The marsupial anteater, or nambat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a mammal of the family of marsupial anteaters, lives in. The marsupial anteater inhabits mainly eucalyptus and acacia forests and dry woodlands.
The dimensions of the marsupial anteater are small: the body length is 17-27 cm, the tail is 13-17 cm, the weight of an adult animal ranges from 280 to 550 g. The head of the marsupial anteater is flattened, the muzzle is elongated and pointed, the mouth is small. The worm-like tongue can protrude from the mouth by almost 10 cm, the eyes are large, the ears are pointed, the tail is long, fluffy, like a squirrel. The paws of the marsupial anteater are rather short, widely spaced with strong claws, the forelimbs with 5 toes, the hind limbs with 4 toes.
The marsupial anteater is one of the most beautiful marsupials in Australia: it is painted grayish brown or reddish in color. The coat on the back and upper thighs is covered with 6-12 white or cream stripes. The eastern nambats have a uniform color than the western ones. A black longitudinal stripe is visible on the muzzle. The belly and limbs are yellow-white, buffy.
The teeth of the marsupial anteater are very small, weak and often asymmetrical: the molars on the right and left can have different lengths and widths, in total, the marsupial anteater has 50-52 teeth. The hard palate stretches much further than in most mammals, which is typical for other "long-tongued" animals (pangolins, armadillos).
The marsupial anteater feeds almost exclusively on termites, less often on ants, and eats other invertebrates only by accident. It is the only marsupial that feeds only on social insects; in captivity, the marsupial anteater eats up to 20 thousand termites daily. The marsupial anteater uses its extremely keen sense of smell to find food. With the claws of its front paws, it digs out the soil or breaks up rotten wood, then catches termites with a sticky tongue, swallows the prey whole or slightly chewing the chitinous shells.
The marsupial anteater is quite agile, can climb trees; at the slightest danger, hides in a shelter. He spends the night in secluded places (shallow burrows, tree hollows) on a bed of bark, leaves and dry grass. His sleep is very deep, similar to suspended animation. There are many known cases when people, together with dead wood, accidentally burned a marsupial anteater, which did not have time to wake up.
With the exception of the breeding season, marsupial anteaters keep alone, occupying an individual territory of up to 150 hectares. Once caught, the marsupial anteater does not bite or scratch, but only abruptly whistles or grumbles.
The mating season for nambats lasts from December to April. At this time, males leave their hunting grounds and go in search of females, marking trees and the ground with an oily secretion, which is produced by a special skin gland on the chest.
Tiny (10 mm long), blind and hairless cubs are born 2 weeks after mating. There are 2-4 cubs in the litter. Since the female does not have a brood pouch, they hang on the nipples, clinging to the mother's fur. According to some reports, childbirth takes place in a burrow 1-2 m long. The female carries the cubs on her stomach for about 4 months, until their size reaches 4-5 cm. Then she leaves the offspring in a shallow burrow or hollow, continuing to come for feeding at night.
By the beginning of September, young nambats begin to leave the burrow for a short time. By October, they switch to a mixed termites and breast milk diet. The young stays with their mother for up to 9 months, finally leaving her in December. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life.
In connection with economic development and land clearing, the number of the marsupial anteater has sharply decreased. However, the main reason for the decrease in its numbers is the pursuit of predators. Due to their diurnal lifestyle, marsupials are more vulnerable than most small marsupials; they are hunted by birds of prey, dingoes, feral dogs and cats, and especially red foxes.
The fauna of Australia has been considered the most unusual on the entire planet for many years. In ancient times, almost all animals were marsupials. Currently, there are a small number of them.
Among them are nambata- a small marsupial animal, which is the only representative of its kind. Today nambat dwells only in the southwestern regions.
Nambat appearance and features
Nambat- cute animal, the size of which is no larger than a domestic cat, is rightfully considered the most beautiful on the entire Australian mainland. The top and scruff of the animal is covered with reddish-brown hair with a slight gray streak. The back is covered with transverse white-black stripes, and the abdominal hair is slightly lighter.
The maximum body length reaches twenty-seven centimeters, and the fifteen-centimeter tail is decorated with silvery-white hairs. The head of the anteater is slightly flattened, the muzzle is slightly elongated and decorated to pointed ears with dark stripes with a white border. The front legs of the animal have short spread fingers with sharp marigolds, and the hind legs are four-toed.
Teeth marsupial nambat slightly underdeveloped, the size of the molars on both sides may differ. The animal differs from mammals in a hard, long palate.
The features of the marsupial anteater include the ability to stretch out the tongue, the length of which reaches almost half of its own body. The animal, unlike other representatives of marsupials, is deprived of a purse on its belly.
