Random Things About Bilby, Officially Cutest Animal You've Probably Never Heard Of (13 items)

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  (#13) The Bilby Is One Of A Kind Due To Extinction

  There was once two types of bilbies. There was the greater bilby and the lesser bilby, and the second of these two went extinct sometime in the 1960's. This happened for many reasons including non-native predators such as cats, foxes, and dogs that liked to hunt the lesser bilby.

  Before these invaders, bilbies had few to no predators for hundreds of years and were free to thrive. Then rabbits ravaged their environment making it impossible for them to get enough food. The greater bilby survives but is in a precarious state. It is listed as threatened and endangered throughout Australia and continued problems with rabbits and foxes cause population declines. Conservation efforts are currently underway to help the bilby, so hopefully this precious creature will grace the Internet with its adorableness for years to come.
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  (#8) The Glamorous Bilby Only Lives In Burrow-Mansions

  One of the things a bilby is best at is digging. Because they don't like to be out and about during the day, they live in cool, dark burrows deep underground. They have five front toes, with curved claws, that make them excellent at tunneling, and they have back feet similar to a kangaroo, which helps them kick out dirt and move through their burrows.

  The burrows themselves are also impressive. Bilbies make their burrows long and spiraling so predators will find it difficult to get in. These burrows may be two meters deep, which doesn't seem all that impressive, until you consider that bilbies tend to have numerous burrows. In fact, each bilby can have up to a dozen burrows to themselves. That's 24 meters of burrow for a single animal. Bilbies really like their space.
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  (#3) Bilbies Don't Need To Drink Water Like Other Supermodels

  This might seem like a shocker. After all, don't all animals drink water? As it turns out, several mammals in Australia don't actually need to drink water in order to hydrate, including the Koala and, you guessed it, the bilby. Instead, the bilby has a diet of moisture and water-rich food to absorb water from, including both plants and animals.

  This omnivorous flexibility is what enables the animal to survive. In order to help with this survival, the Bilby does not come out during the day, conserving its body moisture by avoiding the heat and sunlight that would otherwise dry it out. On occasion, the bilby may take advantage of water if it is available, but it generally doesn't need to find a lake, pond, river, or even puddle in order to get by.
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  (#2) Their Long Flexible Ears Aren't Just For Looks

  You might see the word "rabbit" thrown around a lot in relation to the bilby, and that's for a pretty good reason. The ears of the bilby are long and resemble that of a bunny. Not only do these huge ears mean the bilby can hear really well, it also means that they can regulate their temperature more easily.

  On top of all that, their ears are intensely mobile. They can be rotated, tucked flat to the body, put out to either side, moved separately from each other, and can even be folded in half if need be. This ability is beneficial for hearing both prey and predators. Not to mention the versatility such ears provide for striking that perfect adorbs bilby selfie.
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  (#7) Bilbies Know How To Get Busy

  Speaking of rabbits, we all know how fast those little critters are known to reproduce. In one month, a rabbit can produce a batch of up to eight or nine baby bunnies. Shockingly, the bilby has the bunny beat in the baby-making business. From mating to birth, a bilby is only pregnant for a maximum of two weeks before having babies, making them one of the fastest reproducing mammals in the world.

  Bilbies can also breed at any time of year, as long as there is food in supply for the animals to live on. Bilbies can have up to four babies, though usually have only one or two, and they can reproduce multiple times per year. So, as far as their amorous habits, the bilby puts the bunny to shame.
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  (#9) They Are Fashion-Forward And Wear Their Pouches Backward

  Like many of the mammals in Australia, the bilby is a marsupial. This means that they have a pouch in which they carry their young after birth, nursing them until they are ready to thrive on their own. However, the bilby has a rather unusual adaptation compared to other marsupials: It's pouch is positioned backwards.

  Koalas and wombats have this trait too and, for bilbies, this backwards pouch is beneficial because of how they make their home. If the pouch faced towards their head, they would shovel dirt into it, potentially injuring or killing their young, or causing themselves health problems. With it facing away, the babies stay safe while the mother bilby continues to tunnel and create those sweet burrows where they can beat the heat of Australia. 

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