Myrmecobius fasciatus, Waterhouse, 1836

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Myrmecobiidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 222-231 : 231

Numbat

Myrmecobius fasciatus

French: Numbat / German: Ameisenbeutler / Spanish: Numbat

Other common names: Banded Anteater, Marsupial Anteater

Taxonomy. Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 ,

“ interior of the Swan River settlement , about 90 miles to the S.E. of the mouth of that River,” Western Australia, Australia.

The race rufus (Wood Jones, 1923) from central and eastern Western Australia, South Australia, and western New South Wales is extinct. One extant subspecies recognized.

Distribution. SW Western Australia (Dryandra Woodland and Perup Nature Reserve); reintroduced into several sites in SW Western Australia, SE South Australia, and W New South Wales.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 22.2-29 cm (males) and 20-26.7 cm (females), tail 12:5-20.7 cm (males) and 14-21.3 cm (females); weight 400-750 g (males) and 300— 650 g (females). The Numbatis red-brown above, paler below. Rump is darker than upper back, often jet-black, with prominent white transverse bars. Head is narrow and flat, snout is sharp, and there is a dark horizontal eye stripe. Tail hairs are long, often erected to give “bottle-brush” appearance. The Numbat has five digits on manus (hands) and four on pes (feet). Tongue is long and vermiform, and it can be extended at least 5 cm beyond tip of snout.

Habitat. Eucalypt forest and woodland in mesic and semi-arid south-western Australia where termites are abundant, with hollow logs and patchy understory providing some cover from avian predation. Numbats were previously found in a wider variety of habitats in arid and semi-arid areas where eucalypt trees and an associated termite assemblage were present, as far east as western New South Wales.

Food and Feeding. The Numbat is entirely dependent on termites, particularly woodeating species found under woody debris and in shallow galleries down to 5 cm below the soil surface. Feeding is restricted to times of day when termites are most abundant in these galleries. Termites are detected by scent as the Numbat moves around open areas, nose to the ground. When a gallery is detected, the Numbat digs rapidly with both forefeet to expose termites and then inserts its long tongue to extract them. Many diggings are achieved in a short time while the Numbat gathers the 15,000-20,000 termites it requires each day. These characteristic shallow-conical diggings are rarely more than 5 cm deep and are usually found in groups in patches oflitter-free ground.

Breeding. Numbats breed seasonally, with mating occurring mainly during the first half ofJanuary. Before and during the short mating period, males roam well beyond their winter home ranges, attempting to encounter as many females as possible. Mating resembles that of dasyurids, with the male grasping the female from behind with his forelegs, sometimes holding her with his jaws around her dorsal neck region while penetration occurs. Gestation is 14 days. Most young are born in late January. Female Numbats have four teats, and 85% oflitters have four young. Young remain attached to the mother’s teats until late July when she deposits them in a burrow. They are weaned in October and disperse from their natal ranges by late December.

Activity patterns. The Numbat is exclusively diurnal, and activity is correlated with termite availability in upper soil layers. In winter, the Numbat’s active period commences at mid-morning and finishes before dusk. In summer, Numbats become active about two hours after dawn and continue until noon when they have a “siesta,” resting in an open log or under a bush. They become active again in late afternoon, continuing until just before dark. This exposes them to predation by diurnal birds of prey such as Australasian goshawk (Accipiterfasciatus), collared sparrowhawk (A. cirrocephalus), little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides), wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), and brown falcon (Falco berigora). Other predators include pythons, Western Quolls ( Dasyurus geoffroir), Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and feral cats (Felis catus).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Numbats are solitary. Males and females associate only prior to and during mating. Females and their young are seen together untiljuveniles disperse. Home ranges of female Numbats are 25-50 ha, are fairly constant in size throughout the year, and do not overlap each other. Numbats are polygamous, and as the mating season approaches, range of movement of males, smaller than that of females in winter, expands greatly for a short period to encompass home ranges of several females.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List, because there are probably less than 1000 mature individuals left. This is a change from Vulnerable following the findings of the 2005 Global Mammal Review workshop on Australian Mammals. Numbats were confined to two sites in Western Australia: Dryandra and Perup. By 1985 experimental fox control at Dryandra was shown to cause a dramatic increase in its population of Numbats. This growing Numbat population was subsequently used as a source for translocations of wild-caught and captivebred stock to othersites, resulting in the establishment of seven additional populations: Boyagin, Tutanning, and Dragon Rocks nature reserves and Batalling State Forest and Cocanarup Timber Reserve in Western Australia; Yookamurra Sanctuary in South Australia; and Scotia Sanctuary in New South Wales. The current JTUCN classification as Endangered is due to significant recent declines in the genetically important Dryandra population and in some reintroduced populations. The main current threat to the Numbat’s persistence is predation by introduced feral cats and Red Fox. At all known Numbatsites, Red Fox are still either controlled by regular poison baiting or excluded by fencing, but methods of controlling feral cats are still being developed and tested. Cats are excluded by fencing at two of the nine existing populations of Numbats.

Bibliography. Archer (1981b, 1984), Archer & Kirsch (1977), Beddard (1887), Bensley (1903), Bester & Rusten (2009), Bolton & Latz (1978), Burbidge & McKenzie (1989), Burbidge et al. (1988), Calaby (1960), Christensen (1975), Christensen et al. (1984), Connell & Friend (1985), Cooper (2011), Cooper & Withers (2004, 2005), Cooper et al. (2003), Dale (1833), Evans & Gleeson (2001), Finlayson (1933), Fleay (1942), Ford (1934), Fordham (1928), Friend, J.A. (1985, 1989, 1990b, 1994, 1996a, 1996b, 2008c), Friend, J.A. & Burrows (1983), Friend, J.A. &Thomas (1995, 2003), Friend, J.A. & Whitford (1993), Friend, J.A. et al. (1982), Gill (1872), Glauert (1935), Griffiths (1968), Hill (1900), Krajewski & Westerman (2003), Maisey & Bradbury (1983), Maxwell et al. (1996), Moore (1884), Power & Monaghan (2003), Poweret al. (2009), Tate (1951a), Waterhouse (1836, 1841), Woinarski et al. (2014¢), Wood Jones (1923b), Wroe & Musser (2001), Zemann et al. (2013).

Figures

Numbat

Distribution. SW Western Australia (Dryandra Woodland and Perup Nature Reserve); reintroduced into several sites in SW Western Australia, SE South Australia, and W New South Wales.