Bandicut ( lat. Peramelidae ) - a family of marsupial mammals . Distributed in Australia , New Guinea and several eastern islands of Indonesia .
| Bandicoot |
Coarse Bandicoot ( Perameles bougainville ) |
| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Peramelidae Gray (1825) |
| Taxonomy |
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| See text |
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Bandicoots are small animals that live on the surface of the earth. Their hind legs are longer than their forepaws, which makes their movement look like a hare. The claws on the front legs are used to dig the earth in search of food. Bandicoots live alone and are active mainly at night. They are omnivorous , and their food includes insects , small vertebrates and plant material.
Bandicoots are divided into three subfamilies, the hallmarks of which are the shape of the skull , as well as different ranges.
- Subfamily Peramelinae
- Genus Short-nosed bandicoots ( lat.Isoodon )
- Genus Long-nosed bandicoots , or nosy marsupial badgers ( lat.Perameles )
- Subfamily Peroryctinae
- Genus New Guinean Bandicoots ( lat.Peroryctes )
- Subfamily Echymiperinae
- Genus Spiky Bandicoots ( lat.Echymipera )
- Genus Mouse-shaped bandicoots ( lat.Microperoryctes )
- Genus Ceramic Bandicoots ( lat.Rhynchomeles )
- Wilson, DE, and DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4