Greater Bilby, 1863 - John Gould

1863 - Greater Bilby, Macrotis lagotis

John Gould

Coloured lithograph

The Mammals of Australia - Biodiversity Heritage Library

libraryofnature.com


Macrotis lagotis 1

The greater bilby, or simply bilby, (Macrotis lagotis) is a long-eared, rabbit-like mammal native to Australia. It lives in burrows and is active at night, feeding on insects, fruit, or fungi. The bilby is a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. Threats include habitat loss, disease, and introduced predators such as foxes. Formerly widespread, bilbies are now restricted to arid parts of northwestern and central Australia.

It is commonly called bilby after the lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) became extinct in the 1950s. Other names include dalgyte, pinkie, or rabbit-eared bandicoot.

John Gould 2

John Gould (14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species.

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