The Long-Nosed Bandicoot
The long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) is a small, omnivorous marsupial, that are about the same size as a rabbit. They have an elongated snout that is iconic to the species. They are around 31-43cm in size and weighs around 1.5 kg. The coat is bristly and rough.
The bandicoot belongs to the family of Peramelidae, meaning warm-blooded mammals. It is a nocturnal creature and spends most of its activity time searching for food or protecting its young. The long-nosed bandicoot is also an omnivore which is an advantage as the ability of being able to eat both plants and animals provides it with a higher chance of survival.
Image: Author: Australian Wildlife Conservancy Available at: http://www.australianwildlife.org/wildlife/long-nosed-bandicoot.aspx Accessed: July 6th 2015
The bandicoot belongs to the family of Peramelidae, meaning warm-blooded mammals. It is a nocturnal creature and spends most of its activity time searching for food or protecting its young. The long-nosed bandicoot is also an omnivore which is an advantage as the ability of being able to eat both plants and animals provides it with a higher chance of survival.
Image: Author: Australian Wildlife Conservancy Available at: http://www.australianwildlife.org/wildlife/long-nosed-bandicoot.aspx Accessed: July 6th 2015
Habitats and abiotic factors
The long-nosed bandicoot are distributed around the east-coast of Australia and Tasmania. These marsupials live around many different types of environment such as; rainforests, woodlands, lower level vegetated areas and also maybe suburban gardens. These environments offer different abiotic factors that affect the survival of the Long-nosed bandicoot.
Rainforests
One of the environments that the long-nosed bandicoot lives in are rainforests, for which majority in Australia are located in the tropics of Northern Queensland. Rainforests usually have a warm and humid climate all year around with the temperature of rainforests ranging from 20°C to 34°C. This may give advantages and disadvantages to surrounding species like the long-nosed bandicoot. The temperature can cause migration of animals (food) for the long-nosed bandicoot to either decrease or increase depending on how hot or cold the environment is. Without this prey will be hard to come by for the bandicoot throughout some parts of the year, decreasing its chance of survival.
Temperature will also impact the survival of the species as the temperatures of the night can become reasonably cold. The long-nosed bandicoot, needs to stay warm throughout the night as it is a nocturnal marsupial, meaning that it is active throughout the night time. The long-nosed bandicoot has structurally adapted to this by having a thick coat around the outside of its body to keep in body heat and to sustain a warm temperature throughout the night.
Rainfall is another abiotic factor that has a heavy influence on the environment of rainforests. There is a yearly precipitation average of around 1990 mm which mostly falls throughout the early parts of the calendar year in the months January, February and March. This is an advantage to animals such as the long-nosed bandicoot, as the heavy rainfall, along with the heat help plants to grow and survive, giving animals food for survival. Without the frequent downpour of rain, the plants in rainforests will not be able to get adequate amounts of energy for growth. This can impact the availability of food for the surrounding animals and can become a threat to their survival over time. Heavy amounts of rainfall can also cause destruction and flooding to nests constructed by the long-nosed bandicoot. This can cause the survival chances, especially the developing young, to decrease.
Woodlands
Another main habitat of the long-nosed bandicoot are woodlands. Woodlands are environments that are widespread along the south and south-east of the country, along with the south-west. These consists of widely spaced trees and are not to be confused with forests.
The abiotic factor of rainfall in woodlands is not as consistent as the rainfall in rainforests with the average annual rainfall of around 250-800mm. This gives animals like the long-nosed bandicoot enough water in the surrounds to drink from and also for their offspring. The rainfall boosts the growth of plants making them available to eat for the long-nosed bandicoot increasing their chance of survival.
The temperature of the woodlands is another abiotic factor that influences it as an environment and animals such as the long-nosed bandicoot. The average annual temperature in woodland environments can vary drastically. The highest recorded maximum temperature of 45° C was in January, which is a peak summer month. The lowest was -6° C which was recorded in the winter month of July. Temperature can have a big impact on the development of the species of long-nosed bandicoot. If living in moderately high temperatures, long-nosed bandicoot cubs can become overheated and if young and prone to these temperatures, the cubs can die leaving decreasing the chance of the species to survive. When living in extreme temperatures, hot or cold, night and day, their will be a lot of inactivity as the long-nosed bandicoot along with other animals will probably rest through the tough conditions. This then makes the consumption rate of regular amounts of food and water lower than the optimum daily intake, ultimately lowering their survival chance, especially for the young.
