What are adaptations of the numbat?

Answer 1

Several features help the numbat survive.

• Numbats feed almost exclusively on termites, although they will sometimes eat other types of ants. Therefore, they have sharp claws for digging into termite mounds, although they prefer to dig out termites from under logs and underground.
• Numbats have an acute sense of smell, being able to detect termites with their very sensitive noses.
• They have a long, thin, sticky tongue for collecting the termites.
• They also have a long snout for shuffling through leaf litter to help find food.
• Numbats have 47-52 teeth - more than any other marsupial - although adult numbats tend to swallow termites whole. Younger numbats need their teeth to grind the termites before swallowing them.
• The stripes on the numbat's back and across its eyes help it to camouflage effectively in its bushland habitat.
• Because numbats are relatively defenceless, they hide by digging short burrows, or shelter in hollow logs and fallen trees.
• Termites do not provide a high level of nutrition, so numbats have a lower basal metabolic rate than other mammals of their size.

Answer 2

Adaptations of the numbat which help it to survive include the following:

• Numbats feed almost exclusively on termites, although they will sometimes eat other types of ants. Therefore, they have sharp claws for digging into termite mounds, although they prefer to dig out termites from under logs and underground.
• Numbats have an acute sense of smell, being able to detect termites with their very sensitive noses.
• They have a long, thin, sticky tongue for collecting the termites.
• They also have a long snout for shuffling through leaf litter to help find food.
• The stripes on the numbat's back and across its eyes help it to camouflage effectively in its bushland habitat.
• Because numbats are relatively defenceless, they hide by digging short burrows, or shelter in hollow logs and fallen trees.
• Termites do not provide a high level of nutrition, so numbats have a lower basal metabolic rate than other mammals of their size.

Answer 3

Adaptations of the numbat include:

• Numbats feed almost exclusively on termites, although they will sometimes eat other types of ants. Therefore, they have sharp claws for digging into termite mounds, although they prefer to dig out termites from under logs and underground.
• Numbats have an acute sense of smell, being able to detect termites with their very sensitive noses.
• They have a long, thin, sticky tongue for collecting the termites.
• They also have a long snout for shuffling through leaf litter to help find food.
• Numbats have 47-52 teeth - more than any other marsupial - although adult numbats tend to swallow termites whole. Younger numbats need their teeth to grind the termites before swallowing them.
• The stripes on the numbat's back and across its eyes help it to camouflage effectively in its bushland habitat.
• Because numbats are relatively defenceless, they hide by digging short burrows, or shelter in hollow logs and fallen trees.
• Termites do not provide a high level of nutrition, so numbats have a lower basal metabolic rate than other mammals of their size.