The Giant Bandicoot is the largest bandicoot in the world: males attain body weights up to 4.9 kg and females are around 1.4 kg. It occurs in dense lowland tropical moist forest and gallery forests, typically along creeks or rivers. The only information on diet is that the stomach of one specimen contained only vegetable matter; bandicoots are trypically ominvorous. The species is evidently rare, and has not been collected in the last three decades (Aplin et al 2010). It may be naturally rare, but is probably in decline.

This species is endemic to the south-eastern lowlands of Papua New Guinea. It is broadly distributed throughout its range but at low densities. It has been recorded from sea level and the upper limit of altitudinal range is probably about 1,000 m asl.

This species has not been recorded from any protected areas despite the fact that there are many throughout its range. The protected areas of the Central Province are not well managed, and many villagers access them to seek game and firewood. Thus, this species may be hunted out of the protected areas (L. Salas pers. comm. 2008).