Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Western Australia.
Image: Gnangarra, CC BY 2.5 au, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- NT · Near Threatened
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Trend unknown
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2026 global assessment of Myrmecobius fasciatus says Near ThreatenedChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The numbat is a small, striped marsupial that feeds almost entirely on termites. It is assessed as Near Threatened — moved down from Endangered in IUCN's 2026 reassessment, after decades of predator control and reintroductions.
Unusually for a marsupial, it is active by day, tracking termites as they move near the surface.
Range & habitat
Remnant woodlands of south-western Australia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Introduced foxes and cats
- Habitat loss and fragmentation
- A small population
Why it matters
A termite specialist and emblem of Western Australia, the numbat is a flagship for controlling introduced predators and restoring Australian woodlands.
Gallery
Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus).
Image: Gnangarra, CC BY 2.5 au, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Numbat
- IUCN Red List — look up Numbat (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web