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

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  (#1) They Have A Bunch Of Different Names, Among Which Little Bunny Roo-Roo Is Not One

  Of course, the name "bilby" itself is pretty cool but its not this creature's only moniker. The name originally comes from the Yuwaalaraay Aborigines, a tribe that lives in New South Wales, and it translates roughly to "long-nosed rat." However, because there are many different aboriginal groups throughout the country, this isn't its only tribal name. 

  The animal is also called the pinkie, ninu, walpajirri, dalgyte, and the rabbit bandicoot or rabbit-eared bandicoot. While the bilby is in the same family as the bandicoot (yes, it's a real animal, not just a video game character) and looks somewhat similar, especially both specie's nose-shape, it's more kangaroo-like body and ears give it a competitive cuteness edge.
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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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  (#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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  (#4) They Really Need Eyeglasses

  Although their little black eyes are like tiny little black diamonds adorning their precious faces, the bilby's eyes are of little use. Unfortunately, bilbies have very poor eyesight, and rely more on their ears, nose, and whiskers to find their way about the world. They don't even use their vision much when tracking down things to eat. 

  Despite their keen senses of smell and hearing, their eyesight is a large reason invasive species have preyed on the bilby and caused their population to decline. Glasses just wouldn't go with the bilby's overall look.
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  (#5) Bilbies Are Too Hawt To Fear Fire

  Fires tend to be a major problem for most species, but it's not always the worst thing for the bilby. Research has shown that bilbies can actually benefit from brush fires, because of the impact that fire has on their habitat. Certain plants grow quickly and well after a fire has passed, and bilbies love to munch on those kinds of plants.

  Because they are both smart and pretty, the bilby will hide in their underground burrows until a wildfire has burnt out. Those cute little homes also help the bilby's local ecosystem by providing shelter to other creatures and changing soil conditions, such as temperature and humidity, so seeds will grow.
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  (#6) Bilbies Have Serious Beef With Bunnies

  Australia has a serious rabbit problem. They aren't native to Australia and since being introduced there, they have done horrible things to the native animal populations and wildlife. The government has even taken action to control the rabbit problem.

  Rabbits have especially proven a pest to the poor bilbies. Rabbits have encroached on the bilby's habitat, food supply, and efforts to poison rabbits have been just as murderous to bilbies as rabbits. Thus Australians would rather see an Easter Bilby over that pest the Easter Bunny. They are actively trying to replace the Easter bunny with the Easter Bilby. Chocolate bilbies are available in stores instead of chocolate bunnies and stories of the Easter Bilby have been written for kids.
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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#10) They Love The Night Life

  Because they are easy game for predators and because they don't rely on their eyesight much, the best time for the bilby to party is at night. The bilby is nocturnal. Because these little guys don't tend to drink much water they need to make sure that their prey are rich in liquid.

  At night, they eat pretty much anything. Grass, eggs, lizards, snails, fungus, and spiders. If it has water and they can catch it, they will eat it, and night time is when all their favorite goodies are ripe for the picking. The cooler night temperatures suit the bilby and the darkness helps them stay hidden from predators.
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  (#11) Who Needs Forks With Such A Useful Tongue?

  So how does the bilby catch its dinner? Especially with such horrible eyesight. It starts with their ears, which they put to the ground to listen for movement. When they hear something, they burrow down and use their dexterous, wiggly little nose to seek out their target. Their nose moves somewhat like an elephant trunk, though it can't pick things up.

  Instead, the bilby is equipped with a very long tongue, like an anteater, which they use to scoop up bugs. Of course, they end up eating a lot of dirt too with this method, but it still nets them their prey.
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  (#12) They Really Need Their Me Time

  You'd think an animal with burrows built for hosting parties, such fast-paced breeding habits, and an overall magnetic cuteness would make for a social creature. But not so.

  Instead, the bilby prefers a solitary lifestyle. They may breed many times per year, but that's because male bilbies are bigger than females and will travel quite a distance in order to find a mate. After all that travel, they prefer to spend the rest of their year alone, enjoying sweet solitude in one of their underground abodes. In some rare cases, bilbies have been found living together in groups. These groups may be as big as four and are usually the result of a mother still taking care of her young.
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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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