Golden Bandicoot

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).

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 of 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.

It averages about 3.5 cm (or 1.4 in.) in length from head to tail and weighs between 260-655g (or 9-23 oz) with an average of 310 g (11 oz). It is the smallest of the short-nosed bandicoots with a golden color back, hence the name, finely streaked with black fur. The sides and face are a faded light rust color, and the underbelly is pale amber. The feet are the same color as the underbelly and have sharp claws. The species was first described in 1897 from a specimen collected near Derby, Western Australia. As with most bandicoots, the Golden Bandicoot has a rather long, flat, pointy nose. It is an omnivore, consuming succulents, insects, plant bulbs, and small reptiles. Being nocturnal, the Golden Bandicoot hunts at night by digging small holes in the ground to find food.

The largest Golden Bandicoot population lives on Barrow Island because no cats or foxes have been introduced to the island, and other populations exist on Middle, Marchinbar, Augustus Islands. Small populations on mainland Australia are located in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The Golden Bandicoot once lived all throughout Central Australia, but by 1992 it had been reduced to a small area in northwest Kimberly and Arnhem Land. In 2000, it was assumed that the species was extinct on the mainland. Birds are the main threat to the species, and bandicoots must compete with rabbits for resources.