Australian Animal Series Number 3 - The NUMBAT...Such a Funny Name For a Cute little Marsupial

Introduction

Following on from my recent posts introducing interesting Australian animals, the Cassowary Most Australian Animals Want to Kill You -But we still need to save them and their habitat the reward from this allowed me to donate AU$25 to Rainforest Rescue.

I have started a series about interesting and in many cases endangered Native Australian animals and raise awareness and some money for their research, conservation and rescue. I pledge that the AU$ equivalent of the STEEM given as reward on this post will be donated to a wildlife charity.

Part 3 in this series is the Numbat...

Have you ever heard of a Numbat?
Many people haven't but they are cute little marsupials that eat only termites and I heard today is Numbat Day ( don't worry I'd never heard of this day either).

My series introduction Australia's Unique and Interesting Animals Are Not ALL Wanting To Kill You..BUT Some Are , had a post reward of approx. AU$10, Australian Animal Series Part 2 - What's the difference between a Koala and the mythical Drop Bear raised just under AU$10

Although there are many worthy Animal charities , the Wildlife Charity I have chosen to support is;

Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors

Many people are familiar with Steve Irwin "The Crocodile Hunter"as well as his wife Terri and children Bindy and Robert. The Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors Animal Hospital is located only a 30 minute drive from my home and it was a very Sad day for myself and many people around the globe when Steve died however, his family are carrying on his passion for conservation and education. I hope to make a significant donation to this cause and support the great work they do from the post rewards from this Australian Animal Series.

Discussion

The Numbat

A funny name for a very cute but very endangered marsupial.

Image Source Perth Zoo

So, some basic stats on the Numbat , care of the West Australian Zoo which is located in Perth, the state capital of WA ( Western Australia)

Scientific Name: Myrmecobius fasciatus
Classification: marsupial (so they have a pouch for thier babies like a Koala or Kangaroo)
Conservation Status: Endangered
Body Length: 20–27 cm
Weight: 400–700 g
Gestation: 14 days ( yes that quick but more of the growing is done in the pouch)
Number of young: 4

Distribution: South-west Western Australia

Image source Australian Federal Dept. Environment and Energy ... personal note who thought those 2 would work in the same dept!!!
Habitat: Forests. woodlands

Description: Numbats are reddish-brown on their shoulders and head. This colour changes further down the body to black with white stripes. Their bushy tail is about 17 cm long.

Diet: Numbats are insectivores and eat an exclusive diet of termites. An adult Numbat requires up to 20,000 termites each day.

In the wild: They are not strong enough to break into termite mounds themselves, so they wait for termites to come into easy to reach places. For this reason, the Numbat’s lifestyle is very closely linked to termite movements. In summer, termites are out early in the day but retreat deeper into the soil as the day becomes hot. During that part of the day, Numbats retreat to the shelter of either a hollow log or burrow and wait for the cooler part of the afternoon to feed again. In winter, the termites are not active until late morning when the soil begins to warm but remain active until dusk. The Numbat is active at the same time to feed.

Threats: Numbats are threatened by loss of habitat through land clearing, fire and predation by feral predators including foxes and cats.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little about the Numbat, Once Again I pledge to donate to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors

the AU$ equivalent of the STEEM given as reward on this post plus the amounts I am holding from my 2 previous posts..I hope it makes at least $5 so I can make a AU$25 donation...and any more than that I will donate direct to ProjectNumbat

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Sources and links

https://wildlifewarriors.org.au
http://www.numbat.org.au/
http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/animals-plants/australia/australian-bushwalk/numbat/
http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/conservation/numbat/?_ga=1.31030587.527781700.1478426743
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=294