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Numbat: Myrmecobiidae

Conservation Status



Numbats are a conservation success story. By 1985, so many numbats had disappeared that only two numbat populations remained. At that time they were considered Endangered and likely to become extinct. An effort to increase numbat populations was undertaken that involved the poison baiting of red foxes, a major predator of the numbat. Numbat populations were also moved into other habitats, and numbats that had been raised in captivity were introduced into the wild. These programs have been successful, because there are now nine wild numbat populations and two that live on fenced reserves. In 1994, numbats were upgraded from Endangered to a conservation status of Vulnerable. Although they are still at risk, they are unlikely to become extinct in the immediate future.



FOR MORE INFORMATION

Books:

Swan, Erin Pembrey, and Jose Gonzales. Meat-Eating Marsupials (Animals in Order). New York: Franklin Watts, 2002.

Nowak, Ronald M., ed. Walker's Mammals of the World, 5th ed. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Woods, Samuel G. Sorting Out Mammals: Everything You Want to Know About Marsupials, Carnivores, Herbivores, and More! Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch Marketing, 1999.

Periodicals:

McCreery, Susan. "Fenced in and Free." Australian Geographic (January–March 2003): 31.

Web sites:

Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water & Environment. Numbats. http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au (accessed on June 30, 2004).

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMammalsNumbat: Myrmecobiidae - Physical Characteristics, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, NUMBATS AND PEOPLE