Numbat

Overview

The numbat is a slender termite-feeding marsupial with a pointed muzzle, dark eye stripe, white bands over the rump and a bushy tail. Individual stripe patterns vary; the illustration is an example rather than an identification record for a particular animal.

Daytime foraging follows termite availability and temperature. Its claws open accessible soil feeding routes rather than demolishing the hardest termite mounds. Hollow logs and burrows shelter it at night. Young attach to teats without a conventional enclosing pouch.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy maintains reintroduced populations within predator-exclusion areas. Introduced cats and foxes, compounded by habitat fragmentation, are major pressures. Museum collections also document the former wider southern distribution; sanctuary locations do not equal the entire historical range.

Origins & earliest records

A distinct Australian marsupial lineage, already represented in the compendium’s comparative marsupial phylogeny. Similarity to a placental anteater is ecological comparison, not evidence of shared specialised ancestry.

Evidence & interpretation

AWC’s accessible field-management account supports feeding, shelter, markings and pouch anatomy. Australian Museum’s Turin collection report supports former distribution and specimen-based historical context. Perth Zoo direct access returned HTTP 406 and was stopped.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Numbat

   Australian Wildlife Conservancy · n.d.

   Selected bibliography; institutional account and study limits retained.

2. 02

   Lifting the shroud from the marsupials of Turin

   Australian Museum · 2021

   Selected bibliography; institutional account and study limits retained.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Species name follows AWC and the Australian Museum. No numerical abundance estimate is carried forward.

1. ClassMammalia
2. FamilyMyrmecobiidae
3. GenusMyrmecobius
4. SpeciesMyrmecobius fasciatus

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. InstitutionalNumbatResearch access: 2026-10-10
2. InstitutionalLifting the shroud from the marsupials of TurinResearch access: 2026-10-10

Image credits

Numbat - AI-generated scientific interpretation.

Modern AI-generated scientific illustration. Diagnostic external features follow selected sources; pose, individual pattern and fine details are interpretive. Not photography or independent anatomical evidence.