bandicoot larger, and regional locality, in that the southern brown bandicoot is found only on the southern coastline of Australia.[3]
The male is typically 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) longer and about 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lb) heavier than the female.[3]
The populations of the northern brown bandicoot live in two different habitats: one during the dry season and the other during the wet season. During the dry season, this species lives in thick vegetation consisting of tall weeds, small trees, and dense shrubs. This probably occurs because of the sparse food supply that can be found. During the wet season though, the northern brown bandicoot "comes out" and roams open grasslands where sources of food are more abundant.[6]
The northern brown bandicoot is one of relatively few native Australian ground-dwelling mammals that is able to survive within urbanized landscapes. The generalized dietary and habitat requirements, as well as a high reproductive output, undoubtedly facilitate the survival of the species in urban habitat fragments.[7]
The northern brown bandicoot makes individual nests or homes on the ground consisting of simple mounds of hay and twigs that are well camouflaged and waterproof. The inside is hollow and large enough for just the single bandicoot. Some bandicoots use hollowed out tree trunks or abandoned rabbit dens for shelter. In general, however, the northern brown bandicoot shows a strong preference for homes in areas of low ground cover.[3]
The northern brown bandicoot is omnivorous. It eats insects, earthworms, berries, and grass seeds. Sometimes when food is scarce, the female bandicoot will eat her young. This marsupial forages alone during the night and has a keen sense of smell. This allows it to find food either laying in the open or buried underground. Hunting at night, however, also has its consequences. The bandicoot is prime prey for many nocturnal cats, foxes, and owls found in Australia.[4] The Northern brown bandicoot is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Australiformis semoni.[8]
The northern brown bandicoot diligently marks and retains its territory. It has scent glands on the ears, mouth, pouch, and cloaca.[4] This solitary marsupial is aggressive only towards others of its species. If a bandicoot is startled in its nesting site, it will flee. Hardly ever will the northern brown bandicoot defend itself unless two males confront one another over territorial rights. Then, either a male is killed or one male becomes subordinate to the other and avoids confrontation. The subordinate male also forfeits to the dominant male all sexual relations with local females.[9] Bandicoots are not social animals and do not live in groups, with the exception of mother and her young.
The northern brown bandicoot breeds throughout the year. An average litter consists of 2 to 4 young. Being marsupials, the newborns are naked and immature and thus undergo extensive development within the mother's pouch.[10] The gestation period (12.5 days) is the shortest recorded for any mammal.[3] Bandicoots are also the only metatherian marsupials that have placentas similar to eutherian mammals. Juveniles are weaned at 60 days post partum. By this time, the marsupial young are capable of sustaining endothermy on their own.[10] I. macrourus have a lifespan of approximately two years.
Female bandicoots produce between 8 and 11 litters in their lifetime.[11] Male bandicoots don't play a significant role in the care of juvenile I. macrourus.
The name bandicoot is based on their rather ratlike appearance. The name comes from a corruption of an Indian word "pandi-kokku" signifying "pig-rat".[12]
Over the past century, populations of the northern brown bandicoot have decreased after the European introduction of rabbits and livestock into Australia. This dramatically heightened the direct competition for food and habitat. Bandicoot populations further suffered after the introduction of the fox and cat, both predators of small animals.[4] Northern brown bandicoot populations in the Northern Territory are showing considerable declines, with one study in the Northern Territory finding a 35% reduction in the breadth of occupied environmental space.[13] As there was only a small (1-2%) reduction in their extent of occurrence, the study concluded that the species is contracting to areas of higher rainfall, lower fire frequency, and higher vegetation cover.[13]
The Northern brown bandicoot is known as yok to the Kunwinjku people of western Arnhem Land,[14][15][16] and for those still living on their country is an important food. It is stuffed with hot coals and bush herbs then covered with paperbark and cooked in a ground oven.[17][18]
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) The northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus), a marsupial species, is a bandicoot found only on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and nearby islands, mainly Papua New Guinea. It is not, however, found far inland.
