View source for Macrotis

{{Short description|Genus of marsupials}}
{{redirect|Bilby}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = 
| image_caption = Greater bilby
| parent_authority = [[Benjamin Arthur Bensley|Bensley]], 1903
| taxon = Macrotis
| authority = Reid, 1837
| type_species = ''[[Macrotis lagotis]]''
| type_species_authority = Reid, 1837<ref name="Reid1837" />
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = 
* ''[[Macrotis lagotis|M. lagotis]]''
* †''[[Macrotis leucura|M. leucura]]''
| synonyms = 
* ''Paragalia'' {{small|Gray, 1841}}
* ''Peragale'' {{small|Lydekker, 1887}}
* ''Phalacomys'' {{small|anon., 1854}}
* ''Thalaconus'' {{small|Richardson, Dallas, Cobbold, Baird and White, 1862}}
* ''Thylacomys'' {{small|Blyth, 1840}}<ref>{{cite web|author1=Wilson & Reeder |title=Genus ''Macrotis'' |url=http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=10900003 |website=Mammal Species of the World |access-date=14 August 2014 |archive-date=27 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827044835/http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=10900003 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

'''''Macrotis''''' is a genus of desert-dwelling [[marsupial]] omnivores known as '''bilbies''' or '''rabbit-bandicoots''';<ref name=MW>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Thylacomys}} Unabridged {{subscription required}}</ref> they are members of the order [[Peramelemorphia]]. 

At the time of [[History of Australia|European colonisation]] of [[Australia]], there were two species. The [[lesser bilby]] became extinct in the 1950s; the [[greater bilby]] survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a [[vulnerable species]]. The greater bilby is on average {{convert|55|cm|abbr=on}} long, excluding the tail, which is usually around {{convert|29|cm|abbr=on}} long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to [[rabbit]]s.

[[Image:(1)Bilby-5.jpg|Bilby at [[Featherdale Wildlife Park]]|thumb]]

== Taxonomy ==
''Macrotis'' means 'big-eared' ([[wikt:μακρός|{{transliteration|grc|macro-}}]] + [[wikt:οὖς|{{transliteration|grc|ōt-}}]] 'ear') in Greek, referring to the animal's large, long ears.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Jim|title=Mammals of Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QHxFAQAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Pensoft Publishers|isbn=978-954-642-198-2|page=39}}</ref>
The genus name was first proposed as a subgeneric classification, which after a century of taxonomic confusion was eventually stabilised as the accepted name in a 1932 revision by [[Ellis Troughton]]. In reviewing the systematic arrangement of the genus, Troughton recognised three species names, including one highly variable population with six subspecies.<ref name="Troughton1932" />

The family's current name ''Thylacomyidae'' is derived from an invalid [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] ''Thylacomys'', meaning 'pouched mouse', from the Ancient Greek ''{{transliteration|grc|thílakos}}'' ({{lang|grc|θύλακος}}, 'pouch, sack') and ''{{transliteration|grc|mys}}'' ({{lang|grc|μῦς}}, 'mouse, muscle'),<ref name=MW/> sometimes misspelt ''Thalacomys''.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Thalacomys''|url=http://uio.mbl.edu/NZ/detail.php?uid=197713&d=1|website=Nomenclator Zoologicus Record|publisher=The Marine Biological Laboratory|quote=err. pro ''Thyl''- Owen 1838|access-date=25 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101082008/http://uio.mbl.edu/NZ/detail.php?uid=197713&d=1|archive-date=1 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Waite|first1=Edgar R.|title=The generic name ''Thylacomys''|journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History|series=Series 7|date=1900|volume=5|issue=26|pages=222–223|doi=10.1080/00222930008678272|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1429997|access-date=27 June 2019|archive-date=14 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714051427/https://zenodo.org/record/1429997|url-status=live}}</ref>

