To us, the slow-moving, squirrel-like numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a gentle, rather delicate little marsupial. To termites it is a mass murderer. With its long, flickering, sticky tongue it consumes up to 20,000 termites (or white ants) a day from colonies it digs from the soil. The numbat was almost wiped out by habitat destruction, but has been saved through a programme of re-establishment and predator control. It is still endangered but numbers are increasing. The numbat needs open eucalyptus, or wandoo, woodland with plenty of hollow logs to shelter in. If a predator invades the hideaway it uses its rump, which has extremely thick skin, to block the hole and thwart the attacker.
