Animalscaretips
When did bilbies come to Australia?
Bilbies are believed to have inhabited Australia for up to 15 million years and were once found across 70% of Australia's landmass. With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia's version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, Bilby numbers are falling rapidly.
Who discovered bilbies?
The first fossil bilby ever recovered was discovered by an American palaeontologist, Professor Ruben Stirton, in South Australia in 1955. He named the 3.9-million-year-old fossil bilby, known from a single lower jaw with a few teeth, 'Ischnodon australis'.
Are Bilbys extinct?
Habitat and distribution
The greater bilby once ranged over most of mainland Australia, but the arrival of exotic predators has eliminated greater bilbies from most of their former range. Its closest relative, the lesser bilby, is extinct.
Are bilbies rare?
A rare marsupial that once ran wild in Australia's New South Wales has been reintroduced into the state for the first time in more than a century. Bilbies - small nocturnal mammals with long, rabbit-like ears - were last recorded in the state in 1912.
