Rufous rat-kangaroo
| Rufous rat-kangaroo | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Potoroidae |
| Subfamily: | Potoroinae |
| Tribe: | Bettongini |
| Genus: | Aepyprymnus Garrod, 1875 |
| Species: | A. rufescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Aepyprymnus rufescens (J. E. Gray, 1837) | |
| Distribution of the rufous rat-kangaroo | |
The rufous rat-kangaroo or rufous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens) is a small, jumping, rat-like marsupial native to eastern Australia. It is the only species in the genus Aepyprymnus. The largest member of the potoroo/bettong family (Potoroidae), it is about the size of a rabbit. The rufous rat-kangaroo is active at night when it digs for plant roots and fungi, and like other marsupials it carries its young in a pouch. Though its range is reduced, the population is healthy and stable.