Шығыс беттонгы: Австралияның сирек кездесетін сүтқоректісі

Species of marsupial

The eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), also known as the southern or Tasmanian bettong, is a small, hopping, rat like mammal native to grassy forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it is active at night and feeds on fungi and plant roots. Like most marsupials, it carries its young in a pouch. The eastern bettong is under pressure by introduced predators and habitat loss. The subspecies on mainland Australia (B. g. gaimardi) is extinct, but populations of the Tasmanian subspecies (B. g. cuniculus) have been reintroduced there. The animal is called balbo by the Ngunnawal, an Aboriginal people who used to keep them as pets.

This animal's habitat is dry, open eucalypt forests and grassy woodlands at altitudes between sea level and 1,000 meters. A major component of their diet is truffles and other underground fungi, as well as roots and tubers. Insects and grubs are also eaten. It is unique in that it will travel up to 1.5 km from its nest to a feeding area, a considerable distance for such a small creature. A nocturnal animal, the bettong sleeps during the day in a domed nest. The nests are made with densely woven grass, leaves and shredded bark in a sheltered site such as a shallow depression in the ground or under a fallen log or clump of vegetation. The animal uses its curved prehensile tail to transport the nesting materials to the nest site. The gestation period is 21 days, after which the infant (referred to as a "joey") remains in the pouch for an additional 105 days.

While the mainland population became extinct in the 1920s, The International Union for Conservation of Nature has raised the threat status for eastern bettongs from least concern to near threatened.