Description: Numbats are reddish-brown on their shoulders and head. This colour changes further down the body to black with white stripes. Their bushy tail is about 17cm long.

Diet: Numbats are insectivores and eat an exclusive diet of termites. An adult Numbat requires up to 20,000 termites each day.

In the wild: They are not strong enough to break into termite mounds themselves, so they wait for termites to come into easy to reach places. For this reason, the Numbat’s lifestyle is very closely linked to termite movements.

In summer, termites are out early in the day but retreat deeper into the soil as the day becomes hot. During that part of the day, Numbats retreat to the shelter of either a hollow log or burrow and wait for the cooler part of the afternoon to feed again.

In winter, the termites are not active until late morning when the soil begins to warm but remain active until dusk. The Numbat is active at the same time to feed.

Threats: Numbats are threatened by loss of habitat through land clearing, fire and predation by feral predators including foxes and cats.

Saving wildlife together: As part of our Native Species Breeding Program, Perth Zoo has been breeding Numbats for release into protected habitats. Since 1993 over 294 Numbats bred at the Zoo have been released into the wild (as at September 2023). With your help we can ensure a future for this endangered species. Find out how you can help.

Adopt a Numbat at Perth Zoo and support your favourite animal, protect other threatened species and help important conservation work around the world.