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Brush-Tailed Bettong
Once the most common kangaroo species in Australia, with billions of them roaming the country, the brush-tailed bettongs are now considered at risk in the wild and remain on the endangered species list according to the US Fish and Wildlife Department. They actually became extinct in the wild in the 1920s. They are now being reintroduced with success in small areas of the country.
We are now USDI US Fish and Wildlife permitted to breed this species. This is a special permit given to those who wish to breed endangered species.
Read more below the picture gallery:
Click each picture to see the larger version. Use the right arrow to scroll though all pictures.
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Billywig and Whizbee
These little guys were kept by a small zoo type of place who were not housing them properly. They decided it was best for their animals to reduce the number of animals they have so that they can better care for them. We have agreed to take in two mating pairs.
For a while it seemed they would never mate. They came to us in such bad shape, one is definitely too old and in too poor of health. But, they finally have settled in enough and are in better health, so we have had two joeys now.
You can see our nursery pages here:
Bettongs are potoroids, which are considered to be the more primitive of the two kangaroo families. Brush-tailed bettongs formerly range across southern Australia, however, they had become extinct in the wild due to the introduction of predators into the area such as the common house cat and foxes for fox hunting as well as habitat destruction. There is an effort underway to reintroduce this species back into the wild. Little is known about their reproductive habits, though we are learning more about that every day here at CLAWS.
These guys weigh approximately 900 grams and are completely precious.
In The Wild
Classification: |
Potoroid within the super family Macropod (kangaroos) |
Native Region: |
South-west Western Australia, their number are significantly declined and are completely gone in some of their natural habitats, however, reintroduction programs have upgraded them from endangered to low risk with CITES |
Diet: |
Primarily a fungivore and omnivores, feeding mostly on truffles, supplementing with roots and tubers. In the wild, they drink almost no water |
Behavior: |
Very nocturnal. They do not wake during the day unless you actually pick them up. |
Social Structure: |
Solitary except during mating season. |
Interesting Facts: |
Also known as Woylies. Because of human habitation and the
introduction of predators into their natural habitat, these guys were on the
endangered species list. There are now programs trying to
reintroduce them into the wild in certain areas. Though they have been
removed from the endangered species list, they are far from being safe now. While their faces look like a cross between a macropod and a rat, their bodies and way of moving looks just like a kangaroo. Potoroids are much more omnivorous in their diet than the larger wallabies and kangaroos. They cannot generally digest grass like their larger stomached relatives, but eat 'easier' food such as fruit, tubers, fungi, insects and may even scavenge dead animals (Strahan 1998). There are some behavioural differences between the smaller potoroids and the bigger macropods. Unlike the bigger kangaroos, which essentially plonk down on the ground or rest up against a tree to snooze, the smaller, more vulnerable potoroids make nests (Strahan 1997). These are constructed out of plant materials such as grasses and fallen branches. They use their grasping 'possum-like' tail to carry material for their nest making. They tails are actually partially prehensile, and they can carry brush and bundles of nesting material with them.
Information gathered from the Perth Zoo, The Australian Department of Agriculture, The US Fish and Wildlife Department, The Australian Division of Wildlife and Ecology, Roo Gully and the Australian Department for Environment and Heritage |