Spiny Bandicoots: Peroryctidae

Spiny bandicoots live mainly on the island of New Guinea and a few small neighboring islands. One species is found in Australia only on the northernmost tip of Queensland, the part of Australia closest to New Guinea.

Spiny bandicoots prefer damp, humid habitats. They live in tropical rainforests and mountain rainforests at elevations from zero to 14,800 feet (zero to 4,500 meters). Species living in the same area tend to live at different elevations.

In New Guinea, spiny bandicoots are hunted and are an important food source for native peoples. Otherwise, these animals are of interest mainly to scientists and conservationists.

Very little is known about the size of spiny bandicoot populations in the wild. In fact, so little is know about them that they are not given a conservation rating, although they probably are under pressure from human activities such as logging.