When living in extremely cold temperatures, the long-nosed bandicoots can cuddle up with other bandicoots in it’s family and retain body warmth. This is an advantage as the marsupial can become less susceptible to the surrounding cold temperatures. Especially when inactive.
Image: Author: Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN) Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/land/nrs/science/ibra/australias-ecoregions Accessed: July 6th 2015
Rainforests
One of the environments that the long-nosed bandicoot lives in are rainforests, for which majority in Australia are located in the tropics of Northern Queensland. Rainforests usually have a warm and humid climate all year around with the temperature of rainforests ranging from 20°C to 34°C. This may give advantages and disadvantages to surrounding species like the long-nosed bandicoot. The temperature can cause migration of animals (food) for the long-nosed bandicoot to either decrease or increase depending on how hot or cold the environment is. Without this prey will be hard to come by for the bandicoot throughout some parts of the year, decreasing its chance of survival.
Temperature will also impact the survival of the species as the temperatures of the night can become reasonably cold. The long-nosed bandicoot, needs to stay warm throughout the night as it is a nocturnal marsupial, meaning that it is active throughout the night time. The long-nosed bandicoot has structurally adapted to this by having a thick coat around the outside of its body to keep in body heat and to sustain a warm temperature throughout the night.
Rainfall is another abiotic factor that has a heavy influence on the environment of rainforests. There is a yearly precipitation average of around 1990 mm which mostly falls throughout the early parts of the calendar year in the months January, February and March. This is an advantage to animals such as the long-nosed bandicoot, as the heavy rainfall, along with the heat help plants to grow and survive, giving animals food for survival. Without the frequent downpour of rain, the plants in rainforests will not be able to get adequate amounts of energy for growth. This can impact the availability of food for the surrounding animals and can become a threat to their survival over time. Heavy amounts of rainfall can also cause destruction and flooding to nests constructed by the long-nosed bandicoot. This can cause the survival chances, especially the developing young, to decrease.
Woodlands
Another main habitat of the long-nosed bandicoot are woodlands. Woodlands are environments that are widespread along the south and south-east of the country, along with the south-west. These consists of widely spaced trees and are not to be confused with forests.
The abiotic factor of rainfall in woodlands is not as consistent as the rainfall in rainforests with the average annual rainfall of around 250-800mm. This gives animals like the long-nosed bandicoot enough water in the surrounds to drink from and also for their offspring. The rainfall boosts the growth of plants making them available to eat for the long-nosed bandicoot increasing their chance of survival.
The temperature of the woodlands is another abiotic factor that influences it as an environment and animals such as the long-nosed bandicoot. The average annual temperature in woodland environments can vary drastically. The highest recorded maximum temperature of 45° C was in January, which is a peak summer month. The lowest was -6° C which was recorded in the winter month of July. Temperature can have a big impact on the development of the species of long-nosed bandicoot. If living in moderately high temperatures, long-nosed bandicoot cubs can become overheated and if young and prone to these temperatures, the cubs can die leaving decreasing the chance of the species to survive. When living in extreme temperatures, hot or cold, night and day, their will be a lot of inactivity as the long-nosed bandicoot along with other animals will probably rest through the tough conditions. This then makes the consumption rate of regular amounts of food and water lower than the optimum daily intake, ultimately lowering their survival chance, especially for the young.
When living in extremely cold temperatures, the long-nosed bandicoots can cuddle up with other bandicoots in it’s family and retain body warmth. This is an advantage as the marsupial can become less susceptible to the surrounding cold temperatures. Especially when inactive.
Image: Author: Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN) Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/land/nrs/science/ibra/australias-ecoregions Accessed: July 6th 2015
Challenges of living in certain environments
While living in the rainforest environment, the long-nosed bandicoot can experience different challenges.
