bilby
noun
bil·by ˈbil-bē 
plural bilbies
: either of two burrowing nocturnal bandicoots (Macrotis lagotis and M. leucura) having a long tapered muzzle and large pointed ears
called also rabbit-eared bandicoot
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web George came face-to-face with a bilby, a rat-like marsupial which is also Australia's version of the Easter bunny, which was named after him. 
Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 17 Apr. 2022 These hunts have helped to save local populations of two threatened species—the greater bilby, a small, large-eared native marsupial, and the great desert skink. Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021 The greater bilby, for its part, was once abundant throughout most of Australia; today the total population is estimated at fewer than 10,000. Elizabeth Kolbert, Wired, 13 Mar. 2021 But the awww moment may have been at Sydney's harbor-side Taronga Zoo on Easter Sunday, where George met a cute little critter – a bilby – named for him. Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2019 The benefits of bilbies Bilbies live in notoriously inhospitable regions of Australian outback, where temperatures can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit and wildfires are a regular occurrence. Annie Roth, National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2019 When Prince George— then just nine months old—was photographed with a cute bilby, a native marsupial, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney during the Cambridges’ 2014 tour, he was dubbed the republican slayer. Juliet Rieden, Town & Country, 1 Nov. 2018 Feral cats have been linked to the extinction of 20 species in Australia, including the lesser bilby and the desert bandicoot. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018 Similar critters, such as the lesser bilby, went extinct decades ago. Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2017 See More
Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 17 Apr. 2022 These hunts have helped to save local populations of two threatened species—the greater bilby, a small, large-eared native marsupial, and the great desert skink. Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021 The greater bilby, for its part, was once abundant throughout most of Australia; today the total population is estimated at fewer than 10,000. Elizabeth Kolbert, Wired, 13 Mar. 2021 But the awww moment may have been at Sydney's harbor-side Taronga Zoo on Easter Sunday, where George met a cute little critter – a bilby – named for him. Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2019 The benefits of bilbies Bilbies live in notoriously inhospitable regions of Australian outback, where temperatures can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit and wildfires are a regular occurrence. Annie Roth, National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2019 When Prince George— then just nine months old—was photographed with a cute bilby, a native marsupial, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney during the Cambridges’ 2014 tour, he was dubbed the republican slayer. Juliet Rieden, Town & Country, 1 Nov. 2018 Feral cats have been linked to the extinction of 20 species in Australia, including the lesser bilby and the desert bandicoot. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018 Similar critters, such as the lesser bilby, went extinct decades ago. Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Yuwaalaraay (Australian aboriginal language of northern New South Wales) bilbi
First Known Use
1887, in the meaning defined above