There are no known adverse effects of numbats on humans.
Numbats fave several predators on a daily basis. The three primary predators of the numbat are red foxes, raptors, and feral cats. Unfortunately, because of their small size, they are easy prey for these predators. Even the smaller species of these predators, such as little eagles, which ranges in size from 45 cm to 55 cm, can effortlessly overpower numbats. At times, numbats are also taken by snakes, such as carpet pythons, and large lizards, such as sand goannas. Due to the fact that the number of these predators are overly elevated in fragmented woodlands, the populations of numbats have decreased rapidly since they are constantly being preyed upon.
Numbats have several adaptations for predator avoidance. It primarily avoids detection while roaming on the forest floor by the composition of its hair color, which camouflages with the surrounding brush. The erect ears located high on the head and the eyes located on the opposite sides of their head allow numbats to hear or see predators coming towards them. If numbats sense danger or encounters a predator, they will freeze and keep very still until the danger has passed. If pursued, numbats will run to shelter and grasp the sides of the enclosure. At times, numbats may also try to ward off predators by producing low-throaty growls along with a repetitive "tut tut tut."
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Numbats are small, slender carnivorous marsupials, weighing between 300 g and 752 g, and measuring 175 mm to 290 mm body length and 120 mm to 210 mm tail-length. The head is relatively small and flat with an elongated, pointed snout and a slim, sticky tongue that has the capability to extend to at least 100 mm. The coat is composed of short, stiff, reddish-brown or grey-brown hair, which is marked by four to eleven white bands running across the back and rump, giving each individual a unique, distinct appearance. A single dark stripe, accentuated by a white band below it, crosses each side of the face and travels through each eye. The hair on the tail tends to be slightly longer than the hair on the body. Tails do not differ greatly among numbats; they tend to be brown in color interspersed with white with an orange-brown color on the underside. The hair on the ventral side, or abdomens, of numbats are white. The eyes and ears are located high on the head, and the erect ears are twice as long as broad. The forefeet, which bear five toes, and the hind feet, which bear four toes, all have strong, sharp claws. Unlike other mammals, numbats do not have proper teeth but instead have blunt “pegs” because they do not chew their food. In female numbats, there is no trace of a proper pouch; instead, skin folds, which are covered in short crimped, golden hair, enclose the young when suckling from one of the four nipples found on the abdomen. In addition to the skin folds, females and males differ from one another in body mass, with males tending to weigh slightly more than females. Females weigh between 320 g and 678 g, averaging 478 g. While males weigh between 300 g and 715 g, averaging 597 g. When young, newborn numbats range in length from less than 20 mm to 75 mm, and the snout is extremely shortened. When the young reach the length of approximately 30 mm, a light downy coat arises, and this coat eventually bears the characteristic white stripes when the numbat is about 55 mm in length.
Range mass: 300 to 752 g.
Range length: 175 to 290 mm.
Average length: 270 mm.
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.389 cm3.O2/g/hr.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.907 W.
The average lifespan for male or female numbats in the wild is four to five years, as compared to seven years for a female and eleven years for a male in captivity. The lifespan for those in the wild is quite short because numbats are constantly preyed on by foxes, raptors, and cats. Therefore, their longevity is limited by the injuries incurred from their predators and their constant expenditure of energy in trying to survive. In addition, when captive-bred numbats are released in the wild, they lack the basic knowledge and skills to avoid their predators. This is demonstrated by the research at Perth Zoo in Western Australia. In the year 2000, Perth Zoo implemented an experimental training program where young captive-bred numbats were exposed to a raptor while loud noises and bird alarm calls were sounded. The results suggest that these trained numbats had a higher survival rate over the first 5 months after release than the untrained numbats. Due to training programs, as well as fox-and-cat-control programs, the mortality rate of numbats in the wild (recorded in the year 2011) has dropped to a fairly low rate.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 11 years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 4 to 5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 11 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 6.0 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: male
Status: captivity: 5.0 years.
