In 2018, only five numbats were surveyed living in Dryandra Woodlands National Park — signaling that the Australian marsupials bordered on extinction.
But in early December, regional conservationists celebrated a huge win for the species when they spotted baby numbats (or “numbubs”) running wild in the park for the first time in years. They estimated that the population had grown to 25.
“Last time there was a peak, it dropped off very quickly,” wildlife official Tony Friend told ABC News Australia. “This time it seems to be sustained, which is really good news.”
A numbat is a critically endangered marsupial that looks like a cross between a chipmunk, a quoll, and an anteater.
Although largely reddish brown, the small mammal has black-and-white raccoon-like stripes across its hindquarters, and a bushy, bottle-brush tail.
Down under, they are often called “banded anteaters” — a fitting nickname, given their long, sticky tongues, which are typically about 10–11 centimeters long (nearly a quarter of their entire body length).
Their long tongues help them lick up termites — and a lot of them. In the dry woodlands where they live, numbats can eat up to 20,000 termites a day.
Numbats once thrived throughout Australia, but their species took a sharp decline approximately 60 years ago due to wildfires, widespread habitat loss, and predation by foxes and feral cats.
By the 1970s, their population had shrunk by 99%.
Fortunately, conservationists haven’t given up on the critically endangered species.
The marsupials have been able to hold on due to hard fought efforts to protect natural woodlands, curb the feral cat population, and rewild numbats raised in captivity.
Even beyond the numbubs spotted running wild in the national park, 2024 has been a record year for the species.
On December 10, the Perth Zoo — the only zoological institution in the world that breeds numbats — released 13 numbats into a “predator-free, protected sanctuary” in South Australia after handraising them in captivity for a solid year.
“[We have released] more than 300 of these precious marsupials back into protected wild habitat throughout Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia since 1993,” read a statement on Perth Zoo’s official website.
“While farewells can be bittersweet,” they added, “the Perth Zoo Science team dedicate their lives to species survival and know these Zoo-born numbats will play a vital role in restoring their species!”
For years, the Perth Zoo has been cooperating with University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher Courtney Adams, Ph.D, to track recovering numbat populations throughout Australia.
“These tiny accelerometer collars, much like a fitness tracker for humans, record detailed data on the Numbats’ movements in different temperatures,” the Perth Zoo reported on their website.
The conservation efforts in Dryandra Woodlands National Park involve a similar collaring program with the Numbat Taskforce, a conservation group funded by the Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species (FAME).
Numbat Taskforce volunteer Rob McClean said that they fitted several numbubs – Nickeli, Wee Pet, and Hollow Beach — with collars earlier this year. Tracking the tiny creatures has given the researchers valuable insights into the marsupials’ habitat range, behavioral patterns, and breeding habits.
December — which is summertime in Australia — has been a crucial time for conducting research, as the juvenile numbats leave their mother’s territory.
“The young females, they will generally take up the next patch,” McClean told ABC News Australia. “The young males, they might wander up to a couple of kilometers away.”
“They've got to establish themselves and find their own little patch of paradise,” he added, “and hopefully [procreate] more numbers next year.”
Watch the video below to see numbats in their natural habitat:
Header image via Dilettantiquity / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
