Wombats are stocky, bear-like mammals endemic to Australia, including the island state of Tasmania. They belong to the family Vombatidae under the infraclass Marsupialia and are closely related to koalas and kangaroos. Though apparently adorable and affectionate, wombats get quite aggressive when threatened by predators like dingos, foxes, wild dogs, and Tasmanian devils.
Being excellent diggers, these animals possess large, flat claws, which they use to build burrows and tunnels in the soil. They also have large, rodent-like incisors that grow throughout their life. Female wombats, like all marsupials, have a marsupium, or pouch, which they use to nourish their offspring.
Currently, there are 3 extant species of wombats, namely, the common or bare-nosed wombat (under the genus Vombatus) and the northern and southern hairy-nosed wombats (under the genus Lasiorhinus).
These mammals are about 3 ft (1 m) long, weighing between 44 and 77 lb (20 and 35 kg).
Wombats, in general, have stocky, bear-like bodies covered in fur that varies in color from brown and gray to black. The common wombat has coarse, dark fur, small and rounded ears, and a bald, granular nose pad (hence also called bare-nosed wombat). In contrast, hairy-nosed wombats have silky fur, larger ears, and hairy noses.
The skull is flattened, and its bones are extremely thick. They have four short limbs (quadrupedal) with wide feet and large, flat claws. The rear end of wombats has considerably thick and tough skin, along with a vestigial tail that is not easily visible.
As marsupials, female wombats have a pouch or marsupium for carrying and nourishing their young. Males possess a non-pendulous scrotum, a pair of testes (with penile spines), prostate glands, and three pairs of bulbourethral glands.
Much like rodents, wombats have strongly built zygomatic arches, a short rostrum, and reduced coronoid processes of the dentary bone.
Their incisors are rodent-like, too, coated with enamel on the anterior and lateral surfaces. The incisors are set apart from the cheek teeth by a distinct gap called diastema. All teeth of wombats lack roots and grow continuously.
The dental formula for this group is (1.0.1.4/1.0.1.4) x 2 = 24.
Wombats derive their name from the near-extinct Dharug language spoken by the Dharug people, aboriginals that initially lived in regions in and around Sydney, Australia.
The 3 extant species are divided into two genera: Vombatus and Lasiorhinus. While the first is monotypic with a single species, the common or bare-nosed wombat, the latter contains two hairy-nosed varieties, namely, northern and southern hairy-nosed wombats.
These marsupials are most closely related to koalas, sharing several similarities, including a glandular patch in the stomach, the loss of certain premolars, and a vestigial tail. They also share similarities in muscle morphology and the formation of a short-lived placenta.
From the little information available on the evolution of these mammals, wombats probably diverged from other Australian marsupials around 40 million years ago, though some evidence also suggests the divergence occurred around 25 million years ago.
Older wombat species, like Phascolonus gigas, were significantly larger than modern forms. Being the biggest wombat to have ever existed, it could weigh up to 790 lb (360 kg), and it went extinct around 40,000 years ago.
These animals are native to Australia (southern and eastern regions), including the island state of Tasmania. They live in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from mountains and forests to grasslands and heathlands.
Wombats are strictly herbivores and usually feed on grasses, sedges, herbs, and tubers. The common wombat, particularly, consumes the inner bark of trees and shrub roots.
They require little water, obtaining most of their moisture from their plant-based diet.
These mammals live up to 15 years in the wild but may survive over 30 years in captivity. The longest recorded lifespan for an individual was 34 years.
Female wombats give birth to a single offspring, called a joey, after a gestation period of about 20 to 30 days. At birth, the joey is about the size of a jellybean and is not completely developed (altricial). It crawls from the birth canal to the pouch and attaches to a nipple for nourishment. The joey remains in the pouch until it is 6 to 7 months old but continues to return to its mother for food till around 15 months, after which it is weaned. It attains sexual maturity in about 18 months.
Wombats are preyed upon by dingos, foxes, wild dogs, feral cats, quolls, and Tasmanian devils. Birds, like eagles and owls, also kill these animals.
The northern hairy-nosed wombat is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) under the IUCN Red List, as well as Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Owing to its small population size, this species has been extremely susceptible to predation, competition from other grazers, drought, road deaths, and increasing habitat loss. These threats have inevitably impacted its numbers, with wild populations now restricted to the Epping Forest National Park in Queensland.
The southern hairy-nosed wombat is categorized as a Near Threatened (NT) in the IUCN Red List, while the common wombat belongs to the Least Concern (LC) category. Despite their name, common wombats are no longer widespread and are often considered agricultural pests, leading to their frequent killing.
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