Marsupial anteater, nambat. Animals of Australia. Australia. Marsupial anteater or numbat Protection and conservation
Niramin - Sep 25th, 2015
The nambat is a mammal belonging to the family of marsupial anteaters. It should be noted that this is the only representative of this family.
Nambat is small in size: its body length varies from 17 to 27 cm. Marsupial anteater has a long tail (13-17 cm). The weight of an adult specimen ranges from 280 g to 550 g. It is noteworthy that male nambats are somewhat larger than females. The marsupial anteater looks very specific. It has a flattened head, an elongated and slightly pointed muzzle, and a small mouth. The animal’s tongue is worm-shaped, capable of protruding almost 10 cm from its mouth. The numbat’s tail resembles a squirrel’s, it is just as long and fluffy, and also does not have a grasping function. The animal's short legs are widely spaced. There are 5 fingers on the forelimbs, and 4 on the hind limbs. The nambat has thick and fairly hard hair of a grayish-brown or reddish color. There are 6 to 12 stripes of white or cream color on the back and upper thighs.
Currently, the marsupial anteater lives mainly in Western Australia, in its southwestern part. Previously, before the arrival of Europeans on the continent, their distribution area also included southern part Australia. Numbats inhabit mainly forests in which eucalyptus and acacia trees grow. They can also be found in dry woodlands.
The marsupial anteater feeds mainly on termites. In more rare cases, ants are also part of the animal’s diet. Every day, a nambat can eat up to 20 thousand termites. The animal swallows its prey whole, and sometimes it only slightly pre-chews the chitinous shell of the insects.
The nambat has an extremely acute sense of smell, which helps it in searching for food. A notable feature of the animal is its very deep sleep, reminiscent of suspended animation. Apart from the breeding season, numbats prefer a solitary lifestyle. The territory of residence of one animal can reach 150 hectares.
In our selection of photos you can see what the marsupial anteater nambat looks like:
Photo: Nambat. 
Video: BBC. Nambati
Video: Numbat – Life in Captivity
Video: Hand-raising Baby Numbats at Perth Zoo
Video: Numbat young
Anteater is most amazing mammal, which belongs to the order of edentates. This animal lives not only in wildlife- he can be perfect for the role of an exotic pet. Let's find out a little more about him.
Characteristics and description
Anteaters are divided into three species and eleven subspecies. Each of them has a long tongue and a strong tail. The length of the tongue is 60 centimeters, and thanks to its tail, this mammal can climb trees very well.
The anteater has some features - a long muzzle, small eyes and ears. The animal has five toes with long claws on its front paws, and smaller claws on its hind paws.
The fur of this mammal can be either long or short. He has no teeth, however, this does not stop him from eating 30 thousand insects a day. This animal knows how to swim well in ponds. The lifespan of this mammal is about 25 years.
Where does the anteater live?
Anteaters can be found in Mexico, Central America, Brazil and Paraguay. They usually live in tropical forests, but also, they can be found in the savannah or other open areas.
These animals lead an active lifestyle at night. They feed on ants and termites, beetle larvae and bees. They get them using their long nose and sticky tongue, destroying their nests with its front paws. To make food digest faster, they eat a little sand or small pebbles.
This mammal has highly developed sense of smell, which cannot be said about his vision and hearing. Thanks to this sense of smell, he finds food for himself.
There are three types of these animals:
- arboreal dwarf;
- terrestrial giant;
- terrestrial-arboreal four-toed.
Ground giant anteater
- this is the most close-up view. The length of its body reaches 150 centimeters. And the length of the entire animal, including the tail and muzzle, is about three meters.
This animal weighs about 40 kilograms. The muzzle of this species is long and narrow. Just like other anteaters, it has a sticky tongue, small eyes and ears.
Woody pygmy anteater - this is the most small view. The length of its body does not exceed 40 centimeters, and it weighs no more than 400 grams. The fur of this species is brown, and the muzzle, paws and nose have a red tint.
The muzzle is long, there are no teeth, but there is a sticky long tongue and a tenacious tail. Thanks to him and his front paws with long claws, he easily climbs trees. This is why it was nicknamed arboreal. This animal's lifestyle is only nocturnal. And he lives alone.
Four-toed arboreal anteater. This species is also called tamandua. The animal's limbs have only four fingers, which is why it is called four-fingered. The body length does not exceed 90 centimeters, and the tail length is about 50 centimeters. The weight of the animal reaches no more than five kilograms.
The muzzle is also elongated, the eyes and ears are small, and the tongue is very sticky. This animal's eyesight is poor, but its hearing is excellent. Distinctive feature species is bad smell, which is distributed by the anal gland.
Reproduction and possible enemies
Mating in these animals occurs in spring or autumn. Pregnancy lasts from three to six months (depending on the species). Anteaters arrange their nests in trees or burrows. The cub is born very small and bald, but can independently climb onto its mother's back. The father also participates in raising his cub. He also carries it on his back.
