Golden bandicoot  (Isoodon auratus)

Genus: a category used in taxonomy, which is below ‘family’ and above ‘species’. A genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. The genus forms the first part of a ‘binomial’ Latin species name; the second part is the specific name.
Marsupial: a diverse group of mammals characterised by their reproduction. The embryo is born 11-35 days after conception. The tiny newborn crawls into the marsupium (pouch) and attaches to a teat where it stays for a variable amount of time. They also differ from placental mammals in their dentition.
Nocturnal: active at night.
Omnivorous: organisms that feed on both plants and animals.

1. IUCN Redlist 2003 (January 2004)
   www.redlist.org
   
2. Animal Info (January 2004)
   http://www.animalinfo.org/species/isooaura.htm
   
3. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
   
4. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (January 2004)
   http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Golden+bandicoot+presumed+extinct+species+listing
   
5. Kennedy, M. (1992) Australian Marsupials and Monotremes. An Action Plan for their Conservation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
   
6. Lunney, D., Curtin, A.L., Ayers, D., Cogger, H.G., Dickman, C.R., Maitz, W., Law, B. and Fisher, D. (2000) The threatened and non-threatened native vertebrate fauna of New South Wales: status and ecological attributes. NPWS, Sydney.
   
7. Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes: Report on The Importance of Islands (January 2004)
   http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/action/marsupials/10.html