When numbats were abundant, they occupied semi-arid and arid woodlands (composed of flowering trees and shrubs of the genera Eucalyptus and Acacia) and grasslands (composed of grasses of the genera Triodia and Plectrachne). Now, they can only be found in eucalypt woodlands, which are located at an elevation of approximately 317m, in the wettest periphery of the former range because of the abundance of old and fallen trees. The logs of eucalypt woodlands play a great role in aiding in the survival of numbats. At night, the numbats seek shelter inside hollow logs, and during the day, numbats can avoid predators, especially birds and foxes, by staying hidden within the darkness of the logs. During mating seasons, logs provide numbats an area for their nesting sites. Most importantly, the heartwood of the majority of trees in eucalypt woodlands are eaten by termites, which are the base of the numbat's diet. Numbats depend on sufficient presence and availability of termites so much so that the presence of termites restricts the habitat of numbats to areas only where termites can be found. If areas are too wet or too cold, termites will not flourish, and, thus, neither will numbats.
Average elevation: 317 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Since the beginning of European settlement in Australia, the abundance of numbats has declined dramatically. Previously occupying most of southern Australia, including New South Wales and Victoria, and parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, numbat are now extinct in approximately 99% of its former range. Only two natural populations remain, the Dryandra and Perup sites, both located in Western Australia. Reintroduced populations can be found in Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve, Batalling State Forest, Tutanning Nature Reserve, and Boyagin Nature Reserve (all located in Western Australia), Yookamurra Sanctuary (located in South Australia), and Scotia Sanctuary (located in New South Wales).
Biogeographic Regions: australian (Introduced , Native )
Other Geographic Terms: island endemic
Numbats diets consist primarily of termites, although they ingest some predator ants by accident while eating termites. Eating approximately 15,000 to 20,000 termites per day, numbats have evolved several morphological features in order to be successful in obtaining and feeding on termites. The elongated snout is used for getting into logs and small holes in the ground to search for termites. Their nose is extremely sensitive, sensing the presence of termites by smell and small vibrations in the ground. A long, thin tongue, which is coated with saliva, allows numbats to gain access to the termite passageways, also known as galleries, and quickly withdraw several termites that have adhered to the sticky saliva. The saliva is produced from a pair of quite enlarged and complex salivary glands. The forefeet and hind feet bear razor-sharp claws, which allow numbats to dig rapidly into termite galleries in the soil. Their mouths are filled with 47 to 50 blunt "pegs," instead of proper teeth as in other mammals, because numbats do not chew the termites.
Numbats daily diet of termites, which corresponds to approximately 10% of the body weight of an adult numbat, includes the genera Heterotermes, Coptotermes, Amitermies, Microcerotermes, Termes, Paracapritermes, Nasutitermes, Tumulitermes, and Occasitermes, usually in proportion to their relative abundance. Due to the fact that Coptotermes and Amitermies are the most common termite species in numbat habitat, these two genera are the most commonly eaten. However, numbats do have preferences; some lactating females prefer Coptotermes species at certain periods of the year, and some numbats have refused to eat Nasutitermes species during the winter.
In "Fauna of Australia," by J.A. Friend, author J.H. Calaby (1960) describes feeding in numbats. Numbats use scent to locate termite galleries and begin to dig out the insects with both feet rapidly. Numbats use their tongue to pick up exposed termites and may leave to find another gallery or dig in the same gallery once termites are no longer exposed. Numbats also turn over leaves and sticks with their teeth to expose and prey upon termites.
Animal Foods: insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
Numbats play an important role in controlling termite populations. Numbats feed on approximately 20,000 termites daily. The termite species consumed are based on their abundance. Although uncommon, ants can also be found in the termite diet, but these ants are incidentally consumed while numbats are feeding on termites. In addition, numbats invariably ingests debris (at least 0.33 g of dirt for every gram of organic matter) that adheres to the tongue along with the termites.
