Details
Vombatus ursinus
The common wombat is a burrowing marsupial with a heavy body and powerful claws. It leaves its burrow at night to graze slowly on tough plants.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs in southeastern Australia and Tasmania in forest, grassland, and upland habitats. Diggable slopes and banks support burrows that connect shelter to feeding areas.
Length 90-115 cm; weight 20-35 kg. Short legs, strong claws, and a broad head suit digging, and the backward-opening pouch helps keep soil away from the young.
Nocturnal and solitary, it rests in cool burrows by day. It follows regular paths through its home range to reach grazing areas.
A herbivore, it eats grasses, sedges, roots, and bark. Chisel-like incisors crop tough plants, and slow digestion extracts energy from poor forage.
Females usually produce one joey that develops for a long period in the pouch. After leaving the pouch, the young stays near the mother while learning feeding routes.
It is listed as Least Concern. Roads, burrow disturbance, and mange can still create local pressure on populations.
