Meet the numbat
March 20, 2023 8:35 PM Subscribe
Meet the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also called the noombat or walpurti. It is a small (and very cute!) Australian marsupial that eats between 15,000 and 20,000 termites every day. It can stand upright on its hind legs like a meerkat and has a big feathery tail.
The numbat once lived in much of southern semi-arid and arid Australia, extending from Western Australia to northwest Victoria and western New South Wales. However, their range has significantly decreased since Europeans brought feral cats and feral foxes.
They are now found only in the wild in the South-West of Western Australia; and in predator-free fenced wildlife sanctuaries in Western Australia and New South Wales.
The numbat once lived in much of southern semi-arid and arid Australia, extending from Western Australia to northwest Victoria and western New South Wales. However, their range has significantly decreased since Europeans brought feral cats and feral foxes.
They are now found only in the wild in the South-West of Western Australia; and in predator-free fenced wildlife sanctuaries in Western Australia and New South Wales.
Extra bonus numbats!
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:51 PM on March 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:51 PM on March 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
My headcanon is that Brits in Australia started off having a lot of fun naming animals (Kangaroo!) and were eventually worn down (Wombat. You did that one. *Sigh* Numbat.)
The word Numbat is actually from the Nyungar language of southwest Australia.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:53 PM on March 20, 2023 [11 favorites]
The word Numbat is actually from the Nyungar language of southwest Australia.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:53 PM on March 20, 2023 [11 favorites]
A lot of Australian place names, names of animals and so on that non-Australians find funny are Aboriginal words that have survived the settlers' attempt to wipe out the Indigenous peoples and their over 200 languages. So maybe your head-canon isn't as charming as you think it is?
posted by Coaticass at 9:27 PM on March 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Coaticass at 9:27 PM on March 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
The joeys look like aphids!
If the Brits named them maybe they'd have been zebra squirrels.
posted by aniola at 9:31 PM on March 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
If the Brits named them maybe they'd have been zebra squirrels.
posted by aniola at 9:31 PM on March 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
The only thing I understand about NX, "Numerical Elixir", a sort of advanced maths add-on for the Elixir programing language, is that it has a cute numbat logo. The developers have been promoting the Project Numbat charity that helps real numbats.
posted by BinaryApe at 1:56 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by BinaryApe at 1:56 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'd never heard of this critter before, which led me to wonder how many species of mammals there are, which are on the order of 5-6000. In other words, there are certainly a lot of other critters I haven't heard of before either.
And it eats termites, but is not very good at it, according to Wikipedia:
Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with powerful forelimbs bearing heavy claws.[20] Numbats are not large, and they have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet.
They're doing their best!
posted by Harald74 at 3:33 AM on March 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
And it eats termites, but is not very good at it, according to Wikipedia:
Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with powerful forelimbs bearing heavy claws.[20] Numbats are not large, and they have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet.
They're doing their best!
posted by Harald74 at 3:33 AM on March 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
And it eats termites, but is not very good at it, according to Wikipedia
Yes, it can't dig termites out of their hard earth mounds - it has to find them walking around out in the open, or in soft crumbly fallen wood on the ground.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 3:47 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yes, it can't dig termites out of their hard earth mounds - it has to find them walking around out in the open, or in soft crumbly fallen wood on the ground.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 3:47 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
"joeys attach to their mother's teats and she carries them against her chest for up to 5 months"
O. U. C. H.
posted by lalochezia at 5:13 AM on March 21, 2023
O. U. C. H.
posted by lalochezia at 5:13 AM on March 21, 2023
also called the noombat or walpurti.
These sound like smart home devices
Noombat: Like a Roomba, but for your walls and ceilings
Walpurti: Digitally projected decorative wallpaper
posted by Kabanos at 7:25 AM on March 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
These sound like smart home devices
Noombat: Like a Roomba, but for your walls and ceilings
Walpurti: Digitally projected decorative wallpaper
posted by Kabanos at 7:25 AM on March 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I feel like Australia has an endless back bench of little critters like this with cute names that the internet discovers every six months or so.
posted by gottabefunky at 8:55 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 8:55 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Okay I do like a numbat. So sleekit and stripy!
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:10 AM on March 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:10 AM on March 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
My headcanon is that Brits in Australia started off having a lot of fun naming animals (Kangaroo!) and were eventually worn down (Wombat. You did that one. *Sigh* Numbat.)
I saw a meme somewhere about "god creating the Kangaroo" that went something like this:
Angel: Let's make an animal like a gigantic rabbit.
God: Needs something more than that.
Angel: Okay, it'll have a built in pocket to carry around its babies.
God: I mean...
Angel: And it can kick your ass.
God: Now you're talking!
posted by slkinsey at 9:18 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
I saw a meme somewhere about "god creating the Kangaroo" that went something like this:
Angel: Let's make an animal like a gigantic rabbit.
God: Needs something more than that.
Angel: Okay, it'll have a built in pocket to carry around its babies.
God: I mean...
Angel: And it can kick your ass.
God: Now you're talking!
posted by slkinsey at 9:18 AM on March 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Thanks for continuing to share premium Australian creature content, chariot pulled by cassowaries!
posted by winesong at 9:45 AM on March 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by winesong at 9:45 AM on March 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
I hadn’t heard of them before, but they seem cute and industrious, possess some interesting biology, and they are slightly less endangered thanks to breeding programs, so thanks for a charming and upbeat FPP, cpbc!
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:46 AM on March 21, 2023
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:46 AM on March 21, 2023
More numbat, both raising in captivity and possibly in the wild...
posted by kschang at 2:52 PM on March 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kschang at 2:52 PM on March 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
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