NUMBAT

Did you know there could be numbats or other threatened wildlife living near you? Discover what animals need protection in your local area using WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool, and find out how well they’re being cared for.

Who lives in your backyard?

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. Their expert noses can detect subterranean galleries of termites and, once located, use their long tongues to delve deep underground to feast. It has been estimated that a numbat eats between 15,000 and 20,000 termites each day. At night, numbats take refuge in logs, tree hollows or burrows, which help protect them from predators such as foxes and feral cats. The numbat once populated much of southern semiarid and arid Australia, extending from the west coast to northwest Victoria and western New South Wales. By the 1970s, numbats had disappeared from most of their range (99%), surviving only in small areas of southwest Australia. 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. Did you know that 'numbat' is the Noongar Aboriginal name for the species?

What we're doing

Numbats are small, elusive, and shy, so our conservation team in Western Australia is working with partners to determine how they're faring in the wild. Once we have a proper estimate on their numbers we can then work to protect them. Partners include: Coles Supermarkets, WA State NRM, WA Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Murdoch University, Warren Catchment Council, Blackwood Basin Group, Project Numbat, and Numbat Task Force.

Anke Seidlitz testing remote sensor cameras at Perth Zoo, Western Australia, July 2017.
Anke is a PhD student, working with WWF-Australia and the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) to learn more about the distribution and abundance of numbats in the Upper Warren region.

Anke Seidlitz testing remote sensor cameras at Perth Zoo, Western Australia © WWF-Aus / Merril Halley

We need you!

With the help of our supporters, WWF and its partners hope to better understand where and how many numbats remain in WA. No specialised background needed! We just need eagled-eyed wildlife lovers to look through remote sensor camera images on the Zooniverse website and identify numbats and other interesting animals, many of which are also threatened.

A numbat emerges to start the day in the Dryandra Woodlands, Western Australia © John Lawson / WWF-Australia

Seen a numbat?

We need your help! Send in your numbat sightings, along with date, GPS location and your contact details to fauna@dbca.wa.gov.au

Juvenile numbats in the Dryandra Woodlands, Western Australia © John Lawson / WWF-Aus

Why it matters

Numbats are the faunal state emblem for Western Australia, so it’s vital that we protect these iconic animals for the future. The Warren region in south Western Australia supports the largest remaining population of endangered numbats and is one of only two natural populations remaining in the world. While we believe there may be less than 1,000 animals alive today, having a more accurate population count, and determining their distribution and addressing why they are declining, is critical to their future survival. The problem is, even though numbats are active during the day, they’re very difficult to survey. Their small size, solitary nature, large home range (a male home range is about 50 hectares) and dislike for going into traps, means that until now it’s been extremely hard to monitor individuals. New technological advances in remote sensor camera technology means that we now have a fantastic opportunity to use ‘remote’ technology to gather essential information to ensure their survival.

A juvenile numbat in the Dryandra Woodlands © John Lawson / WWF-Aus

Species bio

Common Name

Numbat

Scientific Name

Myrmecobius fasciatus

Stats

The numbat’s habitat is generally dominated by eucalypts that provide it with hollow logs and branches for shelter.

Status

Vulnerable - EPBC Act 1999 Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (Western Australia)Endangered - IUCN Red List

Juvenile numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) in the Dryandra Woodlands, Western Australia. September 2015. © John Lawson / WWF-Aus

Did you know?

Numbats have long, slender sticky tongues (approx. 10–11cm long) that they use to flick into narrow cavities in logs, leaf litter and in small holes to collect termites.

Threats

Tree-clearing

A major cause of the northern bettong's decline is the loss or change in its habitat. A lot of the bettong's unique forest home has either been cleared to make way for agriculture and other human developments or degraded. In the wake of such disturbance, climate change looms as a threat to the long-term survival of this species.

Fire

Traditional burning regimes have also been lost. But unlike most of Australia, it's the lack of fire that is the problem here. This forest habitat relies on relatively frequent burning to keep the understorey open and grassy. The lack of fire has allowed rainforest plants to take over and form a closed, dense forest.

Introduced species

Feral and introduced animals are also threats to northern bettongs. Feral pigs not only alter the bettong's habitat, but could also be a major competitor for certain truffle species. Overgrazing by introduced herbivores (specifically cattle) can significantly alter the suite of plants, changing the composition of the understorey. Plus, cattle also love cockatoo grass, so they could be another competitor that the bettong has to contend with.

What you can do to help

Find out if numbats or other threatened wildlife live near you using WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool and learn how you can help them thrive again.