Female numbat, Brookton, Western Australia, Australia

© Martin Willis/Minden Picture

Info. Numbat

The numbat is one of many marsupials found here in Western Australia, but this little animal is unique, sharing no relation to any living species. It's also critically endangered: There are fewer than 1,000 numbats left in the wild.

Numbats behave a bit like Africa's meerkats or North America's prairie dogs, often standing on hind legs to scan the area for predators or hiding out in hollow logs and burrows. They're always looking down to the ground, too, searching for nests of their favourite snack: tasty termites. A single numbat often slurps up to 20,000 termites a day with its long, sticky tongue, something homeowners in Western Australia surely appreciate.