The numbat is a highly distinctive carnivorous marsupial. It is not closely related to any living marsupial (one of its closest relatives is the now extinct thylacine or Tasmanian tiger), lacks a pouch, and is one of only two marsupials to be active exclusively during the day. It is also the only marsupial to feed strictly on social insects: individuals suck up around 20,000 termites a day with their long, sticky tongues. Once widespread across Australia, the species is now extinct in over 99% of its former range, primarily as a result of introduction of foxes by European settlers and changes in fire regimes. Extensive conservation efforts are underway to save the two remaining natural populations, while conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes have succeeded in establishing six populations in areas of the numbat’s former range.