When the cub turns one month old, he begins to climb off his mother or father’s back for a short time and actively explore the ground. To feed the baby, female or male regurgitate half-digested food- This is what the cub eats.
The main enemies of these animals are jaguars. And for dwarf species even predatory bird and boa constrictor are dangerous. Their long claws help them protect themselves from enemies. And the four-toed anteater uses a strong unpleasant odor as a defense.
If you decide to have this unique animal at home, then you need to purchase it from special nurseries. This is where you will buy a healthy animal. This mammal gets along well with other pets, as well as with children.
- the temperature in the house should not be lower than 24 degrees;
- To prevent your pet from damaging your furniture with its long and sharp claws, they must be sharpened in a timely manner;
- feed domestic anteater maybe boiled rice, minced meat, eggs and some fruits.
It is worth considering that In captivity the anteater lives very little. Its lifespan is no more than five years. Therefore, before you get such a mammal, think carefully.
No wonder Australia is famous for its amazing fauna. Previously, almost all animals on this continent were marsupials. And in our time the situation has not changed much. Many Australian mammals belong to this infraclass, including predators, for example, marsupial wolves, etc. Even anteaters, and those marsupials! They are also called nambats (very much in tune with).
They became famous for the fact that, despite their small stature, they can extend their tongue to almost half the length of their body. This allows them to get their favorite treat from distant corners - .
This is a very cute animal the size of more cat. The small head is decorated with a neat, elongated and pointed muzzle with a small mouth, from which a 10-centimeter tongue emerges as needed. A long tail the envy of everyone: fluffy and with a slightly curved tip.
Of all the marsupials, numbats probably have the most beautiful and variegated colors. Gray-brown or reddish back and top part the thighs are decorated with 6-12 white or cream stripes. There are 2 black stripes running along the muzzle, and the abdomen and limbs are “dressed” in light “pants.” Number of fingers on front and hind legs various, 5 and 4 respectively.
Like many other anteaters, the teeth of the marsupial anteater are also underdeveloped. Molars can have different sizes on different sides. In addition, the hard palate is much longer than that of other mammals.
It is clear that numbats are endemic to the Australian continent. But if previously they were widespread in the western and southern parts of the continent, now, due to the outrages of wild dogs and foxes brought by Europeans, their numbers have noticeably decreased, and their habitats have been reduced to the southwest of Western Australia. They live next to, in eucalyptus forests and dry woodlands.
These are quite agile animals, and they climb trees very well. Therefore, the main shelters for numbats are hollows or shallow burrows lined with soft and dry litter of leaves, grass and bark. Sometimes they crawl into large dry piles of grass and leaves, where they fall asleep. Sleep is very deep, so they cannot wake up right away, which makes them very easy prey.
Most Nambat leads the year daytime look life. This is due to its diet, which consists exclusively of termites. Ants and other invertebrates are found completely by accident. In a day he is able to swallow a couple of tens of thousands of these insects. An excellent sense of smell helps the animal find their paths and gathering places.
True, unlike their American counterparts, they do not have such powerful claws that could easily destroy the strong walls of a termite mound. Therefore, they look for insects in rotten wood or dig up soft soil where their main underground tunnels pass. In the summer, when due to high temperature During the day, termites prefer to hide underground; marsupial anteaters switch to a twilight lifestyle.
During a meal, they are completely absorbed in food, so they do not pay any attention to what is happening around them. What people often use. At this point, they can pet or even pick up the animal. The anteater practically does not resist and does not escape. Maybe he'll grumble a little.
December – beginning mating season. At this time, males begin to show their activity and go in search of females. At the same time, not missing the opportunity to mark each suitable tree with its oily secretion.
Unlike other marsupials, numbats do not have a brood pouch. Tiny newborn cubs (no more than 1 centimeter long) make their way to the mother's nipples and cling tightly to her fur. In this “suspended state” they live for about 4 months until they grow to 4-5 centimeters. After which the female leaves her offspring in one of the shelters and comes to them only at night.
After some time, the cubs begin to leave their house for a short time, and by October, along with their mother’s milk, they begin to feed on termites. They live with their mother until they are 9 months old, after which they scatter and begin an independent life. Only in the second year of life do young numbats reach sexual maturity.
We have already mentioned that the number of these animals is this moment not numerous, and at one time this species was on the verge of extinction. But as a result of timely security measures, their numbers were nevertheless stabilized. Nambat is included in the International Red List as an “endangered species”.
Family marsupial anteaters Familia Myrmecobiidae
Genus marsupial anteaters myrmecobius
Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 (IV, 10)
Why is it listed in the Red Book?
