Numbat pictures and facts

The Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) lives in the Southern and Western parts of Australia. Before the English name of the Myrmecobius fasciatus was changed to 'Numbat', its common name was the "Banded Anteater". This was a misnomer, because the Numbat primarily feeds on termites.. It synchronizes its day with termite activity which is temperature dependent. The Numbat hunts on the termites by waiting until they become active and when they do it uses its excellent smell to determine specialized galleries just below the surface on the way to the feeding sites of the termites. It then uses its claws to get to the termites. The Numbat cannot do any harm to the termite mound, because it only has little claws, unlike for example pangolins. In the 1970's, the population of numbats on Australia declined to about a 1000 animals, by the deliberate release of the Red fox on Australia. Its conservation status is still 'vulnerable'.