Numbats are hosts for many species of endo- and ectoparasites. Three nematodes (Beveridgeiella calabyi, Beveridgeiella inglisi, Mulusentis myrmecobius), have been found in the alimentary tract of numbats. A new species of acanthocephalan (Mulusentis myrmecobius) uses arthropods as intermediate hosts; thus, numbats are infected by this acanthocephalan by feeding on infected termites. Several ectoparasites have also been found on numbats, including mites (Mesolaelaps australiensis), ticks (Ixodes vestitus, Ixodes myrmecobii, Amblyomma triguttatum), and fleas (Echidnophaga myrmecobii, Echidnophaga perilis).
Ecosystem Impact: creates habitat; keystone species
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
When numbats used to flourish throughout Southern Australia, parts of Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, Aboriginal natives hunted them for food. Known to these people as the "walpurti," numbats were captured by being chased into burrows and then dug up by hand in order to eat. However, due to the dramatic decrease in numbat populations, numbat are now a protected species that has become of great importance to scientists and environmental program agencies. By studying numbats, scientists are gaining a greater understanding of several different aspects of mammalogy, such as morphology, physiology, and ecology. A collection of up to two hundred specimens of numbats can be found in museums. This not only aids scientists in their research, but also benefits future generations that are interested in this species as well as mammals in general. Environmental program agencies have also benefited from numbats. Necessitating intensive work for over twenty years, a number of environmental program agencies, which were founded to save the numbats from extinction, have been provided long-term support for their recovery programs allowing program longevity. In addition to once being important to the Aboriginal people and currently to scientists and environmental program agencies, numbats assist in the control of the termite population in eucalypt woodlands, eating approximately 15,000 to 20,000 termites per day.
Positive Impacts: food ; research and education; controls pest population
Numbats are currently listed by the IUCN Red List and the US Fish & Wildlife Service as an endangered species. Decreasing in population by more than 20% within a short five years (between the years 2003 and 2008), numbat populations contain approximately less than 1,000 mature individuals globally. There are two native sites of the species, Dryanda and Perup of Western Australia. In Dryanda, populations have and continue to decrease dramatically for unknown reasons, declining from an estimated peak of 600 in 1992 to 50 in 2012 today. In Perup, populations are stable and possibly increasing in number. In reintroduced sites, there are 500 to 600 numbat individuals and populations seem stable; however, they are not self-sustaining and, thus, are not considered secure.
The introduction of several predators, specifically red foxes and raptors, have greatly added to the decline in numbat populations. The introduction of rabbits and rats may also have increased the number of feral cats in the habitat, which are another major predator of numbats. In addition to the increase in predators, changed fire regimes and habitat destruction in some areas have reduced the number of logs, which numbats use as shelter for resting, refugees from predators, and as a source of termites (the base of their diet).
A number of conservation actions have been taken. These include captive breeding, reintroduction programs, protected areas, and red fox control programs. Other objectives for recovery, as listed by Maxwell et al. (1996), are also being implemented, such as trying to increase the number of self-sustaining populations to at least nine and the number of individuals to over 4,000.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered
Numbats produce a variety of vocalizations. During breeding season, if a female and male are both interested in one another, they vocalize by producing a series of soft clicks. However, if a male approaches a female and she rejects his advances, she will produce growling vocalizations that may lead to loud altercations. A similar vocalization that resembles these growling sounds can also be heard from numbats that are being handled or disturbed. Differing slightly, these distressed low-throaty growls are produced with the mouth closed, along with a repetitive "tut tut tut." Another type of vocalization is the hissing growls produced by numbats that are protecting their territory against foreign numbats. Besides the breeding season and stressful situations, the only other time one tends to hear vocalizations produced by numbats are when a mother is caring for her young. Once the young have emerged from the log or burrow, the mother communicates with them by soft chirping sounds.
