Images attached to GBIF records (field photographs), from . Open licences; click for the record.
Eastern Bettong
Bettongia gaimardi (Desmarest, 1822)
Also calledBetong de Tasmania (spa) · Betong-da-Tâsmania (por) · Bettong de Gaimard (fra) · Bettongia della Tasmania (ita) · Bettongia meridionale (ita) · Bettongia orientale (ita) · Canguro-rata de Tasmania (spa) · Kangourou-rat de Gaimard (fra) · Kangourou-rat de Tasmanie (fra) · Tasmaanse Borstelstaartkangoeroerat (nld) · Tasmanbettong (nob) · Tasmanien-Blrstenrattenkanguru (deu) · Tasmanien-Bürstenkänguru (deu) · Tasmanien-Bürstenrattenkänguru (deu)
First described in: Mammalogie. In Encycl. Méth. vol.2(Suppl.) p.542
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.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
conservation
Conservation: CITES – Appendix I; U. S. ESA – Endangered; IUCN – Extinct as B. g. gaimardi, otherwise Lower Risk (nt).
Order Diprotodontia
distribution
Distribution: Formerly coastal SE Queensland and N New South Wales, south to SW Victoria; now extinct on mainland Australia; survives in Tasmania.
Order Diprotodontia
distribution
DISTRIBUTION: Formerly coastal SE Queensland and N New South Wales, south to SW Victoria; now extinct on mainland Australia; survives in Tasmania.
Order Diprotodontia
conservation
PROTECTED STATUS: CITES - Appendix I as Bettongia spp. U. S. ESA - Endangered as B. gaimardi.
Order Marsupialia
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
What it does
This animal's habitat is dry, open eucalypt forests and grassy woodlands at altitudes between sea level and 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). 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 (0.93 mi) 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 animal only uses the nest for one or two nights, before it moves on in search of food. Like other bettongs, the eastern bettong is a continuous breeder, producing young throughout the year. The gestation period is 21 days, after which the infant (referred to as a "joey") remains in the pouch for an additional 105 days.
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Bettongia gaimardi in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2440025.