Ode To Australian Numbat

australian numbat is cuter than a chipmunk, monkey or cat. with deep claws that know how to dig out food so fat. tiny brown eyes and shiny nose remind us of the snout of a deer. his striped eye socket is chipmunk-like, and crystal clear. termites are the numbat’s diet of choice of course. never a poetic subject of Poe or Joyce, like a horse. but he devours termites twenty thousand strong. not yearly, but daily. I do not think this is wrong. reptiles and raptors – pythons and eagles too…. try to catch and devour numbats as foxes do. numbats sense of smell is overly developed, keen. at Yookamurra Sanctuary they can easily be seen. mumbats' caves and cottages are actually hollow logs. where he can hide from feral cats and dogs. george moore recorded his first one in 1833. “Looks like a squirrel, weasel or striped cat to me.”