【History Archives】

It's been a long road for the dibbler,History Archives an animal mostly found in the south of Western Australia.

The marsupial was once thought to be extinct, thanks to extensive land clearing and destruction of its habitat. It was only in 1967 that it was rediscovered, albeit in much smaller numbers.

SEE ALSO: Baby bat in a blanket can't drink banana smoothie fast enough

That's why the birth of Miles the dibbler is something worth celebrating. Miles marks the 1000th dibbler that has been born at Perth Zoo. And you bet -- he is adorable.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Weighing 33 grams (1.16 oz), Miles is the biggest of a litter of seven, with the zoo being the only one in the world that's breeding the creatures. Dibblers aren't usually named by zookeepers, but this milestone was a rare exception.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"We don't normally name the dibblers ... but it's such a milestone for the breeding program, we thought Miles was a fitting name," zookeeper Lesley Shaw said in a statement via email.

It's a tough job breeding dibblers, as the mating season is only two or three weeks a year. Zookeepers need to time introductions between males and females very precisely. When they're born, they're smaller than a grain of rice and only one zookeeper is allowed to work in the breeding centre at a time, to ensure noise and disturbance is kept to a minimum.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"The ultimate goal is that we do ourselves out of a job. We would love to see the dibbler's conservation threat status improve to a point where they are thriving in the wild and zoo breeding is no longer needed. We've done that for other species, so that's the aim," Shaw said.

[h/t ABC News]

• Tech
• Games
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Science

• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• QAnon influencers are now reportedly defrauding their followers via cryptocurrency scams
• How to watch USC vs. Notre Dame football without cable: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• What is the tortilla challenge on TikTok?
• Put Me In, Coach!
• One Month Only: Subscribe to The Paris Review & Lucky Peach
• This Is Your Last Chance to Be Hugged By a Cartoon Character
• Louder than Bombs: An Interview with Joachim Trier and Jesse Eisenberg
• Best keyboard deals: Save on Asus gaming keyboards at Amazon
• Samantha Hahn’s Beautiful Illustrations for Rachel Cusk’s “Outline”

• How Sidney Sokhona’s Films Changed African Cinema
• Garfield’s Gender Identity Caused a Fierce Wikipedia Dispute
• The Making of a Comics Biography, Part 3
• Watching Federer and Nadal Face Off at the Australian Open
• Staff Pick: Stacy Schiff, Kate Zambreno, Elizabeth McKenzie
• Geronimo Takes Flight: A Beaver’s Adventure in the Sky
• You’re Probably Misusing “Humbled”
• A Guide to “Getting” Rumi
• Staff Picks: Morgan Parker, David Grann, George Saunders
• The Making of a Comics Biography, Part 2

• I'm a college professor. My advice to young people who feel hooked on tech
• Photos from Our 2016 Spring Revel
• Staff Picks: Meryl Meisler, Les Blank, and States of Undress
• “press++”: Four Photos by Thomas Ruff
• SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
• Louder than Bombs: An Interview with Joachim Trier and Jesse Eisenberg
• Listen: George Plimpton Interviews John le Carré, 1996
• Best Buy holiday kickoff event: Post
• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• Stop boiling eggs. Throw them in the air fryer.

• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• Best earbuds deal: Google Pixel Buds Pro are 30% off now at Amazon
• Men are ruining the 'She's a 10' meme
• Why Charlie Chaplin Wanted to Play Hamlet
• Your 'wrong person' texts may be linked to Myanmar warlord
• The 11 best and funniest tweets of the week, including crab rangoon and gargoyles
• On Morbid Sensitivity
• 9 of the best moments in Black Twitter history
• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• KitchenAid artisan mini stand mixer is on sale for $259.99