The Australian Easter Bunny
The bilby, also known as the rabbit-eared
bandicoot, has survived where other desert-dwellers have disappeared, and it is one of
very few medium-sized mammals still found in Western Australia's desert regions. Males may
grow up to half a metre long, but females are smaller. Bilbies are largely solitary,
widely dispersed and found in low numbers. They are comparatively slow moving but have
superb hearing. They also have strong claws and are very efficient burrowers. In sandy
soil they can disappear from sight within three minutes. In recent years, there have been
calls for this strikingly attractive and uniquely Australian mammal to replace the Easter
bunny. |