The term ''bilby'' is a [[loanword]] from the [[Kamilaroi|Yuwaalaraay]] [[Indigenous Australian|Aboriginal]] language of northern [[New South Wales]], meaning long-nosed rat. It is known as ''dalgite'' in [[Western Australia]], and in [[South Australia]], ''pinkie'' is sometimes used.<ref>{{cite web|title=bilby|url=http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/aewords/aewords_ab.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218125222/http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/aewords/aewords_ab.php|archive-date=18 February 2007|access-date=2014-04-22|website=Australian Words|publisher=Australian National Dictionary Centre}}</ref> The [[Wiradjuri]] of New South Wales also call it "bilby".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Yokose|first=Hiroyuki|url=http://www.kasei.ac.jp/library/kiyou/2001/13.YOKOSE.pdf|title=Aboriginal Words in Australian English|year=2001|pages=169–180|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928232122/http://www.kasei.ac.jp/library/kiyou/2001/13.YOKOSE.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2006}}</ref>
[[Gerard Krefft]] recorded the name ''Jacko'' used by the peoples of the lower [[Darling River|Darling]] in 1864, emended to ''Jecko'' in 1866 along with ''Wuirrapur'' from the peoples at the lower [[Murray River]].<ref name="Troughton1932">{{cite journal |last1=Troughton |first1=E. |title=A revision of the rabbit-bandicoots. Family Peramelidae, genus ''Macrotis'' |journal=The Australian Zoologist |date=1932 |volume=7 |pages=219–236 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/244013 |access-date=28 July 2019 |archive-date=28 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728233538/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/244013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Classification ===
{{see also|List of peramelemorphs}}
The placement of the population within taxonomic classification has changed in recent years. Vaughan (1978){{full citation needed|date=December 2015}} and Groves and Flannery (1990){{full citation needed|date=December 2015}} both placed this family{{which|date=December 2015}} within the family [[Peramelidae]]. Kirsch et al. (1997){{full citation needed|date=December 2015}} found them to be distinct from the species in [[Peroryctidae]] (which is now a subfamily in Peramelidae). McKenna and Bell (1997){{full citation needed|date=December 2015}} also placed it in Peramelidae, but as the sister of ''[[Pig-footed bandicoot|Chaeropus]]'' in the subfamily Chaeropodinae.<ref>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=38|id=10900003|heading=Macrotis}}</ref>

Here is a summary of the treatment as a peramelemorph family:
* '''Thylacomyidae'''
** Genus †''[[Bulbadon]]'' <small>Travouillon, Beck & Case 2021</small>
*** ?†''[[Bulbadon warburtonae|B. warburtonae]]'' <small>Travouillon, Beck & Case 2021</small>
** Genus †''[[Ischnodon]]'' <small>Stirton 1955</small>
*** †''[[Ischnodon australis|I. australis]]'' <small>Stirton 1955</small><ref>Stirton, R.A., 1955. Late tertiary marsupials from South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum 11, 247–268.</ref>
** Genus †''[[Liyamayi]]'' <small>Travouillon et al. 2014</small>
*** †''[[Liyamayi dayi|L. dayi]]'' <small>Travouillon et al. 2014</small><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Travouillon | first1 = K.J. | last2 = Hand | first2 = S. J. | last3 = Archer | first3 = M. | last4 = Black | first4 = K. H. | year = 2014 | title = Earliest modern bandicoot and bilby (Marsupialia, Peramelidae and Thylacomyidae) from the Miocene of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, Australia | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 34 | issue = 2| pages = 375–382 | doi=10.1080/02724634.2013.799071| bibcode = 2014JVPal..34..375T | s2cid = 85622058 | url = https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Earliest_modern_bandicoot_and_bilby_Marsupialia_Peramelidae_and_Thylacomyidae_from_the_Miocene_of_the_Riversleigh_World_Heritage_Area_northwestern_Queensland_Australia/963509 | url-access = subscription | hdl = 1959.4/unsworks_36968 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>
** Genus ''Macrotis'' <small>(Reid 1837)</small>
*** ''[[Macrotis lagotis|M. lagotis]]'' <small>(Reid 1837) Jentink 1887</small> (Greater bilby)
*** †''[[Macrotis leucura|M. leucura]]'' <small>(Thomas 1887) Iredale & Troughton 1934</small> (Lesser bilby)

