NUMBATS!
Infraclass: Marsupialia —> Order: Dasyuromorphia —> Family: Myrmecobiidae
Okay, numbats are actually super cool. For starters, there is only one species left (Myrmecobius fasciatus), and only one subspecies, at that (M. f. fasciatus). It’s restricted to several small populations – two colonies in Western Australia, and some in South Australia and New South Wales after successful re-introductions.
Now, check out its super cool tongue. Like other animals that display a long, sticky tongue like that, the numbat eats mostly termites – and that’s how it gets its nickname, the marsupial anteater. Unlike other marsupials, numbats are diurnal, so are most active during the day.
But the coolest thing, I think, is how they have extra teeth! Unique to terrestrial mammals, numbats have an extra cheek tooth between their molars and premolars – but it’s unknown whether this is a retained juvenile tooth, or something else.
And also, they’re just very pretty marsupials. Love them, they’re magnificent.
Not quolls but numbats, so quite like quolls. 🙂
