Wombat Facts For Kids

When most people think of the Australian wombat, what comes to mind is perhaps a chunky, lazy, timid creature. It makes perfect sense after all since this cute little marsupial has been featured with those exact characteristics in so many children’s books and TV shows over the years! This resource is filled with wombat facts for kids to help with school projects or just for some deeper learning about this amazing Australian animal! 

Fun Wombat Facts

• Wombats are the second-largest of the Australian marsupials, after the red kangaroo. 
• Wombats can only be found in Australia.
• Female wombats have a backwards-facing pouch to protect its young from dirt while digging. 
• Despite their short and chunky build, wombats run really fast. They can run at a top speed of 40 kmph when threatened and can keep that speed for up to a minute and a half. 
• Wombats’ teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. Sometimes if they get too long, they snap and break off to right themselves. 
• There are three species of wombats; the common wombat, the northern hairy-nosed wombat, and the southern hairy-nosed wombat. 
• All wombat species live in Australia (including Tasmania).
• Wombats are herbivorous mammals. They eat native grasses, roots, herbs and bark. 
• Wombats have an unusually slow metabolism, taking them up to 14 days to digest a meal. This aids their survival in the hot and dry habitats they live in. 
• Adult wombats are typically 70 cm in length and weigh about 35 kg. They are about as big as a medium-sized dog. 
• Wombats are territorial animals. They are often seen sharing burrows with other wombats but are still regarded largely solitary. 
• Female wombats have a gestation period of only 21 to 30 days. 
• A baby wombat is called a joey. 
• The joey spends the first five months of its life in its mother’s pouch. 
• Wombats are the largest burrowing animals. 
• Wombats’ main predators are wild dogs, foxes, dingoes, bird of prey, and Tasmanian Devils
• The burrows of wombats can be as long as 100 feet. 
• Wombats have very strong posteriors; dermal shields made of bone, cartilage, fat, thick skin and fur. When a wombat is fleeing from a predator, it dives into its burrow and plugs the opening with its rear-end! They even use their bottoms as weapons, to crush intruders against the ceilings of their burrows.
• Wombats are nocturnal and spend the entire day in their burrows, only coming out at night to feed. 
• The average lifespan of a wombat in the wild is fifteen years.
• Wombats are solitary animals which means a young wombat will aim to seek out new territory for their main burrow.
• A group of wombats is called a “wisdom”. 
• Wombats are the only animals in the world that produce cube-shaped poop! 
• Wombats have a single pair of incisor teeth
• the closest living relative to the Wombat is actually the koala. They both have backwards facing pouches. 
• According to a Charles Sturt Wombat Study, 172 ha is a fair assessment of a wombat’s home range. This is much bigger than many thought. 
• Wombats all collectively have a large head, a short neck, a stocky build, a short tail, short legs and strong claws.
• Sometimes wombats are compared to bears although they are not related. 
• Wombats have poor eyesight (and small eyes) but an excellent sense of smell. 
• Wombats are good swimmers thanks to their short powerful legs.
• Wombats have unique personalities. If you don’t believe us, read a bit further down about the Wombat Awareness Organisation and follow them on Facebook for some of their stories about individual wombats and their fascinating unique selves. 

The most interesting fact about a wombat

We think the most interesting fact about a wombat is its poos are in a cube shape. A wombat’s poop is shaped like a cube thanks to opposing tensions in its intestine.

When looking for interesting facts about wombats, we actually found a lot of weird claims. One was that the wombat can fly. We have come to the conclusion that although they can launch themselves quite the distance thanks to their speedy powerful legs, it is not true that the wombat can fly. 

Species of Wombats

There are Species of wombats that live across Australia: 

The Common Wombat (Vombatus Ursinus) sometimes referred to as the bare-nosed wombat lives in many places in Eastern Australia, as far south as Tasmania, and as far North as Southern Queensland. As the name suggests, what separates this wombat is its bare nose. The common wombat is barrel-shaped, short and stocky and looks deceptively cuddly. There are also subspecies of the common wombat, one that lives on mainland Australia, one in Tasmania and another on the bass strait islands. 

The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) is one of Australia’s rarest marsupials and is the largest of all the wombats. They can grow up to.. wait for it.. a metre long and are also the heaviest wombat of all the subspecies! They only reside in two locations, one in Epping Forest National Park and another location in St George which is a human-built refuge, fenced and secure. The Hairy-nosed species of wombat (Northern and Southern), both have hairy noses. 

The Southern Hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) has been found in patches across South Australia, on the fringes of Western Australia and very recently the Southern Hairy-nosed wombat has been located in New South Wales. 

Facts about baby Wombats

• Wombats are about the size of a jelly bean when they are born.
• A baby wombat is called a joey’
• A joey will drink its mum’s milk for about a year.
• A wombat joey will live in its mother’s pouch for protection for about 6 months.
• Wombats are blind when they are born.
• While wombats usually give birth to a single joey, twin wombats are possible. 

Are wombats a threatened species?

Wombats are protected under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. It is an offence to harm a wombat unless a licence is obtained from the Department of Planning and Environment but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

Wombats are threatened by a range of factors including loss of habitat often from land clearing, farming or housing and also predation from wild dogs. Lack of food sources and increased stress can lead to malnutrition and conditions like mange which if left untreated can cost a wombat its life.

Collisions with cars also prove to be a major reason for wombats losing their lives and stark examples of this can be seen on highways in Tasmania and leading up to Alpine areas in South Eastern Australia. Sadly there are also landowners who rather than finding ways to co-exist with the wombats, instead use tractors to push wombat burrows, in some cases, horrifically, trapping wombats inside them. 

A bit like the koala, the wombat has local pockets of extinction and as a species overall, has a fairly bleak future if the same trajectory of habitat loss continues. Wildlife advocates are working with farmers to try and find ways that the wombats can co-exist alongside agriculture but also discourage the wombat from being treated like a pest species which can lead to a culling approach.

Highways are now also being fitted with fencing to discourage wombats from entering the highway and instead funneling them into culverts or tunnels under the road. So there is hope for the wombat, but we as humans need to do a lot more to ensure the long term survival of this incredible Australian animal. 

Wombat Sanctuaries in Brisbane and Beyond

• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – Located just 15 minutes south-west of Brisbane, this sanctuary is best known as the first koala sanctuary in the world. Today it is home to over 70 different species of native Australian wildlife, including the wombat. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Australia, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a must visit for Brisbane families. 
• Australia Zoo – An hour north of Brisbane on Sunshine Coast is where you will find Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. Here you will be able to get up close and personal with seven of their resident wombats. Their oldest wombat is named Minibus and she is 22 years old! Do consider booking a buggy in advance, especially if you have young children or family members who might need assistance.
• Wombat Awareness Organisation – Located in South Australia, there is an organisation that rescues and keeps wombats safe on a 20,000 acres property. They have the most wonderful Facebook page that tells the story of individual wombats and is well worth following for greater insight into the plight of the Australian wombat. 

If you are looking for more interesting facts about Australian animals you might be keen to read our facts about tasmanian devils