Wombats

Wombats are medium-sized herbivorous nocturnal mammals that live in Australia. As the world's largest burrowing marsupial, adults typically reach a size of about one metre (39 inches) and weigh 25 to 40 kg (55 to 88 lbs). Like many other marsupials, the wombat is native only to Australia. Wombats can be found on the mainland, as well as on Tasmania and Flinders Island.

Wombats are generally solitary animals and live from five to thirty years. They're robustly built and have a stocky skeleton with short limbs which is well adapted for burrowing. They spend much of their time in their burrows, which consist of numerous chambers and tunnels which can be 30 metres (100 feet) or more long. Wombats are very strong for their size and can out dig a man with shovel. Though they are generally slow-moving, they can also reach speeds of up to 40 kph (25 mph) for short distances.

Wombats are frequently killed by cars, and oftentimes they'll have a joey (baby wombat) in their pouch. If discovered in time, these orphaned young wombats can be successfully raised by licensed carers until they reach adulthood. They are then released back into the bush and soon revert to their wild state. Although young wombats can be affectionate, adult wombats tend to be territorial and aggressive, and can be quite dangerous due to their strength, speed, and sharp claws and teeth.

The common wombat is the most widespread and probably the most numerous, though no reliable data on its population is available. Common wombats live on Australia's East coast, from lower Queensland, through New South Wales, and into Victoria. They also can be found on the Western edge of Victoria's coast, as well as the Southern tip of South Australia.

Common wombats that exist on Flinders Island and Tasmania are somewhat smaller than their mainland cousins are sometimes classified as separate subspecies. (Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis for the Tasmania wombats, and Vombatus ursinus ursinus for the Flinders Island wombats.)

Common wombats live in forests and coastal areas and prefer wetter, cooler regions. They are grazers and eat grasses, roots, fungi, mosses, leaves, and bark. Having very efficient digestive systems, they require very little water.

The Southern Hairy-nosed wombat, with a longer, hair-covered muzzle and longer, pointy ears, looks distinctly different than the Common wombat. They are also slightly smaller than the common wombat, adults being a little less than a metre (39 inches) and weighing up to about 32 kg (68 lbs).

Southern Hairy-nosed wombats can be found along the Southern coast of South Australia and the South-eastern coast of Western Australia. They live in much drier areas than the Common wombat, and prefer grass plains and savanahs. Their burrows are also more complex, consisting of numerous tunnels interconnected with the burrows of other wombats. Five to ten wombats will live in these underground complexes, spending most of their time alone.

They prefer spear grass as their main food, though they are grazers and will eat other foods like leaves and roots.

Southern Hairy-nosed wombats are considered an endangered species.

The Northern Hairy-nosed wombat is critically endangered with only about 115 individuals left in one small colony in Epping Forest in Queensland. They are likely the rarest large mammal in the world.

Physically they look similar their Southern cousins, though they are larger and can grow to over a metre (39 inches) in length and up to 40 kg (88 lbs). They tend to have wider muzzles, and darker colouration around their eyes.

Conservation efforts, led by the Wombat Foundation, will hopefully be able to save the Northern wombat before it's too late. They're working on breeding programs and are planning to establish a second colony of wombats at another location to help guard against any natural disaster which could befall the original colony.

Don't forget to celebrate Wombat Day on October 22. Wombat Day is traditionally celebrated with a chocolate wombat cake and Wine Gums. For mote information, including instructions on how to make a wombat cake, see Wombania's Wombat Day page.