Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat & Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats are patchily distributed across south-eastern Western Australia and southern South Australia. It is the smallest of the 3 species of Wombat.

Wombat’s are marsupials, that is the babies develop in their mother’s pouch. They emerge from the pouch after around 6 months. Wombats have strong feet and sharp claws, and are really good at digging. They dig long deep tunnel shaped burrows in which they hid during the heat of the day. They use their claws to dig for grass and plant roots at night. At night they feed on grass and plant roots, using their claws to dig for these.

The wombat is  marsupial and  digs burrows.

A wombat is covered with coarse grey or brown fur, with a large head, a large nose and small ears. It is solidly built with large claws for digging. Its body has a rounded appearance.

Its back is hard and bony. This bony back is a useful defence against intruders in the burrow, as the wombat uses its back to crush them against the burrow wall.

The wombat is nocturnal, which means it is active at night, eating grasses, roots and shrubs. It stays in a burrow in daytime, though sometimes can be seen basking in the sun at the burrow entrance.

It lives alone, except for a female with young.

Wombat burrows can be about 20 metres long, with several entrances and chambers. A wombat generally has a number of burrows in its territory, and may visit several during its nightly wanderings. The wombat marks its territory by leaving droppings (scats) on logs and rocks.

The female’s pouch has its opening facing the back legs. When she is digging, the pouch does not fill with soil. A female wombat gives birth to one very tiny young, which moves to her pouch after being born. It stays in the pouch for about 6 months, suckling milk from a teat in the pouch. After it leaves the pouch, it will follow her for another 11 months.

Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat