The wombats

Wombats are ancient animals. Marsupials – the pouched mammals, of which the wombat is one – evolved about 100 million years ago, but the Australian fossil record is woefully sparse.

Wombats are grazing animals and are among the world’s largest burrowers. All wombats live in burrows underground. They use their strong limbs to dig into and sweep away soil. To enlarge a tunnel, a wombat rolls onto its back and scratches at the walls.

The wombat has a chunky physique, short legs and a generally uncouth and frowsy look. They have large flat heads with small eyes.

Southern hairy-nosed wombat 

The average wombat is about a yard long from the tip of his nose to his vestigial tail.

The average weight of mainland wombats is about 26 kilograms, but weights of 35 kilograms are not uncommon.

Tasmanian wombats are slightly smaller. Tasmanian wombats have tough hides and thick, coarse hair. They lead extremely boresome lives.

Three wombat species belong to the family Vombatidae:
*The southern hairy-nosed wombats
*The northern hairy-nosed wombats
*The common wombats
The wombats