The numbat is a small, striped marsupial of southwestern Australia and the only marsupial that feeds almost exclusively on termites. Active by day, it uses a long sticky tongue to lap up tens of thousands of termites and shelters in hollow logs and burrows at night. Endangered and reduced to a few wild populations, it is an emblem of Western Australia.

Numbats are solitary foragers that maintain exclusive home ranges averaging 2–4 km² for males and 1–2 km² for females. They are strictly diurnal, emerging at dawn to hunt termites and retreating to shallow burrows or hollow logs at night. Territorial boundaries are reinforced by scent marking from anal glands and by scratching the ground with their forepaws, leaving visual and olfactory cues. Vocal communication is limited but includes soft hisses and chirps when alarmed or during brief courtship encounters. Overlap between male and female ranges occurs primarily during the breeding season, after which individuals resume solitary activity. Numbats exhibit a high degree of site fidelity, often using the same foraging routes and termite mounds for months at a time.

The numbat is a specialized insectivore, with termites comprising up to 90 % of its diet. An adult can consume 20,000–30,000 termites per day, extracting them from underground galleries using its extensible, sticky tongue that can protrude up to 10 cm. In addition to termites, numbats opportunistically eat ants, beetle larvae, and other soft‑bodied arthropods, especially during periods of termite scarcity. Foraging occurs on the forest floor, where the animal sniffs out active termite mounds and uses its sharp claws to break open the surface. Numbats have a low metabolic rate and can survive several days without food, but they must drink regularly from dew or shallow water sources. Their reliance on a single prey group makes them vulnerable to fluctuations in termite populations caused by fire or habitat alteration.

Sexual maturity in numbats is reached at 12–18 months for females and 18–24 months for males. Breeding commences in late winter (July–August) and may extend into early spring, timed to coincide with peak termite activity. After a brief gestation of approximately 21 days, females give birth to litters of one to three joeys, most commonly two. Unlike many marsupials, numbats lack a true pouch; the newborn clings to the mother’s teats and remains attached for about 70 days while the mother provides milk. Juveniles are weaned at 4–5 months and become independent shortly thereafter, though they may remain within the maternal home range for several months. Both parents contribute to nest site selection, but post‑natal care is solely the female’s responsibility.

The IUCN classifies the numbat as Endangered, with the total wild population estimated at 800–1,200 mature individuals. Primary threats include habitat loss from agricultural expansion, mining, and altered fire regimes that destroy termite mounds and shelter sites. Introduced predators—particularly European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus)—are responsible for high mortality, especially of juveniles. Road mortality and climate‑driven drought further exacerbate declines. Conservation actions focus on predator‑control baiting, fire management that preserves mature woodland, and the establishment of predator‑free reserves where captive‑bred numbats are released. Ongoing monitoring indicates a modest increase in some reintroduced populations, but long‑term viability remains uncertain without sustained threat mitigation.

• orange fur with distinct black and white banding across its back, which sets it apart from other marsupials. Numbats have a slender body, a pointed snout, and a bushy tail, making them an intriguing and visually captivating species.
• orange fur adorned with black and white bands. This coloration serves as effective camouflage in its natural habitat and distinguishes it from other marsupials. The long, narrow tongue of the numbat is specially adapted for feeding on termites, its primary food source, making it a highly specialized and unique mammal.
• being of the numbat. However, the loss and fragmentation of these habitats have significantly impacted the species, leading to its current endangered status.
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