People often describe the bilby’s appearance as a mismatch of other animals, with its pointed snout, rabbit-like ears, long hind feet and bi-coloured tail, but these peculiarities make up one of Australia’s most-loved marsupials. The bilby has been immortalised as Australia’s bearer of Easter goodies, and can grow up to 55cm long, with a tail up to 29cm long. Throughout the large country, bilbies occupy burrows in mostly desert regions, although they once flourished in a variety of habitats, including tussock grassland regions, desert sandplains and semi-arid shrublands. Their love of burrowing makes them an important ecosystem engineer — many other species can reap the rewards of their skillfully made holes, including insects, reptiles, and small mammals.
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