|
Wombats
Physical Characeristics and HabitatWombats are large, lumbering marsupials which live only in Australia. They grow to a length of about 3 feet (1m) and weigh approximately 88 lbs (40kg). Wombats live in burrows which they dig in the ground. To assist with their burrowing, they have thick, muscular legs and strong claws. Common wombats are found in Tasmania and in some parts of New South Wales. Hairy-nosed wombats are rarer and found only in the more arid regions of Australia. Wombats usually forage for food at either dawn or dusk, avoiding activity during the hotter parts of the day, when they often bask in the sun at their burrow entrance. They are mammals. A female wombat's pouch opens backwards so that when mum is digging she doesn't cover her baby with sand. Because wombat babies live in their mother's pouch drinking her milk, wombats are marsupials. Baby wombats stay with their mum for about two years. They then have to look after themselves. Wombats have thick soft fur. Their strong legs and claws are good for digging burrows to live in. They are very shy. Most of the day they sleep in a burrow. In the evening or at night they go looking for food. They are herbivores – they like grasses, tree roots and soft mosses. To keep themselves clean they have a dust bath. They lie on their side and scoop sand over themselves.
They can swim. Their teeth grow continuously, so if they break a tooth it just re-grows. Wombat droppings are called scats. Each wombat's scats have a different smell. They leave them outside their burrows. Scats help a wombat find its own burrow when it returns after a busy night looking for food. They also tell other wombats if a burrow is occupied.
DietWombats generally eat grasses and leaves in bush clearings. The wombat population in Tasmania is significant, and wombats tunneling under fences after grazing on farmlands sometimes annoys farmers. Burrows are usually well hidden and wild wombats are not often seen by the public. BreedingWombats are rather like us, they breed anytime. Females have a rear opening pouch with two nipples although usually only one young is raised at a time. Wombats communicate their Junior will remain in the pouch for about six months before it is either kicked out or leaves peacefully. It will then follow its mother for nearly another year. Having raised a young wombat I have some sympathy for mother wombats. The young tend to play biting games that must drive the mothers crazy (see page on Brutus). Young Wombats mature sexually at about two years and can expect to live at least 5 years or more. Wombats in captivity can live long lives of around twenty years. An adult wombat has few natural enemies, the Dingo probably being the main predator. Humans and their cars account for many wombat deaths per year but where humans are scarce wombat numbers are limited by the availability of food. Wombats have a home territory which, depending on the environment may be anything from 5 to 25 hectares. Territories are marked and defended with scent markings, burrows and aggressive behaviour. Male Wombats will go through a threat display if an unwelcome (wombat) visitor trespasses on a favoured feeding ground by swinging his head from side to side, showing and gnashing his teeth, and growling. This will often be sufficient to drive away a rival, but wombat fights can occur and considerable damage can result from powerful bites. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
© 2003-2004 - animalport.com - All Rights Reserved
|