RUFOUS BETTONG

The Rufous Bettong belongs to the Rat kangaroo family, known as Potoroids, which also includes Potoroos and Musky rat kangaroos. Adult Rufous Bettongs have a head and body length of approximately 38 cm, with their tail being the same length as their body. They have long nails that are well-suited for digging.

The average weight of adult Rufous Bettongs ranges from 1 to 3.5 kg. Their colouration can vary, ranging from dark rufous to silver grey on the back, with a pale cream underside. They have a hairy muzzle and short ears. Males reach sexual maturity at around 12 months of age, while females reach it at around 10 months.

During the day, Rufous Bettongs sleep in conical grass nests built in shallow depressions at the base of grass tussocks or fallen logs. They prefer relatively open forests with dense grassy cover, which is similar to the habitat preferred by Eastern Grey Kangaroos.

Their long nails enable them to dig for their preferred diet of roots and tubers. They feed on grasses such as Blady Grass (Imperata cylindrica) and various species of Poa, as well as herbs, tubers, roots, fungi, and some insects.

Truffles, which are the spore-bearing bodies of underground fungi, are an important part of their diet. These fungi, known as ectomycorrhizal fungi, form associations with the rootlets of trees like eucalypts, aiding in the uptake of minerals from the soil. By consuming truffles and dispersing their spores through their dung, bettongs assist in the spread of these fungi to new hosts. This makes them valuable contributors to their ecosystems. The restoration of bettongs in areas where they have disappeared can have positive impacts on the overall health of the ecosystem.

Except for mothers with young joeys, Rufous Bettongs typically nest alone in the wild. They possess a prehensile tail that they use to carry grasses collected for nesting. They build multiple nest sites to have alternative options in case of predator threats.

Unfortunately, due to European settlement, the clearing of agricultural land, and the introduction of predators such as foxes, rabbits, hares, cats, and dogs, Potoroids, including the Rufous Bettong, have faced significant challenges. Their ranges have greatly diminished, and two out of the ten known species are now extinct.

The pouch life of a Rufous Bettong is approximately 4 months, and the single joey remains with its mother until around 9 months old. Due to the short pouch life, females are capable of producing two offspring per year.