What marsupial from Australia, known as the pig-footed bandicoot, went extinct in the 1950s?

The Australian marsupial known as the pig-footed bandicoot was the pig-footed bandicoot, a now-extinct member of the bandicoot-and-bilby group. It was unusual for its extremely slender legs and reduced toes: its forefeet resembled tiny pig’s feet, while its hind feet had a single prominent toe more like a hoof.

Modern research has shown that the historical name covered two species, the southern pig-footed bandicoot and the northern pig-footed bandicoot. The northern species survived in central and western Australia, with Indigenous accounts suggesting it may have persisted in the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts into the 1950s. The last reliably collected specimen dates to 1901.

The animal was not a bilby, potoroo, or ordinary bandicoot, although all belong to related Australian marsupial groups. Its decline was probably caused by a combination of introduced predators such as feral cats and foxes, livestock-related habitat changes, and altered fire patterns. The species split was formally recognized in 2019, explaining why older references often describe only one pig-footed bandicoot.