Numbat

numbat, from the Nyungar language of southwest Australia, and walpurti, the name in the Pitjantjatjara dialect.

finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the same length as its body

Colour varies considerably, from soft grey to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper back, and always with a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle through the eye to the base of the small, round-tipped ear. Between four and eleven white stripes cross the animal's hindquarters, which gradually become fainter towards the midback. The underside is cream or light grey, while the tail is covered with long, grey hair flecked with white.

They have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet.

Today, numbats are naturally found only in areas of eucalypt forest, but they were once more widespread in other types of semiarid woodland, spinifex grassland, and in terrain dominated by sand dune.

insectivores and subsist on a diet of termites

nown native predators include various reptiles and raptors, such as the carpet python, sand goanna, wedge-tailed eagle, collared sparrowhawk, brown goshawk, and the little eagle.

establishes a territory of up to 1.5 square km

At night, the numbat retreats to a nest, which can be in a log or tree hollow, or in a burrow, typically a narrow shaft 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) long which terminates in a spherical chamber lined with soft plant material: grass, leaves, flowers, and shredded bark. The numbat is able to block the opening of its nest, with the thick hide of its rump, to prevent a predator being able to access the burrow'

The young are left in a nest or carried on the mother's back after weaning,

Their striped fur helps them camouflage against the woodland floor. They also have eyes on opposite sides of their heads (like other prey species e.g. rabbits), which allows them to have good vision of things coming towards them. Numbats sit up like meerkats to get a good look around