The boodie, aka burrowing bettong or Lesueur’s rat-kangaroo, hails only from the Australian islands of Barrow, Bernier, and Dorre. They were once prominent throughout Australia. However, these critters are the product of the effects of invasive species and with them disease, predators, and competition for food. They are now classified as Near Threatened and Critically Depleted by the IUCN. Their numbers are slowly increasing, but for now they are struggling to survive.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Bettongia lesueur
Weight: Up to 2.9 lbs.
Length: Up to 25.74 inches, plus up to a 11.81 inch tail
Lifespan: Up to 3 years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) There were only an estimated 14,500 wild individuals remaining as of 2012.
2.) The boodie was reintroduced to Boodie Island in 1993 and was subsequently introduced to Faure Island in 2002.
3.) They were once the most common macropodiform (marsupial) mammal in Australia.
4.) Charles Lesueur, an artist and naturalist first collected samples of these creatures in 1817, on a French expedition.
5.) These critters prefer open triodia (perennial grasses that have long narrow leaves and florets) and dune habitats, but tend to be willing to burrow anywhere sans places with rocky substrate.
But wait, there’s more on the boodie!
6.) Seeds, flowers, fruits, roots, tubers, succulent leaves, various grasses, fungi, termites, marine waste, and vegetable gardens are all on the menu.
7.) Their populations are highly dependent upon the availability of rainfall. So, they are directly effected by climate change. In wetter years their populations explode. In dry times, their numbers crash.
Did you know…?
Before their extinction on mainland Australia, they would forage and mix organic matter into the soil, spreading both fungi and seeds. This blending also increased water absorption in the soil and lessened the combustible material underneath trees, thus decreasing the likelihood of fires.
8.) They are preyed on by red foxes, cats, wedge-tailed eagles, monitor lizards, and the western quoll.
9.) If weather conditions permit, boodies will bread throughout the year.
10.) They are presumed to be polygynous (1 male mates with multiple females).
But wait, there’s still more on the boodie!
11.) Females undergo up to a 21 day gestation (pregnancy) that yields a single joey.
12.) The joey migrates to the female’s marsupium (pouch) and continues to develop.
Did you know…?
These critters are slated for reintroduction to Dirk Hartog Island following the removal of feral cats and domestic livestock, as well as to fenced landscapes at Mallee Cliffs National Park and Sturt National Park, both in New South Wales.
13.) Weaning is complete in up to 120 days.
14.) The juvenile is independent in up to 180 days.
15.) In an example of facultative embryonic diapause, the female will mate the day after giving birth, yet the fertilized egg halts development until the existing joey is weaned.
Now a Short Boodie Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
Photo credit: Slow-boil a frog
