Wombat is not only one of the most interesting Australian animals, it is the largest herbivorous burrowing mammal in the world. It may look slow and stocky, but it can run 40km/h and it has got a larger brain than all other marsupial animals. It is the closest relative to koala which developed to a tree dweller while wombat lives on the ground where it burrows holes and eats roots and leaves. Here are some wombat facts and wombat pictures, and some information about wombat food, wombat behavior, and different species like Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat and other Australian wombats.
Wombat Facts and Wombat Food Wombats are more than a metre long bear-looking animals that live in southern parts of Australia and a wombat eats roots and leaves. It has got a special stomach gland that helps it to cope with a diet so fibrous and low in nutrients. It is very territorial when it comes to food and it chases other animals out of his marked territory with a display of head shaking and growl. The size of its territory is up to 23 hectares and depends on food availability – the scarcer the food, the larger the territory.
Where Do Wombats Live? In Burrows. Wombat is known to burrow holes – it can excavate a few metres of burrow a night. It has got a network of burrow systems across its territory, some burrows may be up to 30 metres long. Burrow gives it protection from the weather, bushfires and predators. It spends two thirds of its life underground, resting and giving the burrows continuous maintenance.
Wombat Behavior Wombats are solitary animals. Females burrow special nursery chambers in their burrows in which they give birth and raise the young. About a month after mating, female gives birth to a bean-sized young weighing one gram. The young crawls into its mother’s pouch and stays there until it weighs about 3kg and it spends a year learning the tricks of life beside its mother before it’s ready to leave and look for an own territory.
Are Wombats Endangered? Introduced animals such as dingoes and foxes prey on wombats but the main threat to them is habitat destruction by humans and competition from feral herbivores.
Species of Australian Wombats There are three species of Australian wombats, although only the first one is common:
Common Wombat Common Wombat (Vombatus Ursinus) is found in parts of south-eastern New South Wales, eastern Victoria and Tasmania. It breeds all year around, is mature in two years and lives up to 15 years. It can weigh up to 39 kilos and its species status is secure.
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is found on the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia the south-eastern corner of Western Australia. Its breeding season is August to November and it matures at three years of age.
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) is only found in Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland, where it is protected by a dingo-proof fence but the tiny population of about 100 individuals is threatened by inbreeding, bushfires, drought and spread of weeds.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
