Page 11 - Vegan Life - Issue 59 (February 2020)

Animal in focus

Common wombat

Behaviour
• Wombats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day.
• They use their claws to dig burrows in open grasslands and
eucalyptus forests — they then live inside these tunnel complexes.
• Common wombats are solitary and live alone, but other species,
This large mammal belongs to the marsupial family. It’s for example, hairy nose wombats, are more social and live
heavily built, and can reach a size of 47 inches and 80lbs. It together in larger burrows.
Thas small eyes and short ears, coarse dark hair and a bald
nose pad. Common wombats can be found amongst the woodlands Food
of hilly country along the Dividing Range in south-eastern Australia, • They are herbivores who feed on grasses, roots and bark.
from south-eastern Queensland to New South Wales and Victoria, • They possess rodent-like incisors that never stop growing, which
into South Australia and in Tasmania. they use to chew tougher vegetation.
Gender Population/threats
• It gives birth to tiny, undeveloped babies that crawl into pouches • The species is rated least concern on the ICUN red list.
on their mothers’ bellies. Females usually give birth to one • By burrowing, they oten cause destruction to ‘human-owned’
ofspring at a time. fields and pastures, making them a ‘nuisance’ to farmers.
• Young remain in the pouch for about five months before • They are hunted as ‘vermin’, as well as for their fur and sport.
emerging, although they will frequently crawl back in to nurse, or • As farm and ranch lands are increasingly replacing natural areas,
escape danger. space for wombats is becoming increasingly dificult — future
• Young become sexually mature at two years of age. years might see the species struggling.

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