The numbat relies heavily on sight, hearing, and smell when perceiving their environment. Constantly on alert when roaming and feeding, the numbat detects threats from predators primarily by sound (hearing the predator's approach) and vision (seeing their approach). When feeding, the numbat only uses smell. The numbat's incredibly keen sense of smell allows them to locate termite galleries, brimming with prey, despite the fact that some galleries are as far as 50 mm below the surface of the soil. Smell is also used during breeding season. When a male has found a female, he smears an oily, foul-smelling substance from his sternal gland around the female numbat's territory, which wards off other males.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Leading up to the mating season, which occurs from December to January, male numbats secrete an oily substance from their sternal gland, which is located at the top of the chest. Turning the fur red, this pungent oil is rubbed over surfaces of logs and rocks by the male. In addition to advertising to females that the male is looking for a mate, the smell also warns other males to stay away from his territory. When a male desires a certain female, he will follow her and pay particularly close attention to her cloacal region by sniffing it. Both the male and female will vocalize to one another, producing sounds that are composed of a series of soft clicks. Numbats vocalize only during two different periods in their life (during the breeding season and during infancy when communicating with the mother); however, breeding vocalizations are significantly different than baby numbat vocalizations. If a female rejects male advances, loud altercations will take place. The female will produce low, throaty, aggressive growls with her mouth closed. At times, the male will attempt to mount the aggravated female, which will lead to them tumbling together on the ground with the female growling. The male may still try to pursue the female by chasing her, or he may stop his advances all together. After copulation, which ranges in time from less than one minute to an hour, the male may leave immediately in order to mate with another female, or he may stay in the den (hollow logs, burrows, and nests composed of bark, grass, and leaves) until the mating season ends. However, after the reproductive season finishes, the male will leave the female. The female then cares and tends to the young by herself. Numbats are polygynous, meaning males mate with more than one female; thus, during the next breeding season, the male will mate with a different female.
Mating System: polygynous
The reproductive cycles of numbats are seasonal, with the female producing one litter per year. The female is polyestrous, which means she has several estrous cycles during a single breeding season. Thus, females that have failed to conceive or have lost their young may conceive again with a subsequent mate. Males too have a distinct fertility cycle; the sperm appear in early December, decline in February, and are absent by March. Females first breed when they are 12 months of age, and males are sexually mature at 24 months. After a gestation period of 14 days, female numbats give birth to four young in January or February. The underdeveloped young, which are about 20 mm long, travel to the mother's nipples. Unlike most marsupials, female numbats lack a pouch to house the young. Instead, the four nipples are covered by crimped, golden hair that differs greatly from the long white hair on her chest. There, the young entwine their forelimbs in the specialized crimped hair of the mammary area and attach to her nipples for up to six months until the young have grown so large that the mother cannot walk properly. By late July or early August, the young are detached from the nipples and are placed in the nest. Although detached from the nipples, they continue to suckle until they are approximately nine months of age. In late September, the young begin to forage for themselves, becoming independent and moving to a territory of their own by November.
Breeding interval: During a single breeding season females may breed several times or just once if initially successful.
Breeding season: Numbat breeding seasons take place from December to January.
Average number of offspring: 4.
Average gestation period: 14 days.
Average weaning age: 9 months.
Average time to independence: 11 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 12 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 24 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous ; post-partum estrous
Average number of offspring: 4.
Males play no part in post-breeding parental investment, leaving females to care for the young alone. After females give birth, the underdeveloped young immediately travel to the mother's nipples and attach. The litter size usually consists of four numbats so that all nipples are occupied. Due to the fact that there is no pouch, the young survive by holding onto the mother only by their oral attachment to the nipples and by entwining their forelimbs into the crimped hair of the mammary area, also known as skin folds. The young stay attached to the mother for approximately six to seven months. By this time, the young are so big that they cause the mother to walk abnormally; thus, she removes them from her body and places them in a log or burrow. Provisioning and protecting her young, the mother consistently returns to the log or burrow to suckle them until they are eight or nine months of age. Over the next two months, the young begin to investigate the area outside their nest, encountering their first predators and eating termites. The mother weans them from her milk between ten and eleven months of age. By the twelfth month, the juveniles leave their mother to find their own territory, forage for themselves, and breed.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care ; pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the noombat or walpurti,[4][5] is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.
