The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) recently shared rare trail-cam photos of an adorable family of bandicoots (or should we call them “bandi-cuties”?). Bandicoots are a group of marsupials that live in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. The trail-cam photos show Shark Bay bandicoots (Perameles bougainville), a species once numerous on the Australian mainland. Today, Shark Bay bandicoots only naturally occur on offshore islands in Shark Bay. AWC says mainland populations exist only in fenced predator-free conservation areas.
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“Bandi-cutes say ‘cheese’! A family of Shark Bay Bandicoots were photographed in the Pilliga State Conservation Area, almost two years after the species was reintroduced by AWC with @nswnationalparks,” the AWC wrote in its Instagram post sharing the trail-cam photos. “The family portrait inspired confidence amongst ecologists that the bandicoots are breeding and that the population is growing in the Pilliga.”
In a press release, researchers from the AWC said this was an exciting find.
“It definitely made our day seeing the photo of the three young bandicoots scurrying to keep up with their mum,” said Maisie Duffin, an AWC field ecologist. “We were sifting through thousands of motion sensor camera images when we came across that gem.”
See rare trail-cam photos of a family of Shark Bay bandicoots here:
Header stock image by Manuel ROMARIS/Getty Images
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