Rufous Bettong

by Miroslava Jurcik

Title

Rufous Bettong

Artist

Miroslava Jurcik

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

The rufous rat-kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens), more commonly known as the rufous bettong, is a small marsupial species of the family Potoroidae (very small kangaroo) found in Australia . Measuring just 38 cm from head to tail, the rufous bettong is tiny. Rufous bettongs take their name from their coarse, reddish-grey fur. They have pointed ears, a hairy muzzle, pale red fur round the eyes, and an almost hairless tail. Males weigh up to 3 kg, with females slightly heavier.
Still fairly common, says the goverment, the rufous bettong lives in forests and woodlands along the east coast of mainland Australia from north Queensland to mid-New South Wales and around the Murray River. Unfortunately I have never seen one in the wild.
The bettong rarely drinks, except during drought. In the daytime, the bettong stays in its grass nest, built in a shallow hole under tussocks of grass or shrubs. Multiple nests are often used by the same individual.
Rufous bettongs may be solitary or live in pairs, and are capable of breeding at any time of year.
Their population is spread out. This may have assisted the Rufous Bettong to persist over most of its geographic range where other Bettongs have suffered significant declines in their natural distribution with the advent of forestry, agriculture and pastoralism.
Restoring bettongs to areas from which they have disappeared may benefit the health of the whole ecosystem.

Unfortunately Australia keeps cutting forests to built, and even that Australia is large, it doesn't have much liveable habitat. Sad, because our animals are Australians also and where here first.

Ref. https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals-az/rufous_bettong.html

Uploaded

January 28th, 2019

Statistics

Viewed 1,461 Times  -  Last Visitor from Syosset, NY on 04/20/2024 at 9:49 PM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags