Pig-footed bandicoot  (Chaeropus ecaudatus)

Classified as Extinct (EX) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix I of CITES (4).

Thought to now be extinct, the pig-footed bandicoot was a small, ground-dwelling marsupial (2) (5). It had a short, stiff coat that was orange-brown on the upperparts and light brown below (2) (3), with dark bars over the back, which may have acted as disruptive camouflage, making it more difficult for predators to spot (2). It had a long, pointed muzzle, and long legs (2) (6), with only two functioning digits on each front foot, hence the name ‘pig-footed’ (2). The bandicoot body was well adpated for digging, with the long muzzle and strong forelegs capable of easily moving soil and stones for efficient foraging. In common with many animals that live in open habitats, the pig-footed bandicoot had long, rabbit-like ears, up to six centimetres in length, which probably helped to detect predators over long distances (2).The pig-footed bandicoot had the longest tail out of all the bandicoots, being over half the size of its head and body length (2). The female pig-footed bandicoot possessed a pouch that opened to the rear and had eight nipples (2).

Early records show that the pig-footed bandicoot probably occurred in Western Australia and New South Wales during the late Pleistocene era, after which the species must have spread as more recent records reported the species to have occurred throughout most of Australia including South Australia, western New South Wales, Victoria, southern Northern Territory, and a small part of southern Western Australia (7).

Fossil records indicate that the pig-footed bandicoot probably inhabited semi-arid areas, foraging on dry, open plains and in shrub-like woodland (7).

Using its sharp front claws, the pig-footed bandicoot dug shallow, oval holes in which a nest created from twigs and grass was built. Unlike other long-nosed bandicoot species (those in the genus Perameles), its diet was thought to have been mainly herbivorous, due to the caecum (the part of the body used to break down the cellulose in plants) being much larger than that of other long-nosed bandicoots (2). The locomotion of the pig-footed bandicoot was also different from other bandicoots; when running it used the forelegs to propel itself forward while dragging the hindquarters behind. Bandicoots in general are sometimes found resting in hollow logs, under stones or on grassy banks (2).

Originally abundant in southern Australia, numbers of the pig-footed bandicoot were determined to be declining by the mid-19^th century, and it was last seen in 1926 (9) (10). Out of all the marsupial groups, the Australian bandicoots and bilbies have endured one of the greatest declines. All species living in arid and semi-arid areas have either become extinct or have been reduced to only a few small populations (2).

The main threats to the pig-footed bandicoot were invasive species and habitat alteration, both of which continue to pose a great threat to many remaining extant marsupials. Invasive species are thought to have caused approximately three-quarters of vertebrate extinctions since European colonization in Australia(11). Habitat loss has occurred due to land being used for cattle and sheep grazing, and changes in burning regimes (frequency and extent of bushfires) since European settlement (2).

The pig-footed bandicoot is presumed extinct, therefore no conservation management plans are in place for this species (3). However, there is a policy for the protection of arid and semi-arid land, enforced by the Australian Conservation Foundation in 1991, which will help protect other species inhabiting these areas today (12).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To learn about wildlife conservation in Australia see:

• Australian Conservation Foundation:
  http://www.acfonline.org.au