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What is a numbat for kids?
Numbats are small marsupials that look a little like squirrels. They live only in Western Australia in forests. Numbats are different than most marsupials. They don’t eat plants.
Is a numbat a bat?
Numbats are not bats. Numbats are marsupials, but they do not have a pouch for their babies. The scientific name of a numbat is Myrmecobius fasciatus. Numbats are small brownish red-coated adorable animals with white stripes and are a native species of South Australia.
The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites….
| Numbat | |
|---|---|
| Family: | Myrmecobiidae Waterhouse, 1841 |
| Genus: | Myrmecobius Waterhouse, 1836 |
| Species: | M. fasciatus |
| Binomial name |
Is a Numbat a carnivore?
Numbats are one of the more unusual Australian marsupials – unlike most of our native species they’re active during the day, are carnivorous, have an incredibly long tongue and their diet is almost exclusively termites.
Does a Numbat have a pouch?
Numbats, like other dasyurid (carnivorous) marsupials, do not have a proper pouch for carrying their young. They have skinfolds that cover the babies that are suckling on the mother’s four teats.
What noise does a Numbat make?
Yes! Numbats definitely make noises, or vocalizations, during the breeding season, which are a series of soft clicking sounds. They also growl and hiss if approached by an unwanted Numbat. Babies also vocalize to their mothers by making a soft clicking sound but this is different to males’ calls.
Does a numbat have a pouch?
How big is a Numbat?
about 25 centimetres long
Numbats grow to about 25 centimetres long (not including the fluffy tail which adds a further 17 centimetres), and have a striking pattern rusty orange and grey-black fur, with transverse white bands across the rump.
Are Numbats endangered?
Sadly, this means they’re now considered endangered and it’s estimated that today there are less than 1,000 mature individuals left. Widespread clearing of prime numbat habitat and predation by feral predators have been the main drivers of their decline.