The species was once widespread across southern Australia, but is now restricted to several small colonies in Western Australia. It is therefore considered an endangered species and protected by conservation programs. Numbats were recently re-introduced to fenced reserves in South Australia and New South Wales.[6][7][8][9] The numbat is the faunal emblem of Western Australia.[10]
The numbat genus Myrmecobius is the sole member of the family Myrmecobiidae, one of four families that make up the order Dasyuromorphia, the Australian marsupial carnivores.[11]
The species is not closely related to other extant marsupials; the current arrangement in the order Dasyuromorphia places its monotypic family with the diverse and carnivorous species of Dasyuridae. Genetic studies have shown the ancestors of the numbat diverged from other marsupials between 32 and 42 million years ago, during the late Eocene.[12]
Two subspecies have been described, but one of these—the rusty coloured Myrmecobius fasciatus rufus Finlayson, 1933,[13][14]—has been extinct since at least the 1960s, and only the nominate subspecies (M. fasciatus fasciatus) remains alive today. The population described by Finlayson occurred in the arid central regions of South Australia, and he thought they had once extended to the coast.[13] The separation to subspecies was not recognised in the national census of Australian mammals, following W. D. L. Ride and others.[a] As its name implies, M. fasciatus rufus had a more reddish coat than the surviving population.[15] Only a very small number of fossil specimens are known, the oldest dating back to the Pleistocene, and no other species from the same family have been identified.[15]
The following is a phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial genome sequences:[16]
Dasyuromorphia†Thylacinus (thylacine)
Myrmecobius (numbat)_(white_background).jpg){kind=small}
Sminthopsis (dunnarts).jpg){kind=small}
Phascogale (wambengers)
Dasyurus (quolls)
Placement of the family within the order of dasyuromorphs may be summarised as
The common names are adopted from the extant names at the time of English colonisation, numbat, from the Nyungar language of southwest Australia, and walpurti, the name in the Pitjantjatjara dialect.[5] The orthography and pronunciation of the Nyungar name is regularised, following a survey of published sources and contemporary consultation that resulted in the name noombat, pronounced noom'bat.[4]
Other names include banded anteater and marsupial anteater.[18][10]
The numbat is a small, distinctively-striped animal between 35 and 45 centimetres (14 and 18 in) long, including the tail, with a finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the same length as its body. Colour varies considerably, from soft grey to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper back, and always with a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle through the eye to the base of the small, round-tipped ear. Between four and eleven white stripes cross the animal's hindquarters, which gradually become fainter towards the midback. The underside is cream or light grey, while the tail is covered with long, grey hair flecked with white. Weight varies between 280 and 700 g (9.9 and 24.7 oz).[15][19]
Unlike most other marsupials, the numbat is diurnal, largely because of the constraints of having a specialised diet without having the usual physical equipment for it. Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with powerful forelimbs bearing heavy claws.[20] Numbats are not large, and they have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet.[15] However, like other mammals that eat termites or ants, the numbat has a degenerate jaw with up to 50 very small, nonfunctional teeth, and although it is able to chew,[15] rarely does so, because of the soft nature of its diet. Uniquely among terrestrial mammals, an additional cheek tooth is located between the premolars and molars; whether this represents a supernumerary molar tooth or a deciduous tooth retained into adult life is unclear. As a result, although not all individuals have the same dental formula, in general, it follows the unique pattern: 4.1.3.1.43.1.4.1.4[15]
Like many ant- or termite-eating animals, the numbat has a long and narrow tongue coated with sticky saliva produced by large submandibular glands. A further adaptation to the diet is the presence of numerous ridges along the soft palate, which apparently help to scrape termites off the tongue so they can be swallowed. The digestive system is relatively simple, and lacks many of the adaptations found in other entomophagous animals, presumably because termites are easier to digest than ants, having a softer exoskeleton. Numbats are apparently able to gain a considerable amount of water from their diets, since their kidneys lack the usual specialisations for retaining water found in other animals living in their arid environment.[21] Numbats also possess a sternal scent gland, which may be used for marking their territories.[15]
Although the numbat finds termite mounds primarily using scent, it has the highest visual acuity of any marsupial, and, unusually for marsupials, has a high proportion of cone cells in the retina. These are both likely adaptations for its diurnal habits, and vision does appear to be the primary sense used to detect potential predators.[15]
Numbats were formerly widely distributed across southern Australia, from Western Australia to north-western New South Wales. However, their range has significantly decreased since the arrival of Europeans, and the species has survived only in two small patches of land in the Dryandra Woodland and the Perup Nature Reserve, both in Western Australia.