Endangered. Numbers unknown, but have been declining sharply since the mid-1970s. The reasons for its decline are not entirely clear, but, apparently, are associated with human changes in the marsupial anteater’s habitat and with the introduction of predators - foxes and feral cats.
How to find out
Body length 17-27 cm. Tail length 13-17 cm. The head is somewhat flattened with an elongated and pointed muzzle. Mouth small
.The tongue can protrude up to 10 cm from the mouth. It is used to catch termites. The eyes are big. The ears are medium sized and pointed. The back of the body is larger than the front. The tail is covered with thick hair. The limbs are relatively short, widely spaced.
In the family marsupial anteaters singular gender: marsupial anteaters Myrmecobius included in Sometimes marsupial anteaters are included in the family Dasyuridae. There is one species in the genus marsupial anteaters: the marsupial anteater M.fasdatus, included in the IUCN Red List.
The front paws are five-toed and the hind paws are four-toed. Fingers with strong claws. The hairline is tall and coarse. Its color on the back is grayish-brown or reddish with 6-12 white transverse stripes. The belly and limbs are yellow-white. Females do not have a brood pouch.
Where does it live?
In the past they were widespread throughout the southern part of the Australian mainland. Currently found only in the southwest of Western Australia.
Lifestyle and biology
They inhabit open forests dominated by eucalyptus trees and an understory of shrubs. The spread is associated with the presence of termites, which not only serve as food, but also contribute to the formation of hollows used as shelters.
Favorite habitats are forests dominated by Eucalyptus wand o o, inhabited by the termite Coptotermes acinaciformis, and with an understory of the poisonous shrub Gastrolobium microcarpum. Less common in forests dominated by E. margmata, which is more resistant to termites, and in hillside forests dominated by E. accedens.
They are active mainly at night. The day is spent in the hollows of fallen trees. Sometimes they make nests from leaves, bark and grass. Occasionally they dig holes. They feed on termites of all types and also eat small numbers of ants.
Breeding in southwestern Australia appears to be seasonal. The female usually gives birth to a litter of 4 cubs from January to April or May.
Marsupial anteater (lat. Myrmecobius fasciatus) is the only representative of the family of the same name living in Australia. Locals Its name is nambat and is considered one of the most colorful animals on the continent.
The back of the marsupial anteater is decorated with cream or white stripes in the amount of 6 to 12 pieces. The eyes are lined with black arrows, and the paws are “dressed” in light red socks. The rest of the fur is grayish-brown or reddish in color.
The nambat is a small animal with an elongated body measuring 17 to 23 cm and a fluffy thin tail 13 to 17 cm long. It has a flattened head with a pointed muzzle and a small mouth.
The ears are sharp, the eyes are large. A long, worm-like ten-centimeter tongue serves as the main tool for extracting its main food - termites. Other insects can enter the numbat's stomach only by accident.
Since the short legs of the marsupial anteater are rather weak and do not have strong and sharp claws that can destroy the walls of the termite mound, it has to look for its prey in the bark of trees or at a short distance underground. That is why numbats lead a diurnal or twilight lifestyle, adapting to the daily routine of termites.
These small predators have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell, which allows them to instantly detect insects. Smelling the smell of a delicacy, the marsupial anteater sits on its hind legs and quickly digs up the soil with its front legs or tears rotten wood into pieces. Then, with quick movements of its flexible tongue, it pulls out the termites one by one and swallows them almost entirely, only slightly chewing them.
Although the nambat has about fifty teeth, they are all very small and weak, so it does not pose a danger to humans. Moreover, when the animal is keen on eating food, you can easily pet it or even pick it up - and it does not scratch or bite, but only grumbles with displeasure.
Marsupial anteaters live alone, meeting only to mate. a short time summer, which is known to begin in December in Australia. Literally after a couple of weeks, the female gives birth to two to four tiny nambatics, only 1 cm in size.
Despite the name, their mother does not have a brood pouch, so the babies are forced to independently make their way to one of her four nipples in order to cling to it and not let go for as long as 3-4 months.
When the body length of the cubs reaches 5 cm, the mother leaves them in a shallow burrow or spacious hollow, returning to them to feed only at night. At the beginning of September, nambatiks begin to explore the surroundings and switch to a mixed diet, consisting of nourishing mother's milk and termites. At 9 months they finally leave their mother, but they become old enough to continue the family only in the second year of life. The lifespan of a nambat is about 6 years.
flickr/Morland Smith
The Australian anteater has interesting feature: at night he sleeps in a truly heroic sleep, falling into a kind of suspended animation. In this state the foxes find him and - natural enemies nimble animal. In addition, there are cases where people accidentally burned sleepy animals without noticing them in the pile of dead wood collected for the fire.
All this put the marsupial anteater in a very vulnerable position. It is an endangered species and is listed in the International Red Book. The Australian authorities are doing everything possible to preserve this unique representative local fauna.