Bandicoots are small, ecologically important marsupials belonging to the order Peramelemorphia, native exclusively to the Australia-New Guinea region. Their conservation status varies significantly across species and geographic locations. While some species remain relatively common, others face dramatic declines, illustrating the severe challenges facing native Australasian wildlife.
Defining Bandicoots and Their Range
Bandicoots are small to medium-sized marsupials, typically weighing between 0.4 and 3.5 pounds. They are characterized by a long, pointed snout, a humped back, and strong forepaws equipped for digging. As nocturnal omnivores, they use their keen sense of smell to forage for insects, larvae, fungi, and seeds, leaving behind conical “snout pokes” in the soil.
Female bandicoots possess a backward-opening pouch, which prevents dirt from entering while they are digging. They have one of the shortest gestation periods of any mammal, sometimes as brief as 12 days, allowing them to reproduce rapidly. Their native range encompasses Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, where they inhabit diverse environments from tropical rainforests to arid scrub.
Current Conservation Status
The conservation status of bandicoots is highly fragmented, reflecting outcomes from widespread survival to extinction. Of the estimated 20 species, roughly half are classified as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Several Australian bandicoot species have already become extinct, such as the Desert Bandicoot, last recorded in the 1940s. The mainland population of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot is nationally listed as Endangered due to severe historical declines across Victoria and South Australia. The Southern Brown Bandicoot is also nationally listed as Endangered due to its severely fragmented distribution across parts of Victoria and New South Wales.
An “Endangered” listing means the species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild. In contrast, species like the Long-nosed Bandicoot and the Northern Brown Bandicoot are classified as “Least Concern” by the IUCN, indicating they are not currently at high risk of extinction. Despite this global security, even these widespread species have experienced severe localized population reductions and have become locally extinct in many parts of their historical range due to habitat loss.
Key Causes of Population Decline
Bandicoot population decline is primarily linked to changes in the Australian landscape since European settlement. Habitat destruction and fragmentation are significant factors, particularly due to land clearing for agriculture and urbanization. This loss of dense vegetation removes the shelter bandicoots rely on to hide from predators during the day.
Predation by introduced species represents the greatest immediate threat to many populations. Feral cats and red foxes prey upon the small marsupials and have contributed significantly to their extirpation across the mainland. For example, the decline of the Northern Brown Bandicoot on Melville Island was linked to the presence of feral cats and increased fire frequency.
The effects of climate change, particularly intense wildfires and prolonged droughts, also increase bandicoot vulnerability. Large-scale fires destroy the dense undergrowth and ground cover they require for shelter, leaving them exposed. Introduced herbivores like rabbits and deer further degrade habitat by competing for food and removing the undergrowth shelter.
Actions to Protect Bandicoots
Conservation efforts focus on mitigating primary threats through targeted management actions. A key strategy involves extensive feral predator control programs, including fencing, trapping, and baiting, targeting foxes and cats in priority areas. For instance, Parks Victoria runs long-term fox control projects to protect the Southern Brown Bandicoot.
The establishment of predator-free havens, often secured by exclusion fences or located on fox-free islands, has proven successful. These protected zones serve as safe areas for species recovery and reintroduction projects. The Western Barred Bandicoot, for example, now survives only on offshore islands and in fenced mainland reserves.
Captive breeding programs also help prevent the extinction of the most threatened species. Zoos Victoria has successfully bred hundreds of Eastern Barred Bandicoots for release into protected sites, stabilizing their population. These recovery programs aim to increase population numbers and improve genetic health, with the goal of re-establishing viable populations within their historic range.