Lesser bilby
Macrotis leucura (Thomas, 1887)
EXExtinctmarsupialsExtinct
The lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) is a species in the family Thylacomyidae, order Peramelemorphia. Recorded adults weigh 354 g to 359.1 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Extinct.
Quick facts about the lesser bilby
- Weight
- 354 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 21 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Extinct (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the lesser bilby live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The lesser bilby is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the lesser bilby?
The lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura), also known as the yallara, the lesser rabbit-eared bandicoot or the white-tailed rabbit-eared bandicoot, is an extinct rabbit-like marsupial. The species was first described by Oldfield Thomas as Peregale leucura in 1887 from a single specimen from a collection of mammals of the British Museum. Reaching the size of a young rabbit, this species lived in the deserts of Central Australia. Since the 1950s–1960s, it has been believed to be extinct.
From the Wikipedia article “Lesser bilby” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_bilby&oldid=1373649561), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the lesser bilby endangered?
The lesser bilby is listed as Extinct on the IUCN Red List: it no living individuals remain.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Extinct species.
How is the lesser bilby classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderPeramelemorphia
- familyThylacomyidae
- genusMacrotis
- SpeciesMacrotis leucura (Thomas, 1887)
Synonyms Peragale leucura
Other names and names in other languages (23)
- Lesser rabbit-bandicootEnglish
- Lesser rabbit-eared bandicootEnglish
- White-tailed rabbit-eared bandicootEnglish
- YallaraEnglish
- YallaraEnglish
- bandikut běloocasýCzech
- Kleiner Kaninchen-NasenbeutlerGerman
- Cangurito Narigudo ColiblancoSpanish
- pikkukorvapusseliFinnish
- Petit PFrench
- Bandicoot-lapinFrench
- Bandicoot-lapin À Queue BlancheFrench
- Bandicoot-lapin MineurFrench
- Petit Bandicoot-lapinFrench
- Petit Péramèle-lapinFrench
- Fehérfarkú erszényesnyúlHungarian
- チビミミナガバンディクート<!--絶滅野生動物事典 2020 p.501-->Japanese
- チビミミナガバンディクートJapanese
- SmåbilbyNorwegian Bokmål
- HvithalepunghareNorwegian Bokmål
- Kleine LangoorbuideldasDutch
- Wielkouch mniejszyPolish
- Малый кроличий бандикутRussian
Relatives of the lesser bilby
Other species in the same genus Macrotis.
Greater bilby
Macrotis lagotis
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the lesser bilby?
An adult lesser bilby weighs 354 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the lesser bilby live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the lesser bilby for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the lesser bilby endangered?
The lesser bilby is listed as Extinct on the IUCN Red List, meaning it no living individuals remain.
How long is the lesser bilby pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 21 days.
What kind of animal is the lesser bilby?
The lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) belongs to the family Thylacomyidae in the order Peramelemorphia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-bilby
“Lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-bilby.
@misc{lesser_bilby_2026,
title = {Lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-bilby},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}