Size:Up to 100cm long with a 2.5cm tail

Habitat:Woodland or plains

Species:Common Wombat, Northern and Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats

Found:Now only common in southeastern Australia

Diet:Grass and tubers

Age:In the wild they usually live for up to 5 years

Wombat Facts

Wombats are playful and much more intelligent than their closest relatives, the koala. They are one of the largest burrowing animals in the world, and may spend two-thirds of their lives underground. The burrow protects them from heat, cold, rain and bushfires. The sleeping chambers are lined with leaves and twigs. A warren may be the work of several generations, and can be up to 20 metres long.

Although they do not usually move around quickly, they can easily outrun a human when required and are immensely strong. Their main defence is having a toughened rear hide, which presents a difficult to bite target to predators such as dingoes.

The female Common Wombat gives birth to a tiny naked baby which spends six months in its mother's rear-opening pouch. Once it leaves the pouch, the young continues to breast-feed for around another year. The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat can breed faster and produce two young every three years. However it is now one of the rarest mammals in the world, and has only approximately 3 km² of remaining habitat left, located in a national park in Queensland.