SINCE 1828
bandicoot
noun
ban·di·coot
| \ ˈban-di-ˌküt
\
\
Definition of bandicoot
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
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Examples of bandicoot in a Sentence
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Marsupials such as the common planigale, which looks similar to a mouse, and golden bandicoot, which looks more like a rat, also may move in. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "These animals make homes for other species," 25 June 2019 There are actually dozens of rat species, and Vietnamese mostly eat two common ones: The rice field rat, which weighs up to half a pound, and the bandicoot rat, which can grow up to two pounds. — National Geographic, "The chef dangled the raw, bloody carcasses before my face as if this were a tantalizing choice. Normally, I’d say neither, but seeing as how it was New Year’s Eve in this Mekong River border town, a little bit of adventurous eating seemed apropos.," 14 Mar. 2019 Researchers have collected genetic evidence that these HEVs can also infect a variety of animals, including pigs, wild boar, deer, rabbits, mongoose, chickens, camels, ferrets, greater bandicoots, Asian musk shrew, mink, moose, and fish. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Rat hepatitis jumps to human for first time, spotlighting disease mystery," 2 Oct. 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, "Australia Builds World’s Largest Cat-Proof Fence to Protect Threatened Species," 30 May 2018 Australia is full of cute animals—wombats, bandicoots, potoroos, echidnas, wallabies, platypuses, quokkas and koalas just to name a few. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The Super-cute Eastern Quoll Returns to Mainland Australia," 16 Mar. 2018 In 2016, the southern brown bandicoot was also reintroduced and it was confirmed to be breeding in the park last summer. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The Super-cute Eastern Quoll Returns to Mainland Australia," 16 Mar. 2018 After those have been erected, locally extinct mammals like the greater bilby, burrowing bettong, Western quoll, and Western barred bandicoot, will be reintroduced. — Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, "'Extinct' Marsupial Rediscovered in Parts of Australia," 18 Dec. 2017 From Buley Rockhole, take the two-mile Florence Creek Walk through the monsoon rainforest and spot a range of wildlife, from unique bird species such as kingfishers and fairy-wrens, to bandicoots (small terrestrial marsupials). — Smithsonian, "Discover more of the Northern Territory's Top End.," 7 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bandicoot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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