Numbat

The Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a small marsupial endemic to western and central Australia. The Numbat is the sole member of the genus Myrmecobius and the family Myrmecobiidae. It is one of the three families that make up the order Dasyuromorphia, the generalized marsupial carnivores.

Taxonomy and distribution

The old common name for the Numbat, “Banded Anteater”, has fallen into disuse. The Numbat does have a series of 5 to 11 white bands crossing its lower back and rump. It does eat ants, although only accidentally. Its primary diet is termites.

Physical description

The Numbat is a small colorful highly photogenic creature. It is between 7.87 and a little under 11.81 in long (20 to 30 cm). It has finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the same length as its body. Color varies considerably, from soft grey to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper back. There is a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle through the eyes to the bases of the small, round-tipped ears. The underside is cream or light grey. Weight varies between 9.87 and 19.4 oz (280 and 550 grams).

Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with a very long, thin, sticky tongue for penetrating termite colonies, It has powerful forelimbs with heavy claws for breaking open the hardened, concrete-like surface of the nest. The Numbat has the appropriate type of tongue, like other mammals that eat termites. It has a degenerate jaw with non-functional teeth, but it does not have especially strong forelimbs. The claws are small.
Unable to get at termites inside the mound, the Numbat 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 even the Numbat’s small claws.

The Numbat synchronizes its day with termite activity, which is temperature dependent. In winter it feeds from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. In summer it rises earlier, takes shelter during the heat of the day, and feeds again in the late afternoon.

Reproduction

Breeding takes place in high summer. Gestation takes about 14 days and four young are usually born, one for each teat. They remain in the pouch until July, at which time the female leaves them in the burrow. She returns to suckle them from time to time. By early September, the young begin to emerge from the nest for short periods each day. They stay very close to the entrance when the mother departs. Gradually, they venture further from the burrow. They are weaned by late October, sleeping away from their mother by late October. In December they set off to establish a territory of their own.

Conservation status

Until European colonization, the Numbat was found across most of the area from the New South Wales and Victorian borders west to the Indian Ocean. Up as far north as the southwest corner of the Northern Territory. It was at home in a wide range of woodland and semi-arid habitats. The deliberate release of the European Red Fox in the 19th century, wiped out the entire Numbat population. By the late 1970s, the entire population was well under 1000. 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 Sparrow hawk and Carpet python. An intensive research and conservation program since 1980 has succeeded in increasing the Numbat population substantially. Reintroductions to fox-free areas have begun. Despite the encouraging degree of success so far, the Numbat remains at considerable risk of extinction. They are no longer on the seriously endangered list. It is still classified as vulnerable.

At night, the Numbat retreats to a nest, which can be in a hollow log or tree, or in a burrow. It typically stays in a narrow shaft 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 m) long.