Macrotis lagotis
greater bilby
(Also: bilby)

Formerly from Western Australia to SW Queensland and New South Wales. Survives only in small areas of SW Queensland and the border area between Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Dalgytes live in more arid regions than other peramelids do. They can be found in woodland, savannah, shrub grassland, and even sparsely vegetated desert.

Macrotis lagotis is distinctive for its long ears, long nose, and a bicolored tail, which is black on the proximal half and white on the terminal half. They have powerful forearms for digging their burrows. Their soft, silky fur is a beautiful silvery bluish grey color on their backs, and their underbelly is white. Head and body length ranges from 200 to 550mm.

Dalgytes are solitary, with a male and female coming together only to breed, and offspring leaving their mother's burrow upon maturation. These are nocturnal, terrestrial animals, with the interesting distinction of being the only members of their family to dig and live in burrows in the ground. Each burrow spirals down from a single entrance 1 or 2 meters into the ground. Individuals often dig and use several burrows on their home range.

Dalgytes sleep in their burrows squatting rather than laying down.

Maximum longevity in captivity appears to be 8 years.

Dalgytes mostly eat insects and insect larvae, which they dig out of the soil. They also eat some plant material and small vertebrates.

Macrotis was once an important source of fur.

Macrotis lagotis was formerly quite common across most of Australia, but fur trapping, predation by introduced foxes and cats, competition for burrows with introduced rabbits, and changes in ground cover due to grazing by cattle and sheep have all contributed to a drastic decline in their numbers.