By living in the woodland environment, the long-nosed bandicoot can experience different challenges.
- One obstacle can be foraging for bugs and small pray during the night. This can pose as a challenge as the unorganised environment and the darkness can become an issue in finding pray of small sizes.
- Another challenge is that the extreme rainfall of rainforests can cause destruction of nests for the long-nosed bandicoot. This makes it the challenge of the bandicoot to construct a solid nest that could withstand a potential heavy rainstorm.
By living in the woodland environment, the long-nosed bandicoot can experience different challenges.
- The extreme differences in temperature throughout the year can pose challenges for the long-nosed bandicoot to adapt as weather conditions and types of food available can change.
- Being in more of an open environment, compared to the rainforest, the long-nosed bandicoot can become more obvious for prey. This, and adapting to more prey around it can pose as a challenge for the species.
Adaptations
The three main adaptations of the long-nosed bandicoot can help assist in the survival of the species.
These adaptations are structural, physiological and behavioural. These adaptations all help assist the survival of the species.
Structural Adaptation: Long nose - The long-nosed bandicoot can use its iconic nose to make small wholes so that it can reach food. It's sensitive and long nose as enabled it to detect insects and other small pray without it digging and foraging excessively. The small whole it leaves as evidence tells us that it was searching for food in that area.
The picture to the left shows the long-nosed bandicoot displaying this technique during activity in the night.
Physiological Adaptation: Thick Fur Coat - The long-nosed bandicoot is mostly active throughout the night time, where temperatures are averagely colder then during the day. The fur coat is used as a temperature regulator and is used for the bandicoot to keep warm throughout its activities during the night. This assists the survival of the bandicoot as it the warmth retained by the thick fur coat can give the bandicoot more energy for muscles to move throughout the night for hunting.
Behavioural Adaptation: Nocturnal Activity - The long-nosed bandicoot is mostly active throughout the night when hunting for food and nest supplies. The gives the bandicoot an advantage in survival as there will be less predators around and that it will be hard for any predator to see the bandicoot through the night.
Image: Author: Backyard Bandicoots Available at: http://www.hobartcity.com.au/go/backyardbandicoots/about.html Accessed: July 6th 2015
These adaptations are structural, physiological and behavioural. These adaptations all help assist the survival of the species.
Structural Adaptation: Long nose - The long-nosed bandicoot can use its iconic nose to make small wholes so that it can reach food. It's sensitive and long nose as enabled it to detect insects and other small pray without it digging and foraging excessively. The small whole it leaves as evidence tells us that it was searching for food in that area.
The picture to the left shows the long-nosed bandicoot displaying this technique during activity in the night.
Physiological Adaptation: Thick Fur Coat - The long-nosed bandicoot is mostly active throughout the night time, where temperatures are averagely colder then during the day. The fur coat is used as a temperature regulator and is used for the bandicoot to keep warm throughout its activities during the night. This assists the survival of the bandicoot as it the warmth retained by the thick fur coat can give the bandicoot more energy for muscles to move throughout the night for hunting.
Behavioural Adaptation: Nocturnal Activity - The long-nosed bandicoot is mostly active throughout the night when hunting for food and nest supplies. The gives the bandicoot an advantage in survival as there will be less predators around and that it will be hard for any predator to see the bandicoot through the night.
Image: Author: Backyard Bandicoots Available at: http://www.hobartcity.com.au/go/backyardbandicoots/about.html Accessed: July 6th 2015
Rhythmic Patterns
The long-nosed bandicoot has a rhythmic pattern that occurs every 24 hours. This pattern is part of its circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the natural pattern of physiological and behavioural processes that occur in a 24 hour pattern. Being nocturnal is an animal behaviour characterised by activity during the night. The purpose of the long-nosed bandicoot being nocturnal helps it hunt for food and water without it being hunted by predators easily. The night helps the bandicoot to cover and hide from close predators.
Interesting Fact
A young bandicoot will stay in the mothers pouch for at least seven weeks before beginning to walk.
Video
Long-nosed Bandicoot during its nightly explorations
Owned by the Warringah Council Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nlz-aCdLBk
Owned by the Warringah Council Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nlz-aCdLBk