Australia is not only characterized by the presence of really unique and particular animals, but also because a great variety of them are endemic to this region. For this reason, in this article on our site, we want to introduce you to one of these animals that are typical of the aforementioned country, the wombat, a typical animal of Australia that really It has very curious aspects, which will attract a lot of your attention.
Do you want to know all the facts about this curious animal with such an adorable expression? Keep reading and discover with us all the characteristics of the wombat, its habitat, the different species that exist and many more curiosities.
What is a wombat?
The wombat is a mammalian animal endemic to Australia, with a muscular build that belongs to the group of marsupials It has several traits that are unique and that distinguish it from other types of marsupials, such as its particular teeth, strong claws, the shape of its stools and slow metabolism. It is usually a docile animal that does not pose any danger to humans.
Wombat taxonomic classification
Now that you know what a wombat is, let's see what its taxonomic classification is:
Kingdom: Animalia
Filo: Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order: DiprothodonticsFamily
: Vombatidae Genders
:
- Vombatus
- Lasiorhinus
Within these two genera, we find the following wombat species:
- Vombatus ursinus (Common Wombat)
- Lasiorhinus latifrons (Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat)
- Lasiorhinus krefftii (Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat)
Wombat Features
Next, we will learn about the characteristics of wombats:
- Their bodies are stocky and stocky looking.
- They weigh about 35 kg and measure about 100 cm in length.
- The head is round, with small eyes, ears narrow and pointed.
- They are plantigrade animals, that is, they walk by leaning on the entire plant of the leg.
- They have five toes on their front feet, from which flattened claws come out. On the back, the second and third toes are fused.
- Although their legs are short, they are characterized by being strong, which facilitates their agility to dig.
- Another characteristic of the wombat is the presence of two incisors that lack roots, so they are inconstant growth , as they wear out due to the constant use they give them to dig and feed.
- They have a thick and short fur. The color and uniformity varies both in the same and in the different species. Thus, they can be brown, greyish-brown or dark grey, although in some cases they have gray or cream patches.
- The tail is short and is usually not visible through the fur.
Types of wombats
As we have seen, there are three species of wombat, each with its own peculiarities, despite presenting the aforementioned common characteristics. Let's find out what the particular features of each one are:
Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
Its fur can be of various shades between gray and black, sometimes presenting patches of gray or beige. Unlike the other types of wombats, it does not have hairs on the rhinary (area that surrounds the nostrils). It is also distinguished by its smaller, furry ears. Also, they tend to be smaller than the other species.
Individuals of this type inhabit Tasmania and other areas.
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
The distinctive feature of the southern wombat is that its nasal bone is longer than the frontal one As for its hair, it is of the silky and the color ranges from gray to tan. The rhino is covered with soft white fur and the snout is longer and squarer than in the common wombat.
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii)
The fur of this species is silky and brown. Tends to be heavier than previous species. Its rhinary is also covered in fur and it has a snout that is broader than the other types of wombat.
Where does the wombat live?
The three types of wombat are endemic animals of Australia, however, each one inhabits a specific area:
- The common wombat inhabits south-eastern Australia, region in which it is widely found. It is distributed from sea level to 1,800 meters above sea level. Its habitat is characterized by wooded spaces with temperate temperatures, it can also live in sclerophyll-type forests and communities of coastal shrubby vegetation.
- The southern hairy-nosed wombat is distributed throughout various areasregion of. It develops in semi-arid grassland ecosystems and in open spaces made up of forests, thickets and savannahs.
- The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is the one with the smallest distribution. Its presence is now very restricted to Epping Forest National Park, but previously it was widely distributed. It grows in deep alluvial soils and open eucalyptus forests. This species requires native grasses to be near its burrows.
A common aspect in the three types of wombats is their agility to build complex systems of burrows in which they live. The common and northern species tend to live more solitary, while the southern species tend to form colonies, although they are territorial with their space. Their burrows are usually a connected web through which they move very easily.
What does the wombat eat?
The three types of wombats are strictly herbivorous animals and are both anatomically and physiologically adapted for this type of feeding, since they have a large digestive tract to process the plants they consume, as well as acidic juices and fermenting bacteria.
However, let's learn more about the particularities of wombat feeding depending on the species:
- The common wombat tends to be folivorous, consuming mainly native grasses, reeds, mosses and, to a lesser extent, shrubs, bark, roots and tubers.
- The northern wombat, for its part, restricts itself to eating herbs, such as Hetropogon contortus and Aristida spp.
- The Southern wombat eats grasses and herbs However, when new shoots are available, they prefer these, especially from the genus Stipa. In the dry season, this type of wombat also includes leaves and stems of the Maireana genus, as well as certain roots.
Playing the wombat
Because the study in its natural habitat is not so easy, some aspects about the reproduction of wombats are unknown. In addition, they are animals that do not develop properly in captivity, which limits the knowledge about this. Despite this, let's see below the data that is known:
Common Wombat Breeding
In the case of the common wombat, the male chases the female when it is the breeding season. At first, the female runs at a certain speed, but then slows down to let herself catch up. Once this happens, the male bites its tail and both join their bodies to start the chase game This ritual lasts approximately 30 minutes.
It is estimated that the species behaves polygynously. The reproductive process generally occurs every two years and, although there is a greater concentration of births in summer, they do not have a particular season for this. After 27 or 31 days, a very small baby wombat is born, which will continue to grow in the mother's marsupial pouch. Weaning time is around one year of life and both males and females become sexually mature at two years.
Southern wombat breeding
The reproduction of the southern wombat is related to the rainy season, which determines the growth of the grasses on which it feeds especially this species. In this sense, they stop reproducing when food is scarce, just in the dry season.
The males become aggressive during the reproductive days, to the point of biting each other. In addition, they establish hierarchical relationships at that time. The males are the ones who chase the females, who usually emit a screech during the chase. The latter generally give birth between the months of September to December, having a gestation of around 21 days, after which a calf will be born that will remain in the marsupial bag until 6 or 8 months, when it will come out of it, although eventually it can breastfeed again until 15 months. This type of wombat sexually matures at 3 years of age.
Northern wombat breeding
As for the northern wombat, it has only one reproductive season per year, between spring and summer It is estimated that the rains have a positive incidence before the reproductive period of the species, which, if so, would have to do with the availability of food.
They are animals that have only one offspring, staying in the mother's marsupial pouch for up to 6 months. However, the baby wombat will be breastfed until 8 or 9 months of age.
Wombat trivia
After reviewing the main characteristics of the wombat and knowing its customs, there are still some curiosities to discover! One of the greatest curiosities of the wombat is the way in which it produces its feces. It turns out that the wombat poop is cube-shaped and this is due, in principle, to the fact that, as in any herbivorous diet, the waste tends to be drier, but, in addition, a study revealed that this cubic form is created near the end of the intestine and occurs because the intestinal stretches are more rigid than flexible, which allows get this kind of stool so curious.
Another curiosity of the wombat occurs specifically with the marsupial bag of the female, which, although it is located in her belly, has a arrangement backwards, so that when digging, the soil is not a problem for the brood.
On the other hand, this animal has a slow metabolism, this being another curious fact about the species. In addition, it also tends to move slowly, however, if it is in danger it can run at a certain speed.
Finally, it does not properly tolerate sudden changes in temperature, so it tends to sleep or spend many hours of the day in its burrow, where it gets favorable temperatures.
Wombat Conservation Status
Wombat types have different conservation statuses according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The common wombat is listed as least concern and has a stable population. In general, it is found in protected areas, with the exception of the Victoria area where it is considered a pest, as it causes some damage to fences, for which it uses its powerful teeth.
The northern wombat is listed as critically endangered due to drastic population decline, now being severely restricted. The cause of this fact is due to the alteration of the habitat by the introduction of cattle. However, various actions are being developed to ensure the conservation and recovery of the species.
Finally, the southern hairy-nosed wombat is ranked near-threatened The pressures are linked to the modification of the habitat by agriculture and livestock, in addition to the introduction of rabbits. On the other hand, sarcoptic mange disease generates high mortality in the species. Additionally, it is hunted in some areas as it is considered a plague; also extreme droughts are another cause of affectation for the species.
The idea of having the wombat as a pet has become widespread due to its peculiarities and the curiosity of its cubical poop. However, it is a wild animal that, despite having a longer life expectancy in captivity, is not a domestic animal and has difficulty adapting to living outside their habitat, which mainly influences their reproduction. In this sense, from our site we advocate that wombats not be pets, but that they be appreciated in nature when there is an opportunity to see them, always without disturbing them, of course.
