Mr. Bilby came direct from Australia thanks to a lovely lady called Peggy. She arranged for his transportation and his safe arrival in Canada. Peggy is part of a fabulous organization called the Save the Bilby Fund. The Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is a marsupial native to Australia. Our Mr. Bilby takes his first and middle names from the names of the co-founders of the Save the Bilby Fund. They have a great website which can be found here: savethebilbyfund.com. The Greater Bilby once were abundant in arid and semi arid areas of Australia. Now they are listed as vulnerable nationally in Australia and endangered in Queensland in particular. Their numbers declined rapidly with the introduction of non-native species such as rabbits which destroyed their habitat and cats and foxes who hunted them. Conservationists say that they have lost 80% of their former range.
Bilbies are omnivores and eat small lizards, mice, spiders, insects, roots and seeds. They live in burrows and their long front claws are excellent for digging. During the daytime they block the entrances to their burrows to keep them cool. Closing the burrows also prevents unwanted visitors disrturbing thier sleep. Their large ears help to keep them cool as their surface area allows a large network of blood vessels to sit at the surface and cool down. Male bilbies are larger (2.5kg) than female bilbies (1.5kg). Bilbies are one of the fastest breeding animals on the planet with pregnancy lasting 12-14 days. Young bilbies live in the pouch for about 3 months are independent once their leave the pouch. They are able to breed in 6 months.
In Australia National Bilby Day is observed on Sunday September 11 2016.
Information in this particular blog is from the Save the Bilby Fund. For more information on Bilbies, their plight and how you can help please check out their website at savethebilbyfund.com.
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