10 facts about wombats!
Check out these cute, clever creatures…
There’s more to these Aussie animals than meets the eye! So come on gang, let’s find out some fantastic facts about wombats…
Facts about wombats…
1) Wombats are marsupials
Like their tree-climbing cousin, the koala, wombats are marsupials. This means that they are part of a particular group of mammals, who have pouches where their newborn young develop.
Wombat babies are born super small and helpless, so the pouch is a safe place for them to grow up and get ready for the world!
Did you know? Kangaroos, koalas, and wombats might not look alike, but they’re all marsupials! Plus, their adorable babies are all known as joeys.
2) There are three different species of wombat
These are the common wombat (also known as the bare-nosed wombat), the Southern hairy-nosed wombat, and the Northern hairy-nosed wombat. All three species live in Australia and Tasmania. They have a variety of habitats, including mountains, forests, and grasslands!
3) Wombats aren’t as small as you might think!
An adult wombat usually grows to about a metre long – the same as a medium-sized dog. They can weigh up to 40 kilograms, and have wide, strong feet which are great for digging!
As well as being bigger than expected, wombats also live for a surprisingly long time. The oldest wombat ever, a large male known as Patrick, was 32 when he died!
4) Wombats are mostly nocturnal
These clever critters spend their nights foraging for food, or digging new tunnels, entrances, or exits for their ever-expanding burrows! They are herbivores, so most of their time is spent grazing on native grasses.
Wombats usually spend their days tucked away in their underground homes. However, they do sometimes come out to sunbathe and warm up, especially when the weather is very cold.
5) Wombats can run at speeds of up to 40km per hour!
Good luck stopping a rampaging wombat! These amazing animals can move surprisingly quickly when they need to, and can sustain this speed for up to 90 seconds. There are even reports of humans being knocked over by charging wombats!
6) Wombat poo is cube-shaped (yes, really!)
A wombat’s intestines have a curious ability – they shape their poop into angular cubes.
Wombats often mark their territory using their poo, and so scientists believe that the square-sided shape is designed to stop the poop from rolling away, ensuring the smelly signals stay put!
7) During bushfires, wombat burrows become places of shelter for many other animals
Wombat burrows, known as warrens, can be huge! These underground homes can contain tunnels over 200 metres long.
And these warrens don’t just serve as homes for wombats – they can become vital shelters for other small mammals, too. During bushfires, the tunnels stay cool, offering protection from the flames. Rock wallabies, bettongs, skinks and even little penguins have been seen using wombat warrens to escape fires, or hide from predators.
A black-footed wallaby was once spotted using a wombat burrow even more than the wombat owner. This sneaky intruder visited nearly 2,000 times in eight weeks!
8) In prehistoric times, herds of giant wombats roamed Australia!
These mega-marsupials formed a group of animals called Diprotodon, which lived in Australia during the Ice Age. Diprotodons were about 1.8 metres tall and weighed as much as 2,800 kilograms – roughly the same as a rhinoceros!
9) Their pouches face backwards
Most marsupials have their pouches on their fronts, but wombats have theirs facing backwards. This protects wombat joeys in the pouch from being sprayed with dirt, while their mother digs in the ground.
10) The Northern hairy-nosed wombat, is critically endangered
Sadly, there are only 115 Northern hairy-nosed wombats left on Earth. Due to food shortages and droughts, this super species has been driven out of their historic habitats. They now live in just two tiny locations in Queensland, Australia.
Luckily, conservationists are working hard to help. In the 1980s, just 35 Northern hairy-nosed wombats were left alive – so things are already improving!
Thank you to Jeremie Barnier, Alois BĂĽhlmann, Laura Barry, Meg Jerrard, and Nico Smit for the images used in this article.
We hope you enjoyed our facts about wombats! Did you learn anything new? Let us know in the comments below.
Likes
More Like General Animals
LEAVE A COMMENT
your avatar
THANK YOU
While you wait for it to be checked and approved why not to add a pre-selected message and a cool badge
WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!
COMMENTS
Super
This is so helpful! Wow, wow wow!
This is good
wow
sweet
They are soooooo cute
Hi i love this site it is the best i love the wombats to and i really like the lego to this site is funny too
Hi
I love this site and i love the wombats to and all the others to i love the lego one to
i love it
i loved it
the poo part is so discasting.
I love wombats i can't belive some are endangered
Wow I thought there was two types of wombat. I love Australia’s wildlife.
Wow
cool
cool
cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute cute v
Awesome
Wow!
wow!
Nice
hi
I love it
wow!
Cool
I actually can't believe that the wombat's poo shape is a cube! I am also surprised that wombats are marsupials and can also dig pretty well with their strong feet!
i love animals the wombat facts actually is cool
LOVE IT
i like this
i love wombats
cool
Funny
i am new
das war cool
Hi
I love to learn about animals!
cute
so cute
So Cool!
Wow Cool! I didnt expect this
WOOW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWww
Omg I really like wombats lest gooo
woooooooow.
awesome
Wow
i love this site
So so cool
Amazing! I find the backwards pouch very interesting
nice
Weird
CUTE!!!!!
Awesome facts!
wow!!!
Cute!
l love pets
It's so sad that the Northern hairy-nosed wombat is critically endangered:(
I love marsupials, could you add a koala to the avatar maker?
hey i like bts
hehehehhehheheheheehhehheheehhehehehhehehhehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
cool
good
wow i really love wombats
Wombat
wow
so cool
I loved these facts, very interesting! I feel bad for the poor endangered one though
e
cool
hhhhhhiiiiiii
cute
WOW!
you guys are amazing and smart!
Amazing. Very interesting!
I didn’t know they egxisted❤️It
This app is cool!!!!
I love this app
Wow
Class
i love wombats
I have seen wombat burrows and Square poop in tasmania
I have been walking and seen wombat burrows and their square poop in tasmania
Wow!
wobats poop is square !
Wombats are so cute and the facts are SO interesting!!!!!!!
Good
wow
COOL
So cute
wombat facts
these animals are cool
I love wombats! So cute!
lets work togther
cool
I didn't know that Wombats could run up to 40 km!!!
lol
IM A GIRAFFEY
Hey Im A Giraffe
hello
hi
I Love Wombats
Cute! In school we were learning about Aussie critters and wombats were my favourite!
CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR