Rufus Bettong (Vulnerable species)
Aepyprymus rufescens
The Rufus Bettong is the smallest of our Macropod's. Adult head & body measure to 38cm; tail same as body length 38cm. Adult weight is 1- 3.5kg
Colour can vary from dark rufus to silver grey on the back, with pale cream under chest. It has a hairy muzzle and short ears.
Sexual maturity is reached at 12 months of age for males and 10 months for females.
The Rufus Bettong sleeps during the day in conical grass nests built on a shallow depression at the base of a tussock or a fallen log. They feed on grasses, herbs, tubers, roots, fungi & some insects. Apart from mothers with young, they nest solitary in the wild.
They have a prehensile tail which they use to carry grasses gathered for nesting.
