If they haven't already, these beloved burrowers are sure to dig deep down and make a home in your heart.
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These subterranean sweethearts definitely deserve your support in the Australian Mammal of the Year poll. You can vote for your favourite burrower below.
Our two native species of marsupial moles (Notoryctes caurinus and Notoryctes typhlops) are the only marsupials that spend their entire lives underground, literally swimming through the sand of Australia's arid deserts.
The Shark Bay bandicoot (Perameles bougainville) is a super gardener - its digging helps with seed growth, spreading fungal spores, and aerates soils for better water filtration - while the eastern barred bandicoot's (Perameles gunnii) pregnancy is the second shortest of any mammal (just 12.5 days).
The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) constructs massive warren structures and can stay underground for more than a week, and when the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) emerges after dark to eat it can move up to 2-3km per night!
Discover other Australian Mammal of the Year categories:
Australian Mammal of the Year is a partnership between ACM and Cosmos. ACM is the publisher of this website and more than 140 other websites across Australia. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science.
ACM readers can get a discount on Cosmos premium online content or their quarterly magazine. Use the code acm01 when you sign up and you can get the first month free for the premium online content or 10% off the magazine.
