Wombats are marsupials of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. They are related to the kangaroo and the koala bear.
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There are three species of wombats: the Northern hairy-nosed, Southern hairy-nosed and Bare-nosed.
Wombats are usually around a metre (40 in) long when they are fully grown. The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is known as the largest species, while the Southern hairy-nosed wombat can weigh up to 68 pounds.
Bare-nosed wombats are known as the Common wombat and are naturally plump in size.
They have coarse fur, which varies from a sandy color to brown, or from grey to black.
Wombat teeth, like those of rodents, are continuously growing. To keep them in check, wombats gnaw on bark and tough vegetation.
Marsupials are characterized by a pouch in which females carry their young through early infancy. However, unlike the kangaroo, the wombat's pouch is found towards its hind legs. Because the pouch opens toward the mother's rear rather than her head, it allows her to dig without getting dirt in her pouch.
Although they look pudgy and slow, wombats can run up to 25 miles per hour and maintain that speed for a minute and a half.
Bare-nosed wombats are the largest burrowing mammals in the world. Their barrel-shaped bodies and wide, strong feet with long, sharp claws enable them to excavate extensive systems of tunnels and chambers. A wombat can move up to three feet of dirt in a single day.
Bare-nosed wombats are very intelligent animals; they are listed as having the biggest brains of all marsupial creatures.
Wombats have slow metabolisms. It takes a wombat up to two weeks to digest a meal. This slow metabolism helps them out in their hot and dry habitat.
Wombats are nocturnal, meaning that they sleep in the day and come out at night to eat, play and work.
ANATOMY
Wombats are usually around a metre (40 in) long when they are fully grown. The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is known as the largest species, while the Southern hairy-nosed wombat can weigh up to 68 pounds.
Bare-nosed wombats are known as the Common wombat and are naturally plump in size.
They have coarse fur, which varies from a sandy color to brown, or from grey to black.
 |
| Pixiebay |
Wombat teeth, like those of rodents, are continuously growing. To keep them in check, wombats gnaw on bark and tough vegetation.
Marsupials are characterized by a pouch in which females carry their young through early infancy. However, unlike the kangaroo, the wombat's pouch is found towards its hind legs. Because the pouch opens toward the mother's rear rather than her head, it allows her to dig without getting dirt in her pouch.
Although they look pudgy and slow, wombats can run up to 25 miles per hour and maintain that speed for a minute and a half.
Bare-nosed wombats are the largest burrowing mammals in the world. Their barrel-shaped bodies and wide, strong feet with long, sharp claws enable them to excavate extensive systems of tunnels and chambers. A wombat can move up to three feet of dirt in a single day.
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| Wombat burrow. By DiverDave - |
Bare-nosed wombats are very intelligent animals; they are listed as having the biggest brains of all marsupial creatures.
Wombats have slow metabolisms. It takes a wombat up to two weeks to digest a meal. This slow metabolism helps them out in their hot and dry habitat.
BEHAVIOR
Wombats are nocturnal, meaning that they sleep in the day and come out at night to eat, play and work.
Wombats are herbivores. They diet consists mostly of plants, roots, and grasses.
They may look somewhat dopey, but a wombat is capable of crushing the skulls of its predators if in the right position.
Like other marsupials, wombats give birth to a tiny, underdeveloped baby that crawls into its mother's pouch to grow and develop further.
It takes between 20 to 30 days for a baby wombat, otherwise known as a joey, to develop before it is born.
After birth, the joey sits in its mother's pouch for up to five months.
By seven months of its life, baby wombats are ready to be independent.
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| Pixiebay |
FUN WOMBAT FACTS
Wombats usually live, on average, for up to five years. In the wild, some can live up to 30 years.
Patrick the Wombat who made his home at Ballarat Wildlife Park in southeastern Australia, became the world's oldest wombat at 32 years. He was also one of the biggest, weighing in at 88 pounds. Patrick the Wombat died a virgin on April 19, 2017. He had a Tinder profile and rode around in a wheelbarrow.
Patrick's record was broken by Wain, a male common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) who lived at Satsukiyama Zoo in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan. Wain was rescued from the wild after being hit by a car in November 1989, and he was brought to the zoo at the age of 10 days. Wain is a popular attraction at Satsukiyama Zoo, and he is known for his gentle personality and playful nature.
The wombat's poop is cubic.
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| Wombat cubic scat. By Bjørn Christian Tørrissen |
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