Baby Bilby for Christmas!
Arid Recovery - Wednesday, December 07, 2011
 |
There are a number of successful bilby breeding programs around Australia, working hard to replenish the low population. Perth Zoo is one of these and has just had their first successful breeding of the bilby for 2011.
|
|
Bilbies are opportunistic breeders, meaning they will only breed when the conditions are optimum, and in their natural environment in the harsh arid zone of Australia, those opportunities might be few and far between! Once a substantial food supply has been established, bilbies will mate, with some mating sessions lasting up to 18 hours.
The foetus that is produced develops quite quickly and approximately two weeks after mating a bean sized newborn will manage to squirm into its mothers pouch. This newborn will spend up to three months inside the pouch, developing and feeding. After initially leaving the pouch, it is not likely to young bilby will re-enter the pouch. We call this stage “at foot”.
Don’t worry, they aren’t left to fend for themselves yet. Mother bilbies are able to produce two types of milk, one for the small newborn living inside the pouch, and another type for the young bilby that is at foot.
For more information on the bilby born at the Perth Zoo and to see a film after he has left the pouch, click on the link here.
|
Or why not adopt your own bilby for Xmas!
- Trackback Link
- http://www.aridrecovery.org.au/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=2552&PostID=139017&A=Trackback
- Trackbacks
- Post has no trackbacks.
Comments