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> Photos > Gallery: Cheryl B. > Album: Australian Endangered Species. > The Numbat.
The Numbat.

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Date: 06/06/08

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animals australian endangered

The fauna emblem of Western Australia is the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) or Banded anteater, the numbat is listed as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species They were once found across most of southern Australia, including the desert regions but are now confined to a few small pockets in WA's south-west. Predation by the European fox is thought to be the main reason for their decline. Fortunately, the outlook for numbats is gradually improving, as researchers have established new populations and given greater protection to existing populations. Unlike most other Australian marsupials, numbats are active during the day. They feed on termites, consuming up to 20,000 per day, the equivalent of ten per cent of their body weight. These marsupials dig up the insects' galleries in the soil of the forest floor and lick up the occupants with their long, thin tongues. 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.