From Cosmos (13/1/24)…
As the climate warms, endangered numbats are feeling the heat
Researchers using thermal imaging to study numbats in Western Australia have found the animals are limited as little as 10 minutes of activity in direct sun before overheating during hot weather.
The findings have important implications for the conservation of this endangered species, as numbats reintroduced into hot arid environments will be most potentially vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.
Numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) are the only truly diurnal marsupial, meaning they are active only during the day.
Credit: Christine Cooper