Golden Bandicoot

Golden Bandicoot[1] 
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Peramelemorphia
Family: Peramelidae
Genus: Isoodon
Species: I. auratus
Binomial name
Isoodon auratus
(Ramsay, 1887)
Subspecies
  • I. a. auratus
  • I. a. barrowensis
Golden Bandicoot range

The Golden Bandicoot (Isoodon auratus) is a short-nosed bandicoot found in northern Australia. It is by far the smallest of its genus, being a little over half the size of its relatives the Northern Brown Bandicoot (I. macrourus) and the Southern Brown Bandicoot (I. obesulus).[3]

The Golden Bandicoot is now a threatened species. It was once found throughout much of northwestern Australia, with even a patch on the New South Wales/South Australia border, but it is now restricted to the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and to Augustus, Barrow and Middle Islands off Western Australia (I. auratus barrowensis) and Marchinbar Island of Northern Territory. It is distinguished from the brown bandicoots by its golden colouring and much smaller size.[3]

References

  1. ^ Groves, Colin P. (16 November 2005). "Order Peramelemorphia (pp. 38-42)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=10900012. 
  2. ^ Burbidge A, Woinarski J & Morris K (2008). Isoodon auratus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 2008-12-10.
  3. ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 76. 

External links