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bandicoot
noun
ban·di·coot
ˈban-di-ˌküt 
1
: any of several very large rats (genera Bandicota and Nesokia) of southern Asia destructive to crops
2
: any of various small chiefly insectivorous and herbivorous marsupial mammals (family Peramelidae or family Peroryctidae) of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea
Examples of bandicoot in a Sentence
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Moreover, the team found that the pink photoluminescence in both bandicoot species, as well as in the quoll and possum, was probably tied to the presence of other porphyrin compounds in their fur, including uroporphyrin, coproporphyrin, and heptacarboxylporphyrin.
—
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 May 2025
For example, in Western Australia, conservationists have been able to stabilize the genetic diversity of golden bandicoots by transferring some individuals from an island with a large population onto two other islands.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 29 Jan. 2025
Our examination revealed marsupial moles are a sister group to bandicoots and bilbies, with carnivorous marsupials like the Tasmanian devil being distant cousins.
—Charles Feigin / The Conversation, Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2025
His vehicle, known as a ‘vahana,’ is the large Indian bandicoot rat, another symbol of Ganesha’s ability to overcome anything.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 18 Sep. 2024
While Australia does have an impressive array of particularly charismatic examples — Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots, to name a few — these comprise roughly 70 percent of the world’s population, with the other 30 percent hailing from the Americas.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Now Wild Deserts is using descendants of those few thousand island survivors, called Shark Bay bandicoots, in a new effort to seed a mainland bandicoot revival.
—Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2023
In a conservation first, Australia’s eastern barred bandicoot is back from the brink of extinction.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The small nocturnal marsupial was once common throughout southwest Victoria, but habitat destruction, foxes, and feral cats nearly killed off the bandicoot.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
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Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 May 2025
For example, in Western Australia, conservationists have been able to stabilize the genetic diversity of golden bandicoots by transferring some individuals from an island with a large population onto two other islands.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 29 Jan. 2025
Our examination revealed marsupial moles are a sister group to bandicoots and bilbies, with carnivorous marsupials like the Tasmanian devil being distant cousins.
—Charles Feigin / The Conversation, Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2025
His vehicle, known as a ‘vahana,’ is the large Indian bandicoot rat, another symbol of Ganesha’s ability to overcome anything.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 18 Sep. 2024
While Australia does have an impressive array of particularly charismatic examples — Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots, to name a few — these comprise roughly 70 percent of the world’s population, with the other 30 percent hailing from the Americas.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Now Wild Deserts is using descendants of those few thousand island survivors, called Shark Bay bandicoots, in a new effort to seed a mainland bandicoot revival.
—Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2023
In a conservation first, Australia’s eastern barred bandicoot is back from the brink of extinction.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The small nocturnal marsupial was once common throughout southwest Victoria, but habitat destruction, foxes, and feral cats nearly killed off the bandicoot.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Bandicoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bandicoot. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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bandicoot
noun
ban·di·coot
ˈban-di-ˌküt
: any of various small insect-eating and plant-eating marsupial mammals especially of Australia
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