Wombat Fact-file

Marsupials are the dominant group of animals that are found in Australia, although some species may also be found in North and South America as well as in New Guinea. About 334 species of marsupials are known to exist out of which 200 are native to Australia.

What do Wombats eat?

Wombats are herbivorous animals and they mainly eat grasses, roots, herbs and barks. Their metabolism rate is very slow, about 14 days. Since they take a long time to digest their food Wombats can survive in arid conditions too.

Digestive system of Wombats:

Wombats have a very slow metabolism rate as their diet is rich in fiber but low in protein. Thus they have a poor diet and need to conserve their energy .Digesting the food for a long time allows them to absorb all the nutrients from their food. Also the hairy Wombats do not drink much water and the water they drink mainly comes from their food itself.

Where do Wombats stay?

Wombats live in burrows. They are very shy animals who sleep for about 18 hours in the day and venture out only in the evening or night. This fact also makes them difficult animals to study. Wombat faeces called scats have a unique smell and the Wombats keep these scats purposely outside their burrows in order to facilitate easy identification of burrows.

Can Wombats be tamed?

Although naturally wild, Wombats can be tamed. You might even persuade it to be held and touched. In fact many zoos in Australia have put these Wombats on public display. Seemingly calm and gentle Wombats can become very aggressive if provoked or if they are in a bad mood. Due to their weight they are perfectly capable of knocking over an average adult human being.