Man Finds An Unexpected Guest Living With A Family Of Ducks

A cursory glance at life for animals in the wild might suggest there's a world rife with perils - but there's a kinder, gentler side to nature sometimes hidden where you'd least expect.

In this case, that's beneath the warm bosom of a caring mother bird.

A man named Rex, from West Australia, was checking on his pet duck recently when he made a surprise discovery. There, in the little nest the feathered mother built to raise her chicks, a tiny baby marsupial, called a bandicoot, had found safe haven, too.

"I thought 'what are you doing there?'" Rex told the Mandurah Mail, adding that the unlikely squatter appeared to be more than welcome. "The mother duck hasn't taken offense to the little fella."

The baby bandicoot has been living among the newly-hatched ducklings for five days now and appears to be in good health, says Rex, which suggests his mother might still be in the area to care for him.

Still, it's unclear how the furry youngster came to find a place among a new feathered family. Rex, however, believes that had he not been brought into the fold, the bandicoot would have probably stood little chance of surviving with so many predators afoot.