Numbat
Numbat
Myrmecobius fasciatus
phylum: Chordata
class: Mammalia
order: Marsupialia
family: Myrmecobiidae
status: Vulnerable, IUCN Endangered, ESA
range: Australia
Description and biology
The numbat, also known as the banded anteater, is a very unusual Australian marsupial. Marsupials are an order of mammals whose young continue to develop after birth in a pouch on the outside of the mother's body. Most marsupials are nocturnal (active at night). The numbat, however, does not have a true pouch in which its young develop and it is diurnal (pronounced die-ER-nal; active during the day).
Resembling a squirrel in size, an average numbat has a head and body length of 9 inches (23 centimeters) and a tail length of 7 inches (18 centimeters). It weighs between 14 and 21 ounces (397 and 595 grams). The numbat's coat is reddish brown with white flecks. A series of white stripes stretches across its back all the way to its bushy tail. A dark stripe runs across the animal's eye from its ear to its long, flattened snout.
The numbat feeds chiefly on termites. It uses its sharp-clawed forefeet to dig into termite colonies it finds in fallen
branches. It then uses its long, sticky tongue to remove the termites, which it swallows whole. The animal has a home range of 50 to 120 acres (20 to 48 hectares). At night, it builds a sheltering nest of leaves, grass, and bark in hollow logs or in burrows it digs for itself.
The normally solitary male and female numbat come together only to mate. A female numbat gives birth to four young, usually in January or February. Since she does not have a pouch, her young attach themselves to her nipples and cling to the surrounding hair. They stay attached for six months. Afterward, the female places her young in various nests she has built, moving them between those nests by carrying them on her back. The young numbats eventually leave their mother's home range by November or December.
Habitat and current distribution
Numbats prefer to live in forests dominated by eucalyptus trees that are prone to attack by termites. The animals are currently found only in southwestern Western Australia. Biologists (people who study living organisms) estimate that less than 2,000 numbats exist in the wild.
History and conservation measures
The numbat once ranged throughout southern Australia. Slowly it began to disappear from eastern areas until, by the 1960s, it was found only in the southwestern region of the country. The numbat population continued to decline until 1980, when the Australian government realized that red foxes that had been introduced into numbat habitat were preying on the animals. Since then, the government has controlled the number of foxes in the region and the numbat population has recovered slightly. The Australian government is also trying to relocate numbats to their former eastern habitats.
Numbat
Numbat
Numbats are the sole members of the family Myrmecobiidae. "Mumbat" is the aborigine name for these small marsupial mammals , otherwise known as banded anteaters . They are slightly larger than rats and weigh about 1 lb (0.5 kg). Considered one of the most attractive marsupials , their general color varies from grayish-brown to reddish-brown, broken by several prominent white bars across the back and rump. A white-bordered dark stripe passes from the base of each ear through the eye to the snout. The tail length is about 7 in (17.7 cm), and when it is erect and fluffed it looks like a bottle brush.
Numbats are active only in the daytime, and live in shrub woodland and eucalyptus forest. They search fallen branches and logs for termites , which they pick up with their slender, cylindrical 4 in (10 cm) tongue. Although numbats do not chew their food, their small and widely spaced teeth number between 50 and 52, the largest number of teeth found in any marsupial. Numbats use hollow logs for shelter throughout the year and may dig burrows in the ground to take refuge from the cold. They are solitary for most of the year except when breeding or young are present. Generally, four young are born between January and May, attaching themselves to the nipples of the female, who lacks the typical marsupial pouch.
Numbats were much more widespread in the past, and now occur only in the southwest portion of western Australia . Destruction of their habitat for agriculture and predation by introduced foxes has contributed to their decline. Despite stabilization of their habitat, numbat populations are currently small and scattered. Because they are considered rare and endangered, breeding colonies have been established with the hope of returning captive-bred animals to the wild.