Today is WORLD NUMBAT DAY and we’ve got all the facts you need to know about these little-known critters.
It’s the final week of our WORLD ANIMAL MONTH celebrations. And we’ve certainly seen some remarkable creatures throughout: death-defying snow leopards to swimming fossils to the elusive okapi. We’ve saved a tiny but mighty critter for last. So get ready to learn a little bit more about these small, lean, eating machines — we’re entering the world of the numbat!
The Must-Knows About Numbats
- Tiny but mighty: Numbats are small marsupials about 35-45 cm long (13-17 in long) with pointed muzzles, long sticky tongues, pegged teeth (because they do not chew their food) and bushy tails as long as their body.
- Home sweet Australia: Numbats can be found in isolated pockets of South Western Australia, mostly in reserves and conservancies. They can now only be found in eucalyptus woodlands, because of the number of old and fallen trees that exist there.
- Specialized diet: While they may have the nickname “banded anteater,” a numbat doesn’t eat any ants. Numbats play a critical role in controlling termite populations. In fact, that is pretty much all a numbat eats — feeding on 20,000 termites a day!
- On the nose: Numbats rely on sight, hearing, and smell. But it’s their sense of smell that helps them most — allowing them to detect termites 55 mm (2 in) underground.
- Life of solitude: Because termites are hard to come by, numbats live alone.
- No water, no problem: Numbats don’t need to drink any water, because they get it from the termites they eat.
- Extinct relatives: Numbats are the closest known living relatives to the now extinct, Tasmanian tiger.
Overlooked and Endangered
Like their relatives, the Tasmanian tiger, numbats not only are banded by their stripes; but also an uncertain future. Despite once roaming much of southern Australia, their numbers plummeted in the 1970s due to human encroachment, habitat destruction, and the introduction of new predators.
Luckily, these tiny fellows have conservationists on their side who are working to protect this ENDANGERED species by building predator-free sanctuaries and implementing captive breeding, release and predator control programs. Still, fewer than 1,000 numbats remain today — and additional support remains critical.
___
Donate to help all ENDANGERED species on WORLD NUMBAT DAY. Every animal matters with VAKOVAKO.
