Peramelemorphia, from the Greek πήρα (pḗra, “bag, pouch”), Latin mēlēs (“badger”) and Greek μορφή (morphē “form, shape, appearance”), means “pouched badger-like”, in reference to the fact that these animals, in general, have a physiognomy reminiscent of badgers (Carnivora order) even though they are marsupials.

Common names of members

Bandicoots and bilbies.

Distribution 

Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania and the surrounding islands.

Size

Their size varies from about 140 grams up to 4 kilograms, but most species are about one kilogram.

Morphology

They have a plump, arch-backed body with a long, delicately tapering snout, very large upright ears, relatively long, thin legs, and a thin tail. Most have brownish-red or yellowish-brown fur with stripes on their body.

One of the factors that helps in the characterization of peramelemorphians is their polyprotodont condition (to have several pairs of lower front teeth); in the case of the Peramelemorphia, three pairs. Also, their second and third toes are fused together, a condition called syndactyly.

Ecology & Habitat

More mesic-open environments (sclerophyll, xeric shrublands, grasslands) with some presence in arid areas and closed environments (moist or temperate broadleaf forests).

Diet

They are omnivorous, with soil-dwelling invertebrates (worms, bugs) forming the major part of their diet. They also eat seeds, fruits, and fungi.

Reproduction 

They have an accelerated breeding process (one female can give birth to 16 young per year). They have a unique placenta that lacks villi, resulting in reduction in direct contact between mother and fetus thus relatively shorter gestation, lasting from 12-16 days. Juveniles may continue to live with their mother in the same nest for some time.

Species known in Hong Kong

0. Distribution limited to Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania and the surrounding islands.

Total species known

23

Species in the collection

1

Species in Hong Kong

0

References

- Aplin, K. P., Helgen, K. M., Lunde, D. P. (2010). A Review of Peroryctes broadbenti, the Giant Bandicoot of Papua New Guinea. American Museum Novitates, 2010(3696), 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1206/3696.2. 

- Mitchell, K. J., Pratt, R. C., Watson, L. N., Gibb, G. C., Llamas, B., Kasper, M., Edson, J., Hopwood, B., Male, D., Armstrong, K. N., Meyer, M., Hofreiter, M., Austin, J., Donnellan, S. C., Lee, M. S. Y., Phillips, M. J., Cooper, A. (2014). Molecular Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Habitat Preference Evolution of Marsupials. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 31(9), 2322–2330. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu176.

- Dickman, C. R. (2018). Biodiversity in Australia: An Overview. In T. Pullaiah (Ed.), Global Biodiversity - Volume 4: Selected Countries in the Americas and Australia. Apple Academic Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9780429433634-12.

- McClelland K. L., Hume, I. D., Soran, N. (1999). Responses of the digestive tract of the omnivorous northern brown bandicoot, Isoodon macrourus (Marsupialia: Peramelidae), to plant- and insect-containing diets. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 169(6):411-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003600050237.

-  Wagner, G. P. (2018). Comparative Placentation-Mammals. In M. K. Skinner (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Reproduction (Second Edition) - Volume 2 (pp. 455-461). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.64668-8.