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 up to two-thirds of their lives underground. The burrow protects them from heat, cold, rain and bushfires. Their sleeping chambers are lined with leaves and twigs. A burrow 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 toughened rear hide makes it difficult for predators to bite.

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.