Nambat lifestyle and habitat
Many years ago, animals were distributed throughout the continent. But due to the large number of wild and introduced to Australia and hunting them, the number of anteaters has sharply decreased. Today nambat habitat- these are eucalyptus forests and dry woodlands of Western Australia.
The anteater is considered a predatory animal and feeds mainly on termites, which they catch only during daylight hours. In the middle of summer, the ground gets very hot, and termites have to hide and go deep underground. During this period, anteaters need to go hunting in the evening, fearing an attack.
Nambat is a very agile animal, therefore, in case of danger, it can climb a tree in a short time. Small holes and tree hollows serve as a refuge for the animals at night.
Animals prefer to be completely alone. An exception is the breeding season. Anteaters are kind animals: they do not bite or scratch. When threatened, they only whistle and grumble a little.
TO interesting facts O nambatah can be attributed to their sound sleep. There are many known cases when a large number of anteaters died when burning dead wood: they simply did not have time to wake up!
Nutrition
Nambat feeds mostly termites, very rarely they eat ants or invertebrates. Before swallowing food, the anteater crushes it with the help of the bone palate.
Short and weak legs make it impossible to dig out termite mounds, so the animals hunt, adjusting to the regime when they come out of their burrows.
Anteaters hunt insects and termites thanks to their keen sense of smell. When prey is found with the help of sharp claws, they dig up the soil, break branches and only after that catch them with a sticky long tongue.
To fully saturate the nambat during the day, you need to eat about twenty thousand termites, the search for which takes about five hours. While eating prey, nambats do not perceive the surrounding reality: they are not at all interested in what is happening around them. Therefore, very often tourists have the opportunity to pick them up or stroke them without fear of attack from their side.
Reproduction and life expectancy
The mating season for nambats begins in December and lasts until mid-April. During this period, anteaters leave their secluded shelters and go in search of a female. With the help of a secret that is produced by a special skin gland on the chest, they mark the bark of trees and the ground.
Cubs are born in a two-meter burrow two weeks after mating with a female. They look more like underdeveloped embryos: the body barely reaches ten millimeters, not covered with hair. At one time, the female can give birth to up to four babies, which constantly hang on the nipples and are held by her fur.
The female carries her cubs for about four months, until their size reaches five centimeters. After that, she finds a secluded place for them in a small hole or hollow of a tree and appears only at night for feeding.
Around September, the cubs slowly begin to lick out of the burrow. And in October, they try termites for the first time, while mother's milk is their main food.
Young nambats live next to their mother until December and only after that they leave her. Young anteaters begin to mate from the second year of life. The lifespan of an adult nambat is approximately six years.
Marsupial anteaters are very beautiful and harmless animals, the population of which is decreasing every year. The reasons for this are the attacks of predatory animals and the increase in farmland. Therefore, some time ago they were listed in Red as an endangered animal.
Detachment - Marsupials
Family - Marsupial anteaters
Genus / Species - Myrmecobius fasciatus. Marsupial anteater, or nambat, or goose-eater
Basic data:
SIZE
Body length with head: 27.5 cm, males are larger than females.
Tail length: 16-21 cm.
Weight: 280-550 g.
REPRODUCTION
Puberty: from 11 months.
Mating season: usually December-April.
Pregnancy: 14 days.
Number of cubs: 2-4.
Number of litters: for 1 year.
LIFESTYLE
Habits: marsupial anteaters (see photo) keep one by one; active in the daytime.
What it eats: mostly termites.
Sounds: puffing, irritated hiss.
Life Expectancy: 3-4 years.
RELATED SPECIES
The family of marsupial anteaters, or nambats, is represented by a single species.
Nambat. Video (00:04:23)
Although the marsupial anteater belongs to the order of marsupials, it lacks their characteristic brood pouch. Nambata cubs cling to the long curly hair on the mother's belly. Despite the name of the family, the animal very rarely hunts ants - its favorite delicacies are termites.
WHAT IS EATED ON
Termites are the favorite food of the Nambats; less often they feast on ants. Thanks to its sensitive nose, the animal easily finds termites' passages even underground and under the layer of branches that lie on its surface. With the help of strong claws, the marsupial anteater removes only the top layer of turf to open the paths of termites, and never rakes the ground deeper. Often this animal, in order to get to the "tidbits", with its powerful claws tears apart wood affected by termites. The marsupial anteater nambat catches insects with a long sticky tongue, which is able to protrude 10 cm. The nambat has an extremely mobile and very strong tongue with which it can move twigs Using a long, pointed nose as a lever, it lifts stones and branches under which insects can hide.As for a representative of marsupials, a nambat has a lot of teeth, but it swallows prey whole. He sweeps them into his mouth with his sticky tongue, bites them several times and then swallows them - along with the earth and stones that accidentally fell on his tongue.
