Marsupial Spotlight: Numbat

I recently ran into information about a marsupial called a numbat. The name jumped out at me, and I dug deeper to see if it would be interesting. For your information, I do not spotlight all species of a type. I only pick out the ones that catch my attention. In this case, my attention was indeed captured.

The numbat is a marsupial found in Western Australia and is also used as their local emblem. They are small with very vibrant colors and varying patterns that delight the eye. They can be as big as 18 inches long. They also have a very pointed snout which is why they are sometimes referred to as the marsupial anteater. Honestly, I find them to be very pretty creatures--very lovely to look upon. How much fun would it be to have one of these cuties for a pet?

Numbats may look similar to anteaters, but they do not eat ants at all. In fact, their diet is rather unusual. They ONLY eat termites, and that is all. I have never before seen an animal have such an exclusive diet. They shun all other things entirely--even water. Surprised? Numbats live in very arid environments where water is scarce. They get all the water they need from the bodies of those termites. It isn't much, but it is all he actually needs to survive.

Now, in this region, termites live in little concrete castles that they build themselves. These structures are extremely hard, and despite the numbat having sharp claws, they cannot break into them. For this reason, the numbat will simply adjust his wake schedule to fit in with the termite's active cycles. The marsupial may have a different wake period depending on a number of factors which include temperature, location, and season. Once the termites are accessible, the numbat will use his sticky tongue to probe the colony for their treats.

This may be a callback to my Mustelidae Spotlights, but did you know the numbat has a scent gland? It is not really used for defense at all, however. It is a territory marker. Male numbats dislike other males, but they will allow in the opposite sex for obvious reasons. Two numbats can produce one litter of four per year; however, if something unfortunate happens to this litter, they can produce a second to make up for it.

Another remarkably unusual aspect of the numbat is the lack of a pouch. This is quite uncommon. Pouches and marsupials almost always go together. Instead, the numbat seems to mimic a more traditional mammal by having its teats on the outside; although, they are modestly covered by some crimped, golden hairs that grow over them. Good to see they still keep their dignity in check.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has given the numbat a rating of EN which means they are now officially endangered. Although, this is troublesome to hear, there are three worse ratings then that. The numbat is struggling in the same manner as the woylie due to the unfortunate introduction of foxes into the region. It already was struggling with its natural predators such as the little eagle, brown goshawk, collared sparrowhawk, and carpet python, yet the numbat was still thriving quite well taking up much of the whole of Southern Australia. The foxes caused an imbalance which offset the whole thing, and now they are in trouble.

Other then some mostly unheard-of children's books, there really is no good fiction for the numbat. I am quite fascinated by their pretty looks and their religious diet. Yes, they are loners, but that does not mean others will fail to admire them. I mean... I admire them. I can't stop looking at them. They have a sort of lovely symmetry that I find appealing. And those colors and stripes! I think that as fictional characters they will be adored, and the numbats will accept said adoration. And this may work in their favor when a restaurant does not serve the one thing they want to eat. Sometimes clout comes with beauty. I am sure the waiter will go out of his way to provide the finest termite stew in all the country for something as lovely as Miss Numbat.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Dawling!