Bilby

Bilbies are living beings with needs, wants and feelings, just like you and I. They are ground dwelling marsupials who are found in the arid and semi-arid lands of Australia. Populations of bilbies have dramatically reduced over recent years and they are now listed as being endangered.

The Bilby is characterised by its long, silky blue-grey fur. It possesses long ears that are pinkish in colour. The body is compact in size featuring a pointed snout with a long tongue and a tail that is black and white in colour. Bilbies strong front legs are adapted with long claws to assist in digging their burrows and uncovering buried food. Their back legs are slender and the same shape as a kangaroos. A male bilbies body length is 30-55cm, with an additional 20-29cm of tail length, females are smaller with a body length of 29-39cm and a tail that measures 20-28cm. Males weigh up to 2.5kg and females weigh up to 1.2kg.

In the wild, bilbies live until they are 5 to 7 years of age.

Why is the Bilby Endangered?

Fun Facts

Bilby burrows can be spirals of up to 3 metres long and 2 metres deep

Fun Facts

Bilbies have poor eyesight, and rely on their acute hearing and sense of smell

Fun Facts

Male bilbies are roughly the same size as rabbits

Fun Facts

The word bilby comes from the Aboriginal language Yuwaalaraay which means “long-nosed rat"