Brush-Tailed Rat Kangaroo
Australia's Endangered Animal
Description
Food Chain
Habitat
Location
The brush-tailed rat kangaroo lives in south-eastern Australia in the mainland south of the tropics. These marsupials are usually found in open forests or woodlands which have a low, clumped understory of tussock grasses.
Home
The woylie's individual home usually ranges of 20 to 40 ha, which is pretty large for an animal their size. Each home area includes a nesting and feeding area. Their shelter is a domed nest made of grass or shredded bark built over a shallow dent in the ground.
Terrain and Climate
The climate in the woylie's habitat is usually moderate rainfall, and temperatures ranging from hot to cold. They live in temperate woodlands.
Critical Info/Conservation
Reasons for Endangerment
Adaptation
Structures
Brush-tailed rat kangaroos have a prehensile tail, which means that they can wrap it around things, such as nesting grass, and hop away. These marsupials also have a front pouch to carry their young, where they stay for about 98 days. (EDGE)
Getting Food
The woylie has a special stomach, allowing it to break down and digest fungi. Using its keen sense of smell, it finds the underground fungi and digs it up with its front paws. (EDGE)
Behaviors
Brush-tailed bettongs are primarily nocturnal, since they spend the daytime in their nests. Their nest is a dome built over a hollow part of the ground. (ARK)
What can you do to help?
Links to Other Endangered Animals
https://www.smore.com/p9s0-northern-hairy-nosed-wombat
Numbat
https://www.smore.com/qm4n-numbat?ref=my
Bridled Nail-Tailed Wallaby
Works Cited
Photopin photo credit:
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/6008897824/">BioDivLibrary</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/quollism/8469232999/">quollism</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
Works Cited-Continued
Bettong Joey climbing into pouch . 2013. Video. You TubeWeb. 20 Apr 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MdFz_XiGaA>.
Bettongia penicillata at Duisburg Zoo (1). N.d. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb. 20 Apr 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bettongia_penicillata_at_Duisburg_Zoo_(1).JPG>.
Bettongia penicillata at Duisburg Zoo (2). N.d. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb. 5 Apr 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bettongia_penicillata_at_Duisburg_Zoo_(2).JPG>.
Bettongia penicillata (Woylie)1. 2008. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb. 5 Apr 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bettongia_penicillata_(Woylie)1.jpg>.
"Brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata)." Arkive. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr 2012<http://www.arkive.org/brush-tailed-bettong/bettongia-penicillata/>.
Chapman, Arthur. Bettongia penicillata (Woylie). 2008. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb. 10 Apr 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bettongia_penicillata_(Woylie).jpg>.
Klave, Wilhelm. Brush-tailed Bettong distribution map 2011. 2011. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb.20 Apr 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brush tailed_Bettong_distribution_map_2011.png>.
Molteno, S. Afrotemperate indigenous woodland at Newlands Cape Town 3. 2010. Photograph. Creative CommonsWeb. 5 Apr 2013.
N.d. Photograph. PhotopinWeb. 20 Apr 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/quollism/8469232999/>.
N.d. Photograph. PhotopinWeb. 20 Apr 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/6008897824/>.
Search Creative Commons. N.p.. Web. 1 April 2013.<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bettongia_penicillata_(Woylie)1.jpg>.
“Bettong Joey climbing into pouch . 2013. Video. You TubeWeb. 20 Apr 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MdFz_XiGaA>.