They fill the ecological niches occupied in other places by rodents and rabbits — some live in the desert, others in the rainforest, …
They use their burrows for shelter during the day. They are usually nocturnal and their appearance is characterised by a pointed nose that is used in foraging for ground-living invertebrates and other food items. More than 20 species of bandicoot and bilby, members of the order Peramelemorphia, live in Australia and New Guinea. Since European settlement, two species of bandicoot and one bilby have become extinct, another two are extinct or critically endangered on the mainland, and two more are classified as vulnerable to extinction. Murdoch University … Bilby, (Macrotis lagotis), also called greater bilby, dalgyte, or greater rabbit-eared bandicoot, small, burrowing, nocturnal, long-eared marsupial belonging to the family Thylacomyidae (order Peramelemorphia) and native to Australia. Bandicoots and Bilbies Bandicoots and bilbies are small to medium sized (150–2500 g) omnivorous marsupials found only in Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands. Twenty-two bandicoot and bilby species are thought to dwell in the Australian desert and coastal areas and New Guinea rainforest.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, bilbies occupied habitats across more than 70 percent of Australia. Bilby, or Rabbit-eared Bandicoot, so named because of their long rabbit-like ears and their habit of building and living in long burrows. They are the only bandicoots that burrow, going down as much as 5 feet or more, and are most active at night.