Southern Brown Bandicoot
Isoodon obesulus
A single Southern Brown Bandicoot can excavate up to 3.9 tonnes of soil annually, acting as an essential ecosystem engineer by aerating the ground.
- Scientific name
- Isoodon obesulus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Peramelemorphia › Peramelidae › Isoodon
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands, and heathlands with dense understory vegetation.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on insects, earthworms, fungi, plant tubers, and seeds.
- Range
- Southern Australia, Tasmania, Kangaroo Island
- Size
- Body length of 28-36 cm, tail length of 9-14 cm, weighing between 400-1600 grams.
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 years in the wild
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, land clearing, and predation by introduced feral cats and red foxes.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. If encountered, maintain a respectful distance of 3-5 meters and do not attempt to touch or corner them, as they have sharp claws used for digging and may scratch in self-defense. If scratched or bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with warm soapy water and seek medical advice to prevent infection.
The southern brown bandicoot ( Isoodon obesulus ) is a short-nosed bandicoot, a type of marsupial, found mostly in southern Australia. It is also known as the quenda in South Western Australia (from the Noongar word kwernt ).
Photo: SJM McFish, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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