The Long-nosed bandicoot -
Getting to know a Sydney local
Gabrielle Anderson

The Long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) used to be common in the Sydney region. A significant increase in urban development since 1960, however, has steadily reduced available habitat for the bandicoot.

Children at the launch of the Foundation's Dymocks Golden Paw Award get to meet Oblio the bandicoot who currently travels in a cat carrying cage. Photo: Max Herford

Bandicoots are nocturnal and need dense vegetation to shelter in during daylight hours. With less shelter and the threat from feral carnivores such as cats and foxes, bandicoot numbers have declined.

In the past, the Long-nosed bandicoot was well known among gardeners for the small conical holes it leaves behind when foraging for food. It is rabbit sized, with coarse grey-brown fur, and its distinctive long snout and strong forepaws make ideal foraging tools. The bandicoot is omnivorous, and its diet includes larvae, beetles, ants, stems and fungi.

During daylight hours the bandicoot sleeps in nests built from available plant materials. Apart from mating, it lives a largely solitary existence. At just 12.5 days the Long-nosed bandicoot has the shortest known gestation period for any mammal.

The endangered North Head population

Scattered populations of the Long-nosed bandicoot do remain around Sydney, including an isolated population at North Head in Manly. This small population has been classified as endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.

The bandicoots are found within the Sydney Harbour National Park and also in Council Reserves such as Shelly Beach and are known to visit suburban backyards in the area. The population is now isolated by development, and careful planning is vital to its survival.

Community education plans

Mark Caddey, Education Manager at Taronga Zoo's Education Centre introduces Oblio gently to student Madeleine Anderson. Photo: Gabrielle Anderson

Community education is an integral part of the Recovery Plan for the North Head population of the Long-nosed bandicoot. Taronga Zoo is represented on the Recovery Team, and is already playing an important role in community education efforts.

Visiting the Zoo Education Centre at the launch of the Foundation’s Dymocks Golden Paw Award in August, I was lucky enough to meet Oblio, a very cute young bandicoot used by the Centre in its Schools Program. Mark Caddey, Education Manager at Taronga Zoo Education Centre, showed the bandicoot to a very attentive group of local school children.

Taronga Zoo hopes to eventually acquire three more bandicoots for its collection. Two of these will join Oblio at the Education Centre and will visit schools with the Zoomobile. Another bandicoot will go to the new 'Backyard to Bush' Program at the Zoo, which provides kids with the chance to explore urban, farm and bush environments and discover the many animals we share these with.

The Zoo is building special perspex-fronted displays so visitors can clearly see how the little marsupials forage for insects.

The Zoo has already held a community education program at Terrey Hills. Live animals, audio recordings and photographs were used to educate visitors about the preservation of this precious local fauna. Mark Caddey explained that the Zoo would like to repeat this community education model in a number of areas where urban fringes reach into bandicoot habitats.

The Foundation contributes $5000 toward the cost of establishing facilities for Long-nosed bandicoots and other small animals used in Zoo Education Programs. These additional resources will assist the Zoo Education Centre to increase education on bandicoots in both schools and the wider community.

More information

For more information on the Long-nosed bandicoot visit:
Threatened Species Information
Australian Museum Online

For information on Taronga Zoo Education Programs visit the Zoo's website
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