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Australia Bilby

2011-P Proof Silver Fifty Cent

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This Bilby piece was released in 2011 as part of the Perth mint 's Bush Babies series. The series features the infants of some iconic Australian animals. The reverse of this particular coin features a coloured depiction of a baby bilby with the legend 'Australian Bilby.' The obverse houses the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II with the legend 'ELIZABETH II - AUSTRALIA - 1/2 OZ 999 SILVER - 2011 - 50 CENTS.'

The bilby is an an Australian marsupial found predominately in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They live in predominately arid regions within spiral burrows and predominately eat insects, larvae, seeds, and fruit. Amazingly the bilby does not need to drink as it is able to get all its required water from its food. Until the mid 20th century there existed two species of bilby; the greater lesser. The lesser bilby's extinction has been attributed to a range of factors, including the introduction of foreign predators, competition with rabbits for food, destruction of habitat, and being hunted for food by Indigenous Australians. The remaining greater bilby is today classified as vulnerable by IUCN with many of the same threats as their lesser relative.