Numbat

Numbats (also known as the Banded Anteater) are small marsupials which feed on termites. They eat up to 20,000 termites a day! Numbats are endangered and are now confined to a few small pockets in WA's south-west. They were once found across most of southern Australia, including the desert regions. Foxes were the main reason for their loss in numbers.

They have slender graceful bodies, which are banded and usually reddish-brown with a dark stripe across their eyes. Their long bush tails resemble a bottlebrush. Including the tail adult Numbats are about 40 cms long

Numbats have a narrow, pointed snout, which they use to dig termites from the soil. They also have a long tongue to lick up the termites. Unlike most other Australian marsupials, numbats are active during the day. They shelter in hollow logs that are too narrow for most of their predators to enter. If an enemy invades, numbats can use their rumps, which have extremely thick skin, to plug the hollow.

Numbats have four young which are usually born between January and March. The babies stay attached to the mother's teats until they grow fur when they are placed in a small underground chamber lined with grass and leaves, at the end of a one to two metre long burrow, while their mother hunts for termites. They are quite active and will play near the nest during her absence. They are able to fend for themselves by October and disperse by the end of the year.

Numbats live for 5-6 years in captivity.