Common Wombat

Overview

The common wombat is a stocky, burrowing marsupial native to Australia, known for digging some of the most extensive burrow systems of any animal its size. Despite its slow, waddling gait, it can sprint in short bursts when threatened and is a powerful, capable digger built like a small bulldozer.

Appearance

It has a broad, muscular body covered in coarse brown or gray fur, short sturdy legs with strong claws built for digging, and a distinctively flattened rear end that it uses to block the entrance of its burrow against predators. Its head is wide and flat, with small eyes and rounded ears.

Habitat & Distribution

The common wombat is found in forest, grassland habitats.

Diet & Behavior

Diet: Herbivore — Plant-eating animals that graze or browse on grasses, leaves, and other vegetation, from tiny insects to giant elephants.

Wombats are largely solitary, nocturnal animals that spend most of the day resting in extensive burrow systems they dig themselves, sometimes stretching over 20 meters long with multiple entrances. When threatened in its burrow, a wombat can use its tough, cartilage-reinforced rear to crush a predator against the tunnel roof or wall, a highly effective defense against animals trying to follow it inside.

Interesting Facts

• 1

  Wombats produce cube-shaped droppings, one of the only animals known to do so, which help them mark territory without the droppings rolling away.

• 2

  A wombat's rear end is reinforced with tough cartilage, which it uses defensively to block or crush threats inside its burrow.

• 3

  Despite their stocky build, wombats can run in short bursts at speeds over 35km/h when threatened.

• 4

  Their burrow systems can stretch more than 20 meters long, with multiple chambers and entrances.

• 5

  Wombats have backward-facing pouches, unlike kangaroos, which prevents dirt from getting into the pouch while the mother digs.

Gallery

Common Wombat FAQs