Rufous Having Lunch

Rufous bettong or also known as rufous rat-kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens) having dinner at Wildlife Sydney, Darling harbour. In the bowl I can... more

by Miroslava Jurcik

Title

Rufous Having Lunch

Artist

Miroslava Jurcik

Medium

Photograph

Description

Rufous bettong or also known as rufous rat-kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens) having dinner at Wildlife Sydney, Darling harbour. In the bowl I can see some worms, spinach , sweet potato, potato, mushroom and carrot.
In the wild they usually emerge shortly after dark to forage and primarily eat herbs, roots, tubers and fungi. They can cover large distances when foraging (2-4.5 km).
Since European settlement numbers have declined with some populations becoming extinct. The main causes of these declines are predation by the red fox and domestic cat, competition with rabbits and the loss of suitable habitat for agriculture.
Note:
The Rufous Bettong, like all rat-kangaroo species is a very specialised plant-eater. The rat-kangaroos dig up and eat underground storage-organs of plants: tubers, bulbs, corms, and swollen roots, and especially truffles, which are the spore-bearing bodies of underground fungi. Those fungi (called ectomycorhizal fungi) associate with the rootlets of trees such as eucalypts, helping the tree to take up minerals from the soil. By digging up and eating the truffles, bettongs disperse those spores in their dung, helping the fungi to spread to new hosts. In that way bettongs play an important role in the ecosystems they live in. Restoring bettongs to areas from which they have disappeared may benefit the health of the whole ecosystem. Note from Yaraandoo Eco-Lodge web site www.yaraandoo.com.au.

Uploaded

January 26th, 2019