The numbat is the Australian marsupial with a long, sticky tongue adapted for eating ants and termites.
Numbats are small, striped marsupials found in a few protected areas of southwestern Australia. Their narrow muzzle and long tongue allow them to reach into soil and cracks where social insects live. Unlike many other insect-eating mammals, numbats are active mainly during the day, when termites are available near the surface.
A numbat may eat thousands of termites in a day. It does not dig open large termite mounds; instead, it uses its claws and tongue to exploit shallow feeding sites. Numbats lack a conventional pouch. Their young attach to teats and are protected by surrounding hair and skin while the mother moves through the woodland.
The species was once widespread across southern Australia but declined dramatically because of habitat loss and introduced predators, especially foxes and feral cats. Conservation work has included predator control, translocations and captive breeding.