Zoo numbats get ready for wild
They may appear soft and delicate but numbats are one of the toughest animals in the zoo.
"They are one of the hardest animals to microchip because of their thick skin," senior keeper Vicki Power said.
"When you think of all the obstacles they face every day, it's amazing they survive. They have a lot of predators and they need to find 20,000 termites a day to eat."
Perth Zoo's vets microchipped 17 baby numbats this week in preparation for their release into the wild. As part of the Native Species Breeding program, the marsupials will be delivered into the Dryandra Woodlands in early December.
The eight male and nine female numbats were born at the zoo in January. Weighing in at about 200g, they are being weaned off their mother's milk.
"We've bred and released about 200 numbats at Perth Zoo since 1997," Ms Power said.
Only found in WA's South West corner, numbats are Australia's only diurnal marsupial, which means they are active during the day.
Their wildlife status has upgraded from vulnerable to endangered in recent years.
They have long tongues, which grow to 10cm and large saliva glands.
Ms Power said both traits related to their diet, which mainly consisted of termites.
Ms Power said even the most astute wildlife observer would struggle to spot a numbat in its natural habitat.
