Do you know what a bandicoot is? We didn't until we heard about a particularly cuddly one. Bandicoots are marsupials native to Australia, and they're small and looks sort of like rats, but cuter, noted A-Z Animals.
A baby bandicoot made worldwide news this week when a man named Rex in Mandurah, Western Australia went to check on his duck and her eggs when he noticed that a baby bandicoot has cuddled up into the nest.
"I went to check on the eggs and a little bandicoot had made its way underneath. I thought 'what are you doing there?'" said Rex, according to the Mandurah Mail. "The mother duck hasn't taken offen[s]e to the little fella. The duck was more concerned to just get back on her eggs after I picked her up."
The eggs have since hatched, and the bandicoot has stuck around to hang out with the baby chicks, reported Mashable.
The bandicoot isn't just assuaging his need for cuddles - the duck is also protecting him. "The baby bandicoot left for a short time but was back later in the [same] day. It's been there for five days now. If it was by itself it would have been picked up by a magpie or something but it's sought refuge under the duck," said Rex, according to the Mandurah Mail.
Apparently, such odd interspecies occurrences aren't rare in Mandurah. "I wasn't that surprised, I've seen a lot of strange things in nature over my time. I've seen a kangaroo fornicate with an emu; I've seen an eagle fly down and pick up a snake then drop it and then fly back down to get it," said Rex to the Mandurah Mail.
We hope this interspecies family continues its adorable, cuddly ways.
