Family MYRMECOBIIDAE
Compiler and date details
October 2010 - Updated by Stephen M. Jackson, c/- Queensland Museum, Brisbane, following Van Dyck & Strahan (2008)
31 December 1998 - J.A. Mohoney & W.D.L. Ride (1988); updated by Barry J. Richardson (1999), Centre for Biostructural and Biomolecular Research, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, NSW, Australia
Introduction
Myrmecobiidae have a single living species, the numbat, which once occurred across the continent from New South Wales to southwestern Western Australia. The limbs are approximately equal in length with five toes on each manus and four on the pes. All toes bear well-developed claws. A prominent glandular mass occurs on the chest. The tongue is slender, long and protrusable. The marsupium is absent, its site being marked by specialized hairs. The young attach to the nipples and only the long hair of the female provides protection for the young. The tail is well furred (brush-like) and non-prehensile. The teeth are small and simple, though the molars vary in number and configuration. The incisor formula is 4/3. There are supernumary molars; molar cusps are reduced to a series of cones.
The numbat is crepuscular and diurnal. The diet consists largely of termites. Although primarily terrestrial, the numbat may climb. Except for the breeding season, it is solitary. Presently, the numbat only exists as a small endangered population in southwestern Western Australia.
General References
Friend, J.A. 1989. Myrmecobiidae. pp. 583-590 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Feb-2024 | 29-Oct-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |