# Numbat — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Myrmecobius fasciatus (Waterhouse, 1836) — family Myrmecobiidae*

> The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a diurnal marsupial of south-western Australia that eats almost exclusively termites using a long sticky tongue; after falling to roughly 300 animals in the 1970s, recovery efforts have raised numbers to an estimated 2,000–3,000 and the IUCN downlisted it to Near Threatened in 2026.

**IUCN status:** Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since July 2026 — still Endangered under Australian federal law  ·  **WARN range:** South-western Western Australia, Reintroduced sites in South Australia and New South Wales

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Head and body length | About 20–29 cm |
| Weight | About 300–750 g |
| Diet | Almost exclusively termites |
| Activity | Diurnal |
| Lifespan | Up to about five years in the wild |
| IUCN status | Near Threatened (2026) |
| Main threats | Foxes, feral cats, habitat loss and fire |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Dasyuromorphia
- **Family:** Myrmecobiidae
- **Genus:** Myrmecobius
- **Species:** Myrmecobius fasciatus

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Near Threatened
- **Population:** Roughly 2,000–3,000 mature individuals (IUCN, 2026)
- **Trend:** Increasing with sustained management; vulnerable without predator control
- **Assessed:** 2026
- **CITES:** Not listed
- The July 2026 downlisting reflects recovery from roughly 300 animals in the late 1970s, but numbats occupy about 0.04% of their original range and remain Endangered under Australian federal law.

## Key facts: Numbat
- The numbat is the sole living member of the family Myrmecobiidae and one of the few strictly diurnal marsupials.
- Its diet is almost entirely termites — up to roughly 20,000 per day — extracted from shallow galleries with a sticky tongue up to about 10 cm long.
- Foxes and feral cats drove the collapse; predator baiting, fencing and translocations underpin the recovery.
- The IUCN downlisted the numbat from Endangered to Near Threatened in July 2026, with an estimated 2,000–3,000 mature individuals.
- Numbats remain listed as Endangered under Australia's federal EPBC Act despite the global downlisting.
- Western Australia declared the numbat its mammal emblem in 1973.
- Activity follows termite availability in the upper soil layers, which warm through the day.

## A marsupial built around termites
Most insect-eating mammals take a broad menu. The numbat does not. Field studies and dietary analyses show a diet consisting almost exclusively of termites, with the occasional ant swallowed by accident while foraging. That specialisation shapes everything about the animal: the elongated snout for probing galleries, the reduced peg-like teeth that do not chew prey, the enlarged salivary glands that produce sticky saliva, and the sharp foreclaws for shallow excavations in soil and rotting logs.

Numbats locate termites by scent and vibration, then lap them up with a vermiform tongue that can extend well beyond the snout. Daily intake is enormous relative to body size — commonly quoted figures range from about 15,000 to 20,000 termites per day, roughly 10% of an adult's body weight. Because termites retreat deeper when the surface cools, numbats are diurnal: they forage when termites move into shallow tunnels and chambers warmed by the sun. That schedule is the opposite of most marsupial predators and is dictated entirely by prey biology — the WARN termite guide covers the insects that define this animal's existence.

## From near extinction to a cautious recovery
At European settlement the numbat ranged across much of southern Australia. Introduced red foxes and feral cats, together with land clearing and altered fire regimes, removed it from almost everywhere. By the late 1970s only around 300 individuals survived in remnant eucalypt woodland in Western Australia — among the lowest points for any Australian mammal.

Research in the 1980s identified predation as the primary driver and led to a recovery plan in 1994. Western Australia's government, Perth Zoo, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and community volunteers combined fox and cat control, predator-proof fencing, captive breeding and translocations. Several self-sustaining populations now exist beyond the original range fragments. The IUCN's July 2026 assessment estimated 2,000–3,000 mature individuals and moved the species to Near Threatened — a milestone, not a finish line. Numbats still occupy about 0.04% of their original range, and feral predators remain on the landscape throughout.

## Why diurnal life suits a termite specialist
Termites thermoregulate within their mounds and galleries. As the upper soil warms through the morning, worker termites move into shallow tunnels where numbats can reach them. By late afternoon the surface cools and termites retreat; numbats return to hollow logs or burrows to sleep. In winter the active window narrows to a mid-morning to mid-afternoon peak when soil temperatures suit both termites and foragers.

The numbat's bold black-and-white rump stripes and dark eye stripe break up its outline against bark and litter — useful for an animal that must feed in open woodland rather than hunt from cover like a nocturnal dasyurid. Females lack a permanent pouch; instead the belly folds into a shallow depression where young attach to a teat for much of their development, then ride on the mother's back before independence at about a year old.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for threatened Australian mammals whose recovery depends on predator control the public rarely sees. The numbat's downlisting only holds if fox and cat management continues — accurate guides keep that requirement visible.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Numbat
### Where do numbats live?
Wild populations are mainly in south-western Western Australia, in eucalypt woodland and mallee with abundant termites, hollow logs and fallen timber. Reintroduced populations exist in fenced and managed sites in South Australia and New South Wales.

### Are numbats dangerous to humans?
No. Numbats are small, non-venomous insectivores that flee from people. They have peg-like teeth adapted for lapping termites, not for biting through flesh, and are not aggressive.

### How long do numbats live?
Up to about five years in the wild, though many individuals live only two to three years. Predation and the specialised diet limit lifespan.

### How big is a numbat?
Head and body length is about 20–29 cm, with a tail of roughly 10–21 cm. Adults weigh about 300–750 g, with males typically heavier than females.

### Are numbats still endangered?
The IUCN listed the numbat as Near Threatened in July 2026 after recovery from roughly 300 individuals to an estimated 2,000–3,000. Australia still classifies it as Endangered federally, and ongoing fox and cat control remains essential.

### Why is the numbat active during the day?
Termites move into shallow soil galleries when the surface warms. Numbats forage during those daylight hours and sleep in hollow logs or burrows when termites retreat deeper — their schedule follows prey thermoregulation, not a choice to be diurnal for its own sake.

### What do numbats eat?
Numbats eat almost exclusively termites — commonly 15,000 to 20,000 per day — lapped from shallow soil and log galleries with a long sticky tongue. Occasional ants are swallowed by accident while foraging; the specialisation shapes the snout, teeth, saliva and claws.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Myrmecobius fasciatus](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40568/22167284)
- [IUCN press release — numbat downlisting (July 2026)](https://iucn.org/press-release/202607/desert-frog-deep-sea-molluscs-remarkable-species-risk-iucn-red-list)
- [Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions — numbat fact sheet](https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/FullTextFiles/071540.pdf)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/numbat