Long-nosed bandicoot fact sheet – burraga | Field of Mars EEC

What are long-nosed bandicoots?

Long-nosed bandicoots are small native Australian marsupials with pointed snouts, rounded ears and short tails. They belong to a group of mammals called bandicoots, which are known for digging in soil and leaf litter to search for food. The scientific name of the eastern long-nosed bandicoot is Perameles nasuta. The Darug name for long-nosed bandicoot is burraga.

These shy nocturnal animals are usually grey-brown with pale undersides and strong back legs. Their long nose helps them sniff out insects, worms and fungi hidden underground. Long-nosed bandicoots also have sharp claws that make them excellent diggers.

Long-nosed bandicoots live in forests, heathlands, wetlands and bushland along the east coast of Australia, including parts of Sydney. Students may notice the small cone-shaped holes they leave behind while feeding in gardens, parks and bush reserves. In places such as the Field of Mars Reserve and nearby Lane Cove National Park, bandicoots help turn over soil and leaf litter as they search for food.

A long-nosed bandicoot.

A long-nosed bandicoot foraging at night.

Where do long-nosed bandicoots live?

Long-nosed bandicoots live along the eastern coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria. They are found in forests, heathlands, rainforest edges, wetlands and urban bushland with dense ground cover. These mammals usually shelter during the day in shallow nests made from grasses, leaves and other plant material hidden under shrubs or low vegetation.

In Sydney, long-nosed bandicoots can survive in pockets of connected bushland where there is enough shelter and food. They are sometimes recorded in reserves, creek corridors and national parks, especially where thick vegetation protects them from predators such as foxes and domestic cats.

Long-nosed bandicoots use their strong claws to dig through soft soil and leaf litter. These digging behaviours help them search for food and create small disturbances that improve soil health.

Long-nosed bandicoot snout pokes found in the Field of Mars Reserve.

What do long-nosed bandicoots eat?

Long-nosed bandicoots are omnivores that feed on a wide variety of small animals and plant material. Much of their diet includes insects, beetles, larvae, worms, spiders and other invertebrates found beneath leaf litter or underground. They also eat fungi, seeds, berries and roots.

Their long flexible nose and sensitive sense of smell help them locate food hidden in soil. After finding food, they dig quickly using their strong front claws. The cone-shaped holes they leave behind are a common sign that a bandicoot has been feeding nearby.

Long-nosed bandicoots play an important role in food webs. They help control populations of insects and other invertebrates while also spreading fungal spores and improving soil conditions through digging.

Long-nosed bandicoots dig for insects and worms in soil, grass and leaf litter.

What do long-nosed bandicoots sound like?

Long-nosed bandicoots are usually quiet animals, but they can make soft snuffling noises while searching for food. When frightened or threatened, they may grunt, hiss or make short squealing sounds. Young bandicoots may also make quiet noises to communicate with their mother while inside the pouch.

Because they are nocturnal and secretive, students are more likely to notice feeding holes or movement in leaf litter than hear the animals themselves.

Long-nosed bandicoots are usually quiet animals.

What is the life cycle of long-nosed bandicoots?

Long-nosed bandicoots breed throughout much of the year when conditions are suitable. After a two week pregnancy, females give birth to tiny underdeveloped young that continue growing inside a pouch. The young attach to teats inside the pouch and remain there for about 50 days before leaving the nest for short periods.

As the young grow, they learn to forage independently by following their mother. Eventually they leave to establish their own territory. Long-nosed bandicoots grow quickly and may breed when less than a year old.

Most long-nosed bandicoots live for several years in the wild, although many face threats from predators, roads and habitat loss. Their fast breeding cycle helps populations recover when habitats remain healthy and connected.

A juvenile southern brown bandicoot. Long-nosed bandicoots look similar.

What adaptations do long-nosed bandicoots have to help them survive?

Long-nosed bandicoots have several adaptations that help them survive in bushland environments. Their pointed nose contains sensitive smell receptors that help them locate food underground. Strong front claws and powerful forelimbs allow them to dig quickly through soil and leaf litter.

Their grey-brown fur helps camouflage them against the forest floor, especially at night. Long-nosed bandicoots are mainly nocturnal, which helps them avoid daytime predators and heat. During the day they rest in hidden nests made from grasses and leaves.

Bandicoots also reproduce quickly compared with many other marsupials. This helps populations recover after disturbances such as fire or predation if suitable habitat remains nearby.

Bandicoots have twin claws on fused toes on each hind foot, used for grooming.

Long-nosed bandicoots have large ears and sensitive hearing.

Why are long-nosed bandicoots important?

Long-nosed bandicoots are important ecosystem engineers. Their digging turns over soil, mixes leaf litter and improves air and water movement underground.

These digging activities help seeds germinate, spread fungi and recycle nutrients through the soil. Healthier soils support plant growth and provide habitat for other organisms. Long-nosed bandicoots also form part of local food webs as both predators and prey.

Because bandicoots are sensitive to habitat loss and introduced predators, their presence can indicate healthy bushland ecosystems. Protecting long-nosed bandicoots also helps protect many other native plants and animals that share the same environment.

Feeding holes left by bandicoots help improve soil health.

Long-nosed bandicoot | Field of Mars EEC (1:32 min) | Video transcript

How can you help long-nosed bandicoots?

People can help long-nosed bandicoots by protecting bushland habitats and reducing threats in urban areas. Leaving leaf litter, logs and dense native plants in gardens can provide shelter and feeding areas. Keeping cats indoors at night and controlling introduced predators also helps protect native mammals.

Students can support local wildlife by staying on tracks in bushland reserves, disposing of rubbish properly and learning more about native ecosystems. Supporting habitat corridors between bushland areas helps long-nosed bandicoots move safely through the landscape.

Planting native vegetation and protecting natural bushland in places such as the Field of Mars Reserve and Lane Cove National Park also helps maintain healthy habitats for bandicoots and many other native species.

Protecting bushland provides habitat for long-nosed bandicoots and other small animals.

Related fact sheets

More mammal fact sheets

• Mammals fact sheet – Learn about Australian mammals and their adaptations.
• Common brushtail possum fact sheet – Explore another native marsupial found in Sydney bushland.
• Common ringtail possum fact sheet – Discover how another nocturnal mammal survives in urban habitats.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn more about this important local bushland environment.

Animals that share this habitat

• Eastern water dragon fact sheet – Find out about another animal that lives in Sydney bushland.
• Superb fairy-wren fact sheet – Explore a small bird commonly found in dense vegetation.
• Red-browed finch fact sheet – Learn about another species that uses shrubby bushland habitats.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Ants fact sheet – Explore some of the invertebrates eaten by bandicoots.
• Earthworms fact sheet – Learn about soil animals that help support healthy ecosystems.

Learn with us

Related programs