== Description ==
Bilbies have the characteristic long [[bandicoot]] muzzle and very big ears that radiate heat. They are about {{convert|29–55|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. Compared to bandicoots, they have a longer tail, bigger ears, and softer, silky fur. The size of their ears allows them to have better hearing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/endangered/endangered-animals/bilby.html|title=Greater bilby|date=2003-08-08|website=Department of Environment and Science – Queensland Government|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-04-23|archive-date=23 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423134731/https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/endangered/endangered-animals/bilby.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/bilby/|title=Bilby – Australia's Easter bunny|date=24 November 2005|website=Environmental Protection Agency/Queensland Park and Wildlife Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323122123/http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/bilby/|archive-date=2006-03-23|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref> They are nocturnal omnivores that do not need to drink water, as they obtain their moisture from food, which includes insects and their larvae, seeds, spiders, bulbs, fruit, fungi, and very small animals. Most food is found by digging or scratching in the soil, and using their very long tongues.

Unlike bandicoots, they are excellent burrowers and build extensive tunnel systems with their strong forelimbs and well-developed claws. A bilby typically makes a number of burrows within its home range, up to about a dozen, and moves between them, using them for shelter both from predators and the heat of the day. The female bilby's pouch faces backwards, which prevents the pouch from getting filled with dirt while she is digging.

Bilbies have a [[gestation]] of about 12–14 days, one of the shortest among mammals.<ref name="EoM">{{cite book|author=Gordon, Greg|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/846|title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher=Facts on File|year=1984|isbn=978-0-87196-871-5|editor=Macdonald, D.|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/846 846–849]|chapter=Bandicoots And Bilbies|chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>