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
The natural habitat of the marsupial anteater is the forests in southwestern Australia, consisting of folded-hooked eucalyptus trees, or vandu. Nambat chooses such forests for the reason that eucalyptus trees are constantly dropping branches affected by termites to the ground - and this is exactly what he needs: the marsupial anteater feeds on termites, and fallen branches give him shelter. Most of the day, the animal is busy looking for food. He runs along branches lying on the ground, or moves in short jumps. Nambat often stops, stands up in a column and looks around carefully, checking if there is any danger nearby. Noticing a danger - say, an eagle circling in the sky - he instantly hides in the nest.
After having a good lunch, the animal loves to bask in the sun, doing this quite often. During such a "sunbathing" he takes a funny pose - lying on his back, legs spread wide, mouth open and tongue sticking out. Nambats live alone, lead a daytime lifestyle. The nest is lined with dry leaves and grass.
REPRODUCTION
Outside of the breeding season, Nambats lead a solitary lifestyle. Only during the rutting period, which lasts from December to April, can you see animals that live in pairs.
From January to May, from 2 to 4 cubs are born in a nest or a shallow hole dug out by a female specifically for this purpose. Nambat cubs have a much shorter nose than an adult animal. Since the female has no brood pouch, newborn marsupial anteaters firmly hold onto the long hair on the mother's belly. Feeding the cubs with milk lasts several months. Already in July-August, the mother, going in search of food, leaves the cubs alone in the hole. Lactation stops when the cubs reach six months of age and are able to independently obtain food. At first, the growing cubs live in the mother's territory, gradually acquiring the skills of an adult animal, and by December (early summer in Australia) they already begin an independent life. The animals become sexually mature at the age of one year. They soon begin to multiply.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
The name "nambat" was given to the marsupial anteater by the indigenous people of Australia. The animal is small, slightly larger than an ordinary squirrel, it is nocturnal. Nambata food consists almost entirely of termites. He can also look for them in the trees. With lightning-fast movements, the nambat reaches the termites one at a time with its thin and flexible tongue. He pounces on food so greedily that you can touch him at this time and he will not interrupt his meal. Unlike real anteaters, the marsupial anteater has small teeth.
Nambat has a habit of sleeping so deeply during the day that he can be picked up without waking him up. Because of this feature, he is threatened with extinction. Recently, through the fault of man, forest fires have become more frequent in Australia. Slow marsupial anteaters die in the fire, because they cannot wake up in time.
INTERESTING INFORMATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT ...
- Nambat is the only marsupial in Australia that leads an exclusively diurnal lifestyle.
- If a nambat is caught off guard or caught, it never resists and is limited to hissing.
- The nambata tongue has a cylindrical shape and reaches 10 cm in length.
- Nambat eats about 20,000 termites every day.
- At night, the animal falls into a deep sleep, similar to suspended animation.
- The marsupial anteater has a record number of teeth among land mammals, usually from 50 to 52. However, the nambat, accustomed to swallowing food whole, rarely uses them.
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF NAMBAT. DESCRIPTION
Wool: gray, in places reddish, with white guard hairs; on the back and croup there are 8 white stripes; The coat is short and thick, longer on the belly - cubs hide in it.
Nose: long and bony, convenient for digging earth, turning over stones.
Oral opening: in the small mouth is a long sticky tongue, perfect for catching termites.
Extremities: short and powerful. The forelimbs are five-fingered, the hind legs are four-fingered. All fingers end in strong claws - a tool for digging hard earth, moss and breaking dead wood.
Tail: long and fluffy. In an excited animal, the hair on the tail puffs up.
- Nambat habitat
WHERE LIVES
The marsupial anteater lives in eucalyptus forests and scrublands in southwestern Australia.
PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION
Nambat is a very rare animal. The reason was the appearance on the continent of foxes, dogs and cats. Quite often, animals that slept on a dry windbreak were burned by farmers or lumberjacks who used the deadwood as firewood. Nowadays, stations for artificial breeding of marsupial anteaters have been organized.
Marsupial anteater. Video (00:03:05)
Nambat. Video (00:03:58)
Family of marsupial anteaters Familia Myrmecobiidae
Genus marsupial anteater myrmecobius
Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 (IV, 10)
Why is it listed in the Red Book
Threatened with extinction, numbers unknown but declining sharply since the mid-1970s. The reasons for its reduction are not entirely clear, but, apparently, are associated with a change in the habitat of the marsupial anteater by humans and with the introduction of predators - foxes and feral cats.
