Description

The numbat, up to 18 inches long, of which 7 inches is bushy tail, is reddish-yellow to chestnut-red with white bands around a stout body. Its muzzle is long and pointed and there is a black line running from the ear through the eyeline to the tip of the nose.

Although it is technically a marsupial, the numbat has no pouch. The female has four teats, surrounded by long crimped hairs. At first the babies merely cling to the teats with their mouths, but later they cling to the crimped hairs with their forefeet. When they grown to a certain size the mother digs a hole in the ground, in which she leaves them while she goes foraging.

Distribution and Habitat

The numbat once ranged from western New South Wales across south and central Australia to Western Australia, but i