The appearance of the bilby has been alluded to as "Australia’s answer to the [[Easter rabbit]]".<ref name="UQnews2014">{{cite web |last1=University of Queensland |title=Palaeontologists unearth rare 15-million-year-old bilby |url=https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2014/03/palaeontologists-unearth-rare-15-million-year-old-bilby |website=UQ News |language=en |date=17 March 2014 |access-date=29 July 2019 |archive-date=29 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729054122/https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2014/03/palaeontologists-unearth-rare-15-million-year-old-bilby |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Conservation ==
Bilbies are slowly becoming endangered because of habitat loss and change, and competition with other animals. There is a national recovery plan being developed for saving them. This program includes captive breeding, monitoring populations, and reestablishing bilbies where they once lived. There have been reasonably successful moves to popularise the bilby as a native alternative to the [[Easter Bunny]] by selling [[chocolate]] [[Easter Bilby|Easter Bilbies]] (sometimes with a portion of the profits going to bilby protection and research). Reintroduction efforts have begun, with a successful reintroduction into the Arid Recovery Reserve in [[South Australia]] in 2000,<ref>Moseby K. E. and O'Donnell E. O. (2003) [http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WR02012.htm Reintroduction of the greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis (Reid) (Marsupialia: Thylacomyidae), to northern South Australia: survival, ecology and notes on reintroduction protocols] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112124918/http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WR02012.htm |date=12 November 2005 }} Wildlife Research 30, 15–27.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aridrecovery.org.au/greater-bilby|title=Greater Bilby|website=aridrecovery.org.au|access-date=2019-04-23|archive-date=23 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423134727/http://www.aridrecovery.org.au/greater-bilby|url-status=live}}</ref> and a reintroduction into [[Currawinya National Park]] in [[Queensland]], where six bilbies were released into a predator-proof enclosure in April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/bilbies-hop-into-their-new-home-just-in-time-for-easter-20190418-p51fbb.html|title=Bilbies hop into their new home just in time for Easter|last=Caldwell|first=Felicity|date=2019-04-18|website=Brisbane Times|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23|archive-date=23 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423134726/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/bilbies-hop-into-their-new-home-just-in-time-for-easter-20190418-p51fbb.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Successful reintroductions have also occurred on the Peron Peninsula in [[Western Australia]] as a part of<ref>{{cite web|title=Project Eden|url=http://www.naturebase.net/content/view/822/824/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831123012/http://www.naturebase.net/content/view/822/824/|archive-date=2007-08-31|access-date=2014-04-22|website=NatureBase|publisher=Department of Environment and Conservation}}</ref> the [[Western Shield]] program, and at other conservation lands, including islands and the [[Australian Wildlife Conservancy]]'s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awc.org.au |title=Australian Wildlife Conservancy |publisher=Awc.org.au |access-date=2014-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523103010/http://awc.org.au/ |archive-date=23 May 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Scotia Sanctuary|Scotia]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries/scotia-sanctuary.aspx |title=Australian Wildlife Conservancy Scotia Sanctuary |access-date=2 June 2014 |archive-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530052352/http://australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries/scotia-sanctuary.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Yookamurra Sanctuary|Yookamurra Sanctuaries]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries/yookamurra-sanctuary.aspx |title=Australian Wildlife Conservancy Yookamurra Sanctuary |access-date=2 June 2014 |archive-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530065110/http://australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries/yookamurra-sanctuary.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> There is a highly successful bilby breeding program at [[Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kanyanawildlife.org.au/ |title=Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (Inc.) |publisher=Kanyanawildlife.org.au |access-date=2014-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629102859/http://www.kanyanawildlife.org.au/ |archive-date=29 June 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> near [[Perth]], Western Australia.

== Evolution ==
The bilby lineage extends back 15 million years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Stephen|date=2014-03-19|title=15-million-year-old bilby fossil found in Qld|url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2014/03/15-million-year-old-bilby-fossil-found/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Australian Geographic|language=en-AU|archive-date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128022203/https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2014/03/15-million-year-old-bilby-fossil-found/}}</ref> In 2014 scientists found part of a 15-million-year-old fossilised jaw of a bilby which had shorter teeth that were probably used for eating forest fruit. Prior to this discovery, the oldest bilby fossil on record was 5 million years old. Modern bilbies have evolved to have long teeth used to dig holes in the desert to eat worms and insects.

It is thought the bilby diverged from its closest relative, an originally-carnivorous [[bandicoot]], 20 [[million years ago]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Young|first=Emma|date=2010-09-07|title=Carnivorous bilby fossil unearthed|url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2010/09/carnivorous-bilby-fossil-unearthed/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Australian Geographic|language=en-AU|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618081816/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2010/09/carnivorous-bilby-fossil-unearthed}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Australian fauna]]
*[[Bilby (film)|Bilby (Film)]] Animated short made by DreamWorks Animation

== References ==
{{Reflist|1|refs=
<ref name="Reid1837">{{cite journal |last1=Reid |first1=J. |title=Description of a new species of the genus ''Perameles'' (''P. lagotis'') |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |date=1837 |volume=1836 |pages=129–131 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12860113 |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=14 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714051407/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12860113 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Macrotis}}
{{Wiktionary|bilby|Macrotis}}
* ARKive – [https://web.archive.org/web/20070202135805/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Macrotis_lagotis/ images and movies of the greater bilby ''(Macrotis lagotis)'']

{{Portal bar|Biology|Animals|Mammals|South America}}
{{Agreodontia}}
{{Peramelemorphia}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q617087}}
[[Category:Peramelemorphs]]
[[Category:Marsupials of Australia]]
[[Category:Marsupial genera]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Mammal genera with one living species]]