in aggressive postures and they regularly emit a grunting noises during normal activity. Reproduction Breeding occurs throughout the year, once the female has reached maturity, generally at 11 months. The male reaches maturity between 12 and 13 months. Once mature, the female is capable of breeding at three-week intervals. The gestation of the young is about 22–24 days. After the young are born, they live within the pouch for about 16 weeks. Upon leaving the pouch, the joey stays near the mother for about 7 weeks, while it gets used to fending for itself. Behaviour The species may share nests or be solitary, a male may cohabit with one or two females. The nest is located beneath a dense under-story of vegetation, a shallow clearing that is matted with woven plant material. The foraging activity is strictly nocturnal, they will only emerge after sunset and return to the nest before first light. The posture varies with the activity of the species, assuming an upright position on the hind parts to survey its surroundings, drawing the forelimbs to the chest when hopping rapidly away from a threat, and resting on all four limbs and the tail when slowly moving during feeding. The favoured foods are subterranean fruiting bodies of fungi and tubers, and the species have strong clawed forelimbs that allow them to excavate these. Other foodstuffs consumed include some insect larvae, the stems of sedge-like plants, grasses and seeds. The museum collector Charles M. Hoy noted that the species entered his camp at night, eating pieces of bread but ignoring the vegetable scraps. Distribution and habitat It is found in coastal and subcoastal regions from Newcastle in New South Wales to Cooktown in Queensland, and was formerly found in the Murray River Valley of New South Wales and Victoria. References External links Animal Diversity Web Yaraandoo - Rufous Bettong NSW Threatened Species Australian Faunal Directory The Aussie Rufous Bettong Ark Conservation Project Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Queensland Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Potoroids