How to find out
Body length 17-27 cm. Tail length 13-17 cm. The head is somewhat flattened with an elongated and pointed muzzle. Small mouth
.The tongue can protrude from the mouth up to 10 cm. It serves for catching termites. The eyes are large. The ears are medium in size, pointed. The back of the body is larger than the front. The tail is covered with thick hair. The limbs are relatively short, widely spaced.
There is only one genus in the family of marsupial anteaters: the marsupial anteater Myrmecobius, included in Sometimes marsupial anteaters are included in the family Dasyuridae. There is only one species of marsupial anteaters in the genus: the marsupial anteater M.fasdatus, included in the IUCN Red List.
The front legs are five-toed, and the hind legs are four-toed. Fingers with strong claws. The hair is high and coarse. Its color on the back is grayish-brown or reddish with 6-12 white transverse stripes. The belly and limbs are yellow-white. Females have no brood pouch.
Where dwells
In the past, they were widely distributed throughout the southern part of the Australian mainland. Currently found only in the southwest of Western Australia.
Lifestyle and biology
Inhabits open forests dominated by eucalyptus and shrub undergrowth. The spread is associated with the presence of termites, which not only serve as food, but also contribute to the formation of hollows, which are used as shelters.
Favorite habitats are forests dominated by Eucalyptus wand oo, Coptotermes acinaciformis termites, and undergrowth of the poisonous shrub Gastrolobium microcarpum. They are less common in forests dominated by E. margmata, which are more resistant to termites, and in forests on hillsides, dominated by E. accedens.
They are active mainly at night. The day is spent in the hollows of fallen trees. Sometimes nests are made of foliage, bark and grass. Burrows are occasionally dug. They feed on termites of all kinds, and also eat a small number of ants.
Breeding in southwest Australia appears to be seasonally prone. The female usually gives birth to 4 cubs in the litter from January to April or May.
Nambat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the marsupial anteater, is a rare mammal, the only representative of the family of Marsupial anteaters (Myrmecobiidae). Once widespread on the Australian continent, today it is on the brink of extinction.
What does a marsupial anteater look like?
The marsupial anteater is one of the most beautiful animals on the Green continent. It is no larger than a cat. The length of its body is 18–28 cm, and it weighs only 275–550 g. The tail of the animal is fluffy, almost like that of a squirrel, its length is about 2/3 of the body length. The muzzle is elongated, the eyes are rather large, the mouth is very wide, the ears are small and pointed. The tongue is narrow and long, it can stretch up to 10 cm. The Nambat is one of the most toothed animals, in total it has 50-52 teeth, however, they are small and weak, often asymmetrical. The paws of the marsupial anteater are rather short, widely spaced, the front ones are five-toed, the hind legs are four-toed, equipped with powerful claws.
The Nambat sports black and white stripes on the rump and two white stripes edged with dark ones running from the base of each ear through the eyes to the nose. The crown and nape are reddish-brown with gray hair, the belly and legs are yellow-white.
What's for lunch?
The diet of the marsupial anteater consists almost entirely of termites; it can eat other small invertebrates only accidentally together with termites. The animal spends most of its time in search of food. A very keen sense of smell helps him to search for insects. Nambat walks unhurriedly, sniffing the ground and turning over pieces of wood in search of underground passages of termites, and finding a way, he sits down on his hind legs and quickly begins to dig. The animal takes out its prey with an extremely long and flexible tongue. This marsupial can eat 10-20 thousand insects per day! The limbs and claws of the nambat are not as strong as those of other myrmecophages; it is unable to cope with a durable termite mound. Therefore, they hunt mainly in the daytime, when termites, in search of food, move along underground galleries or under the bark of trees.
The lifestyle of marsupial anteaters
With the exception of the mating season, marsupial anteaters keep alone. Each individual occupies an individual plot of up to 150 hectares. The animals usually use hollow logs as shelters, and in cold weather they sometimes dig holes for night rest. In burrows and trunks, they make nests from foliage, grass or bark.
The breeding season for nambats is in January-May. Usually 2-4 cubs are born. Immediately after birth, babies are attached to the mother's nipples, because they do not have the typical marsupial bag for brood. In July-August, the female leaves the cubs in the hole, coming only at night to feed them. By October, the babies grow up and switch to the usual diet for these animals, and around December they leave their parental territory and begin an independent life.
Conservation in nature
Once upon a time, marsupial anteaters were found throughout South and Central Australia. Unfortunately, today these amazing animals have survived only in some small areas of eucalyptus forests in the southwestern part of the Green Continent. Foxes, feral cats, and other carnivores have wiped out the nambats from their roots. The daily lifestyle makes the marsupial anteaters more vulnerable to predators. The use of their habitats for the needs of agriculture also played an important role in the disappearance of these animals.
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