Wombat

Common Wombat - Scientific name: Vombatus ursinus

These are widespread and a favourite animal unless of course you happen to hit one in your car at night on a country road. They are the size of a pig and very solidly built.

The common wombat lives in burrows in the forest and bushland areas of Australia in Tasmania, Eastern Victoria, and along the Eastern ranges in NSW to Queensland. It has very strong claws and muscular thick legs to help in its digging. It has no natural enemies and can even survive smaller bush fires in its underground burrow. There are three main varieties, the common wombat, the Southern hairy nosed wombat and the Northern hairy nosed wombat. The latter is very nearly extinct.

In the winter in colder areas they move more slowly, and in snow covered areas will seek out the grass that is found at the base of snow gums. They waddle slowly through deep snow until they get to the tree and can have a feed of grass.

Their diet is herbivorous and consists of roots, shoots and leaves. They emerge in late afternoon for scavenging in the evening and throughout the night. During the day they return to their burrows and go to sleep sometimes lying on their backs with their four feet sticking up in the air!

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