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| Carl Sagan's COSMOS is one of the most influential science programs ever made.
Q. Does the moon have a dark side?
A. The moon does have a far side which is impossible to see from the earth, but it doesn't mean that it's always dark. Each side of the moon is dark for no longer than 15 days at a time.
Q. Where does sound come from?
A. The air is always filled with sound waves. All things give off vibrations, but some have a low frequency which most cannot hear. The reason: it may take 3 minutes to make a single vibration. They may be caused by earthquakes and storms.
Did You Know?
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
Coke-a-Cola was originally green.
Rubberbands last longer when refrigerated.
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Bandicoot, the Marsupial
by Jeanette Cain
Bandicoots are members of the class Mammalia, of the order Marsupialia. They are different from the Bandicoot Rat, who belongs to the order of Rodentia. The bandicoot belongs to the group of pouched mammals, including koala bears, wallabies, and kangaroos.
All the bandicoots have rat-like features consisting of naked ears, hairy tails and a long, pointed snout. Size may range between that of a rabbit and that of a rat. The bandicoot has an outside coat of hair that is long and coarse, but also has a soft underfur. The four feet have sharp claws; the hindfeet feet of the second and third toes have a mitten like skin, which covers all but the last joint of the toes.
There have adaptations with each bandicoot family. The pig-footed bandicoot has the second and third toes united, but the fourth toe has a large claw. Scientists consider this similar to the evolution of horses, where there was a loss of four toes, and the weight being transferred from the foot to the nail of one toe, or the hoof. The pig-foot bandicoot has developed front feet like the cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, pigs). The first and fifth toes are missing, the fourth toe is small, and the second and third toes are well-developed. This structure allows for running, and the pig-tailed bandicoot is quite adept at running quickly.
There are 19 species of bandicoots, ranging from New Guinea, Tasmania, and Australia, which areas are the foothold of the marsupials. The marsupials are even older than the true mammals of generations before. They survive only in the Australasian region. Being isolated from the rest of the world, these marsupials were able to survive without the interference of man, or his domesticated animals. This seems to be changing. The cutting down of forests is destroying the homes of marsupials, in addition to their becoming the prey of dogs, cats, rats, and foxes.
Some are already extinct, many others are suffering from indiscriminate shootings, or from poisons and snares laid-out for other animals. Even the once abundant pig-footed bandicoot is becoming scarce, some living only in isolated places, and the ones living in isolated places are now becoming scarce.
The bandicoot is a night-time creature, preferring to lie in nests of grass and sticks of the undergrowth during the day. Bandicoot nests do not have a main entrance, rather they force their way in and out anywhere they choose, then close the hole behind them.
The rabbit bandicoots, also known as the bilby, dig burrows. The bilby has long, pointed ears, a bushy tail and a pink tinted fur. They dig their burrows anywhere from three to six feet long and about two feet below the dry surface areas of Australia. Although the bilby lives in the desert, should it become exposed to temperatures of 100 degrees F (37 degrees C) for ten minutes, it becomes weak and helpless.
The bandicoots are considered a delicacy by Aboriginal hunters, and often use the black and white tails of rabbit bandicoots as personal jewelry or ornaments. Other than man and the animals introduced by man, the monitor lizards are the only enemy of the bandicoots. To find the rabbit bandicoots, hunters place their ears to the ground to determine if the nest has an occupant. Their best method of capture is to jump on the nest and hold the bandicoot down until it can be killed. It is necessary for the hunter to dig down at the right spot, since the bilby can dig faster than the human. The smallest rabbit bandicoots stay within a foot of the nest entrance when the weather is cold. This type bandicoot can be caught with a quick strike of a shovel past that length, in effect, cutting off its backdoor for flight.
Bandicoot babies are extremely tiny when born, somewhere around one-half inch with a weight of 1/100 of an ounce. Even so, these babies crawl into the mother's pouch with the help of its large claws, which will be shed later. Once they reach the pouch, they will remain for thirty days. They will come out of the pouch at about seven weeks of age, but will climb back in when feeling threatened. The bandicoot's pouch opens backwards between the hindlegs.
Breeding season for the bandicoot is normally spring, but some species are known to breed all year. The long-nosed bandicoot may bear from one to five young at a time, although equipped with eight teats.
Sources:
1. Editors. The World Book Encyclopedia. World Book-Childcraft International, Inc: Chicago. 1990
2. Burton, Dr. Maurice & Robert. The International Wildlife Encyclopedia Marshall Cavendish Corporation: NY 1969
Further Study:
Bandicoots.htm
This site documents curriculum activities and work conducted by Orford Primary School and Coastcare to help secure the bandicoots' future.
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