FACTS ABOUT THE COMMON WOMBAT

Task

Choose an environment, and an animal that lives within that environment.

Research the environment and the animal and present your findings as a detailed information report.

Classification

The Common Wombat is warm blooded.

That means that they are mammals.

Their physical name is Vombatus Ursinus.

Description

Wombats have a flat nose, sharp claws, small ears and short legs.

They are about one metre long and they can weigh up to 20-35 kilograms.

The Environment

The Common Wombat lives in nearly whole Tasmania.

They are also living in parts of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

Wombats prefer higher woodlands, coasts and shrub-lands.

They like rocky areas that are cooler.

Where you can see them

Some people say that Maria Island is the best place to see Wombats.

I have not seen a single one there.

But there is another, better place to spot. It’s the Cradle Mountain National Park.

I was there and now I have seen two babies and eighteen big Wombats.

Cradle Mountain National Park seem to be one of the best places to find Wombats.

Diet and Digestion

Wombats eat for 2-6 hours during afternoon until night, mainly lots of grass.

But they also eat bark, wood, roots and mushrooms.

They have a very slow digestion so they need 8-14 days to digest their food.

Wombats have a special poo (scat). It’s of a cubic shape.

Physiological Adaptations

Even they look fat, wombats are not but they have many muscles and thick fur.

Wombats can hear really well. They are good swimmer, climber and run up to 40 km/hour.

Their claws are perfect to dig huge tunnels and after food.

Their back is filled with cartilage to make it very hard.

The teeth of a Wombat are like the one from a rodent. Their back tooth and incisors are renewable. But they have no canine.

Predators

The Common Wombat has to protect itself from the Dingo, the Eagle, the Tasmanian Devil, snakes and cats, wolves, owls and eastern quolls. These are the main predators.

But the biggest dangers are cars and humans because the humans destroy their environment. They extend their road systems, farming and living areas.

Reproduction

A female Wombat has just one baby at the same time for around 21-30 days.

A baby Wombat is called a joey.

At birth the joey weighs only up to 2 grams and it’s of a size of a jellybean.

The joey crawls into it mothers pouch right after birth to finish developing and stays there for around five months.

They remain with the mother for one year. By then they can leave the mother and be on their own.