Today, numbats are naturally found only in areas of eucalypt forest, but they were once more widespread in other types of semiarid woodland, spinifex grassland, and in terrain dominated by sand dune.[15] There are estimated to be fewer than 1,000 left in the wild.[22]
After measures aimed at excluding feral cats, the number of numbats trapped during annual population surveys in the Dryandra Woodland had increased to 35 by November 2020, after recording just 10 in 2019 and 5 in 2018. There had not been so many numbats recorded since 36 were recorded in the 1990s.[22]
The species has been successfully reintroduced into three fenced, feral predator-proof reserves in more varied environments; Yookamurra Sanctuary in the mallee of South Australia,[23] Scotia Sanctuary in semi-arid NSW,[1] and Western Australia's Mount Gibson Sanctuary.[24] Reintroduction began at a large fenced reserve in Mallee Cliffs National Park in NSW in December 2020.[25]
Attempted reintroductions of the species to fenced reserves in two other areas – one in the South Australian arid zone, near Roxby Downs, and the other in the northernmost part of its former range, at Newhaven Sanctuary in the Northern Territory – both failed.[26][27]
There are plans to reintroduce the species to a managed and semi-fenced area of the southern Yorke Peninsula in South Australia,[28] as part of the Marna Banggara (formerly Great Southern Ark) project.[29]
Numbats are insectivores and subsist on a diet of termites. An adult numbat requires up to 20,000 termites each day. The only marsupial fully active by day, the numbat spends most of its time searching for termites. It digs them up from loose earth with its front claws and captures them with its long, sticky tongue.[30] Despite its banded anteater name, it apparently does not intentionally eat ants; although the remains of ants have occasionally been found in numbat excreta, these belong to species that themselves prey on termites, so were presumably eaten accidentally, along with the main food.[31] Known native predators include various reptiles and raptors, such as the carpet python, sand goanna, wedge-tailed eagle, collared sparrowhawk, brown goshawk, and the little eagle.[6][31] They are also preyed upon by invasive red foxes and feral cats.[6][15]
Adult numbats are solitary and territorial; an individual male or female establishes a territory of up to 1.5 square km (370 acres)[20] early in life, and defends it from others of the same sex. The animal generally remains within that territory from then on; male and female territories overlap, and in the breeding season, males will venture outside their normal home ranges to find mates.
While the numbat has relatively powerful claws for its size,[20] it is not strong enough to get at termites inside their concrete-like mounds, and so must wait until the termites are active. It uses a well-developed sense of smell to locate the shallow and unfortified underground galleries that termites construct between the nest and their feeding sites; these are usually only a short distance below the surface of the soil, and vulnerable to the numbat's digging claws.
