‘Surreal’ photos show four babies from ‘one of the rarest mammals’ in Australia
In southeastern Australia, a series of young animal sightings — babies of “one of the rarest mammals in the world” — left conservationists stunned and excited. Photos show the fluffy animals which were once locally extinct but are now offering “hope for the future.”
Conservationists in New South Wales recently encountered seven young numbats, a “rare marsupial” species, at two protected areas over several “incidental sightings,” the Australian Wildlife Conservancy said in an Oct. 9 news release.
Michael Daddow, a land management officer with the organization, was at Mallee Cliffs National Park when he saw a quadruplet of numbats near a den.
“It felt surreal seeing four siblings in the one location,” Daddow said in the release. “They were just cruising around, falling asleep, and playing with each other. The bravest of the lot even ran up to me to check me out before scurrying back, it wasn’t scared at all.”
Photos show the baby numbats around their den.
Numbats are an endangered species of “highly specialised, termite eating marsupial,” the Australian Wildlife Conservancy said. They can reach about 16 inches in length, including their fluffy tails, and have a “striking pattern” of white stripes, as individualized as “a human fingerprint.”
Brad Leue, a photographer and videographer with the organization, also observed the quadruplets “for a couple of days,” he said in the release. “I saw them exploring outside their family den which has an opening about the size of a coffee cup.”
Elsewhere at Mallee Cliffs National Park, conservationists spotted a fifth baby numbat.
“The juveniles are believed-to-be the great, great grandchildren of a cohort of numbats that were reintroduced to the national park in 2020,” the organization said.
Numbats went locally extinct in New South Wales due to the introduction of cats and foxes but have been reintroduced to a few predator-free areas within their former range, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy said.
At Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, another reintroduction site, conservationists also saw a pair of baby numbats. A photo shows the two animals huddled together at the entrance of a den.
“Babies are always a really special find, particularly for a species as difficult to spot in the wild as the numbat,” Rachel Ladd, an ecologist with the conservancy, said in the release. “Seeing seven young numbats lets us know that the population is breeding in favourable environmental conditions and becoming more established.”
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy described the recent sightings as “signalling a much-needed population growth” and bringing “hope for the future of the numbat which is considered one of the rarest mammals in the world.”
The baby numbats were seen between Sept. 23 and 25, a spokesperson for the organization told McClatchy News. Those at Mallee Cliffs National Park “have been seen since” and have been checked on by passing rangers.
Conservationists plan to continue their numbat monitoring efforts. “The hope is that these populations will continue to grow and establish within the safety of these large feral predator-free fenced areas,” the spokesperson said.
Mallee Cliffs National Park and Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary are in the western part of New South Wales, a state of southeastern Australia that includes Sydney.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM with the headline "‘Surreal’ photos show four babies from ‘one of the rarest mammals’ in Australia."
