Wild Facts

Well we all had a very nice trip to New Zealand yesterday but I think it is time to make one last stop in Australia before heading out on our next adventure.  Today we are going to look at yet another marsupial called the Numbat.  I kid you not folks! I don’t even think I could make these names up.

The numbat is also known as the Banded Anteater.  My guess is they prefer to be called the banded anteater over the “Numbat”.  This little marsupial can only be found in small colonies in Western Australia.   Does anyone have any idea what the Banded Anteater prefers to feed on?  Of course, the majority of their diet is composed of termites.  What?!? Did you think I was going to say something else? Surprisingly enough the numbat is able to consume almost 20 000 termites in a day. In order to be able to catch so many little termites in a day the numbat has evolved a long, sticky tongue which seems to work quite well.

Unlike most marsupials, the numbat is active mainly during the daylight hours.  The numbat is required to wait until the termites are active in order to feed.  Although, they have fairly strong claws, they are no match for the concrete-like termite mounds.  The banded anteater is smart and applies the brains over brawn strategy for finding food.  You see, they wait until the termites are in the underground tunnels between their feeding sites and their protective mound.  The numbat is able to sniff them out and strike them while they are vulnerable.  Pretty smart of the little numbat isn’t it?

Numbat Fast Fact: Although the numbat is a marsupial, they do not have a pouch that the young can climb into.  For this reason the little numbats must cling to the belly fur.

Have a great day everyone!

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If you have been following Wild Facts all week (and I know some of you have been) then you may have noticed that we have talked about a couple of Australian animals such as the wombat and the koala bear.  I figured I would end the week with another Australian animal.  Actually, this animal is also a marsupial. Anyone else find it interesting that their are a lot of pouched animals living in Australia? By this point, I am sure you have read the title and realize that I am of course talking about the Wallaby!

Wallabies are smaller than their kangaroo cousins but have some very similar characteristics. Earlier this week I mentioned that the koala bear and the wombat were also related to the kangaroo.  It seems that everything in Australia is related to that hippity-hop animal.  Their family reunions would be a blast although I bet it would be tough to convince them to come out of their pouches long enough to enjoy the company.

If you look at the picture above (go ahead and look again) you will notice that the wallaby has a very long tail. In fact, their tail can be as long as their entire body.  The wallaby puts this long, powerful tail to good use as it helps balance them while jumping around all day.  As well, they can use this tail to prop themselves up into a sitting position.  How weird would it be to come around a corner and see a bunch of wallabies just sitting on their tails. This is actually possible since wallabies tend to be a social animal and will often forage with other wallabies.  It makes sense since nobody likes eating alone! While we are on the topic of foraging, I guess I should let you know what these critters like to eat. The majority of their diet is made up of grasses, however, when they feel like mixing up their diet they will also feed on leaves, shrubs and berries.  Personally, I would take berries over grass, leaves or shrubs!

If you are bored and feel like watching a baby wallaby at the zoo then check out the video below.

Well folks, that just about does it for me today!  Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday.  Although, if I can get motivated, you may see me around the site this weekend but we shall see!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License

If you have been following Wild Facts all week (and I know some of you have been) then you may have noticed that we have talked about a couple of Australian animals such as the wombat and the koala bear.  I figured I would end the week with another Australian animal.  Actually, this animal is also a marsupial. Anyone else find it interesting that their are a lot of pouched animals living in Australia? By this point, I am sure you have read the title and realize that I am of course talking about the Wallaby!

Wallabies are smaller than their kangaroo cousins but have some very similar characteristics. Earlier this week I mentioned that the koala bear and the wombat were also related to the kangaroo.  It seems that everything in Australia is related to that hippity-hop animal.  Their family reunions would be a blast although I bet it would be tough to convince them to come out of their pouches long enough to enjoy the company.

If you look at the picture above (go ahead and look again) you will notice that the wallaby has a very long tail. In fact, their tail can be as long as their entire body.  The wallaby puts this long, powerful tail to good use as it helps balance them while jumping around all day.  As well, they can use this tail to prop themselves up into a sitting position.  How weird would it be to come around a corner and see a bunch of wallabies just sitting on their tails. This is actually possible since wallabies tend to be a social animal and will often forage with other wallabies.  It makes sense since nobody likes eating alone! While we are on the topic of foraging, I guess I should let you know what these critters like to eat. The majority of their diet is made up of grasses, however, when they feel like mixing up their diet they will also feed on leaves, shrubs and berries.  Personally, I would take berries over grass, leaves or shrubs!

If you are bored and feel like watching a baby wallaby at the zoo then check out the video below.

Well folks, that just about does it for me today!  Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday.  Although, if I can get motivated, you may see me around the site this weekend but we shall see!