Brush-tailed Bettong (Bettongia penicillata): habitat and range

Fun facts

Its populations collapsed by 90% between 1999 and the early 2010s.
Its long prehensile tail works as a genuine fifth limb for carrying nesting material.
It feeds mainly on underground fungi (truffles).

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marsupial mammal)
Habitat and environment: Open woodland and scrub of south-western Western Australia, with low dense grass or shrub cover
Birth weight: Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Extremely undeveloped at birth, finishing its development in the pouch over some 98-100 days
Sexual maturity: 170-180 days (~6 months)
Gestation / incubation: 21 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 young, up to 3 times a year
Life expectancy in captivity: Documented record of up to 14-18.8 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Alice Springs Desert Park; WWF Australia; Animal Diversity Web; Smithsonian National Zoo; Animalia.bio; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); National Zoo & Aquarium Australia; PMC (trypanosome population decline study)

Where to find it

Best time: All year round, at night, on the fenced reserves and islands of south-western Australia where it still survives.

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Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Brush-tailed Bettong — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family

Related to

How to help

The brush-tailed bettong is classified as critically endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.

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Brush-tailed Bettong