Outcomes from the Peel Harvey Catchment Council’s recently completed Numbat Neighbourhood Project (2018-2023), point to the need to consider climate change impacts and actions in Numbat Recovery Plans. The study highlights the need for more research into how increasing temperatures will impact numbats and other threatened species as temperatures increase.
Research from Curtin University’s Dr Christine Cooper and Philip Withers used thermal imaging and heat balance modelling to examine the thermal ecology of native animals, including numbats. They found that high environmental heat loads can limit foraging in open areas to as little as 10 minutes, which may impact the animals’ ability to meet their daily calorie needs of around 20,000 termites per day.