The numbat synchronises its day with termite activity, which is temperature dependent: in winter, it feeds from midmorning to midafternoon; in summer, it rises earlier, takes shelter during the heat of the day, and feeds again in the late afternoon. Numbats are able to enter a state of torpor, which may last up to fifteen hours a day during the winter months.[32]
At night, the numbat retreats to a nest, which can be in a log or tree hollow, or in a burrow, typically a narrow shaft 1–2 m long which terminates in a spherical chamber lined with soft plant material: grass, leaves, flowers, and shredded bark. The numbat is able to block the opening of its nest, with the thick hide of its rump, to prevent a predator being able to access the burrow.[33]
Numbats have relatively few vocalisations, but have been reported to hiss, growl, or make a repetitive 'tut' sound when disturbed.[15]
Numbats breed in February and March (late austral summer), normally producing one litter a year. They are able to produce a second if the first is lost.[34] Gestation lasts 15 days, and results in the birth of four young. Unusual for marsupials, female numbats have no pouch, although the four teats are protected by a patch of crimped, golden hair and by the swelling of the surrounding abdomen and thighs during lactation.[15]
The young are 2 cm (0.79 in) long at birth. They crawl immediately to the teats and remain attached until late July or early August, by which time they have grown to 7.5 cm (3.0 in). They are 3 cm (1.2 in) long when they first develop fur, the patterning of the adult begins to appear once they reach 5.5 cm (2.2 in). The young are left in a nest or carried on the mother's back after weaning, becoming fully independent by November. Females are sexually mature by the following summer, but males do not reach maturity for another year.[15]
At the time of European colonisation, the numbat was found across western, central, and southern regions of Australia, extending as far east as New South Wales and Victorian state borders and as far north as the southwest corner of the Northern Territory. It was at home in a wide range of woodland and semiarid habitats. The deliberate release of the European red fox in the 19th century, however, is presumed to have wiped out the entire numbat population in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory, and almost all numbats in Western Australia. By the late 1970s, the population was well under 1,000 individuals, concentrated in two small areas not far from Perth, at protected areas of the Dryandra forest and at Perup.[15]
The population recognised and described as a subspecies by Finlayson, M. fasciatus rufus, is presumed to be extinct.[15]
The first record of the species described it as beautiful,[35] and its popular appeal led to its selection as the faunal emblem of the state of Western Australia and initiated efforts to conserve it from extinction.[33]
The two small Western Australia populations apparently were able to survive because both areas have many hollow logs that may serve as refuge from predators. Being diurnal, the numbat is much more vulnerable to predation than most other marsupials of a similar size: its natural predators include the little eagle, brown goshawk, collared sparrowhawk, and carpet python. When the Western Australia government instituted an experimental program of fox baiting at Dryandra (one of the two remaining sites), numbat sightings increased by a factor of 40.
An intensive research and conservation program since 1980 has succeeded in increasing the numbat population substantially, and reintroductions to fox-free areas have begun. Perth Zoo is very closely involved in breeding this native species in captivity for release into the wild. Despite the encouraging degree of success so far, the numbat remains at considerable risk of extinction and is classified as an endangered species.[1]
Since 2006, Project Numbat volunteers have helped to save the numbat from extinction. One of Project Numbat's main objectives is to raise funds that go towards conservation projects, and to raise awareness through presentations held by volunteers at schools, community groups and events.
Numbats can be successfully reintroduced into areas of their former range if protected from introduced predators.[36]
The numbat first became known to Europeans in 1831. It was discovered by an exploration party exploring the Avon Valley under the leadership of Robert Dale. George Fletcher Moore, who was a member of the expedition, drew a picture in his diary on 22 September 1831, and recounted the discovery:
Saw a beautiful animal; but, as it escaped into the hollow of a tree, could not ascertain whether it was a species of squirrel, weasel, or wild cat...
and the following day:
chased another little animal, such as had escaped from us yesterday, into a hollow tree, where we captured it; from the length of its tongue, and other circumstances, we conjecture that it is an ant-eater—its colour yellowish, barred with black and white streaks across the hinder part of the back; its length about twelve inches.[35]
The first classification of specimens was published by George Robert Waterhouse, describing the species in 1836 and the family in 1841.[3]
Myrmecobius fasciatus was included in the first part of John Gould's The Mammals of Australia, issued in 1845, with a plate by H. C. Richter illustrating the species.
{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help) The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.
The species was once widespread across southern Australia, but is now restricted to several small colonies in Western Australia. It is therefore considered an endangered species and protected by conservation programs. Numbats were recently re-introduced to fenced reserves in South Australia and New South Wales. The numbat is the faunal emblem of Western Australia.
