Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
WOMBATS ARE SHORT-LEGGED, muscular marsupials native to Australia. They are mainly nocturnal, emerging at night to feed on grasses, herbs, bark, and roots.
There are three species of wombat: the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is the most numerous and widespread and has a bare nose. The northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) and the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) are distinguished by their hairy noses, softer fur, and larger ears.
Wombats grow to about 40 inches long and can weigh between 44 and 77 pounds. They're unusual, even for marsupials. Read on to learn what makes these cute, pudgy critters so special.
Wombats walk with a waddle. Although they look pudgy and slow, wombats can run up to 25 miles per hour and maintain that speed for a minute and a half.
They're champion diggers. Wombats are built for digging. Their barrel-shaped bodies and wide, strong feet with long claws enable them to excavate extensive systems of tunnels and chambers. A wombat can move up to three feet of dirt in a single day.
They have a backwards-facing pouch. Like other marsupials, wombats give birth to a tiny, underdeveloped baby that crawls into its mother's pouch to grow and develop further. But wombats' pouches have a special difference — they are positioned backwards, opening toward the mother's rear rather than her head. This allows her to dig without getting dirt in her pouch.
1.They Poop In Cubes
One of the more unusual facts about wombats is that their poo resembles an 80s toy craze rather than actual animal faeces. No joke: these critters actually excrete cube shaped poop!
Apparently this stops the poo from rolling off their marked territory of rocks or trees. Glad we got to the bottom of that…
2. Their Butt Is Their Main Form Of Defence
♫ They’ve got big butts and they cannot lie, those predators can’t deny. That when a wombat burrows down into the ground with a round thing in your face you get crushed ♫
MC Hammer jokes aside, the wombats rear end is really their main form of defence against predators. When a predator is near, these big booty mammals dive down their burrows and block off the entrance with their butts. As their booties mainly consist of cartilage, they are very resistant to scratches and bites.
They can also crush predator’s skulls with their behinds. Crazy stuff.
3. Their Closest Relative Will Surprise You
Although Koalas could be physically compared to bears, pigs and guinea pigs, the closest living relative to the Wombat is actually the Koala. Although they may not look physically similar, both species have backward-facing pouches. This is especially useful for Wombats as they won’t get dirt in their pouches while digging.
4.There Are Actually Three Sub-species Of Wombat
The three species are Bare-Nosed Wombat (Vombatus Ursinus), Southern Hairy-nosed(Lasiorhinus latifrons) and Northern Hairy Nosed (Lasiorhinus krefftii).
5. A Group of Wombats is Known As a Wisdom
A wisdom of wombats. A mob of kangaroos. A paddle of platypus. We can’t get enough of Australian animal collective nouns!
6. The Heaviest Wombat Was 38kg
The oldest (31 years) and heaviest wombat was Patrick the Bare-nosed Wombat who lived at Ballarat Wildlife Park. This makes him the weight of around four Koalas combined.
7. They Can Run As Fast As A Human
Don’t let their looks deceive you, these marsupials can run at speeds of 40 km/h! That’s just 7 km/h slower than Usain Bolt!
8. Their Teeth Don’t Stop Growing
Next time you complain about your wisdom teeth coming through, spare a thought for the Wombat! Their teeth never stop growing, which ensures they don’t grind away when they are munching on grasses, roots, shrubs and vegetables.
9. Their Guts Can Hold Food For 70 Hours
And it takes them around four to six days to digest a meal.
10. They Are The Second Largest of All Marsupials
The largest living marsupial is the Red Kangaroo. However, the largest ever marsupial was a Diprotodon, which was a wombat-like creature standing at around 2 metres tall. Yikes!
WOMBATS ARE SHORT-LEGGED, muscular marsupials native to Australia. They are mainly nocturnal, emerging at night to feed on grasses, herbs, bark, and roots.
There are three species of wombat: the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is the most numerous and widespread and has a bare nose. The northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) and the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) are distinguished by their hairy noses, softer fur, and larger ears.
Wombats grow to about 40 inches long and can weigh between 44 and 77 pounds. They're unusual, even for marsupials. Read on to learn what makes these cute, pudgy critters so special.
Wombats walk with a waddle. Although they look pudgy and slow, wombats can run up to 25 miles per hour and maintain that speed for a minute and a half.
They're champion diggers. Wombats are built for digging. Their barrel-shaped bodies and wide, strong feet with long claws enable them to excavate extensive systems of tunnels and chambers. A wombat can move up to three feet of dirt in a single day.
They have a backwards-facing pouch. Like other marsupials, wombats give birth to a tiny, underdeveloped baby that crawls into its mother's pouch to grow and develop further. But wombats' pouches have a special difference — they are positioned backwards, opening toward the mother's rear rather than her head. This allows her to dig without getting dirt in her pouch.
1.They Poop In Cubes
One of the more unusual facts about wombats is that their poo resembles an 80s toy craze rather than actual animal faeces. No joke: these critters actually excrete cube shaped poop!
Apparently this stops the poo from rolling off their marked territory of rocks or trees. Glad we got to the bottom of that…
2. Their Butt Is Their Main Form Of Defence
♫ They’ve got big butts and they cannot lie, those predators can’t deny. That when a wombat burrows down into the ground with a round thing in your face you get crushed ♫
MC Hammer jokes aside, the wombats rear end is really their main form of defence against predators. When a predator is near, these big booty mammals dive down their burrows and block off the entrance with their butts. As their booties mainly consist of cartilage, they are very resistant to scratches and bites.
They can also crush predator’s skulls with their behinds. Crazy stuff.
3. Their Closest Relative Will Surprise You
Although Koalas could be physically compared to bears, pigs and guinea pigs, the closest living relative to the Wombat is actually the Koala. Although they may not look physically similar, both species have backward-facing pouches. This is especially useful for Wombats as they won’t get dirt in their pouches while digging.
4.There Are Actually Three Sub-species Of Wombat
The three species are Bare-Nosed Wombat (Vombatus Ursinus), Southern Hairy-nosed(Lasiorhinus latifrons) and Northern Hairy Nosed (Lasiorhinus krefftii).
5. A Group of Wombats is Known As a Wisdom
A wisdom of wombats. A mob of kangaroos. A paddle of platypus. We can’t get enough of Australian animal collective nouns!
6. The Heaviest Wombat Was 38kg
The oldest (31 years) and heaviest wombat was Patrick the Bare-nosed Wombat who lived at Ballarat Wildlife Park. This makes him the weight of around four Koalas combined.
7. They Can Run As Fast As A Human
Don’t let their looks deceive you, these marsupials can run at speeds of 40 km/h! That’s just 7 km/h slower than Usain Bolt!
8. Their Teeth Don’t Stop Growing
Next time you complain about your wisdom teeth coming through, spare a thought for the Wombat! Their teeth never stop growing, which ensures they don’t grind away when they are munching on grasses, roots, shrubs and vegetables.
9. Their Guts Can Hold Food For 70 Hours
And it takes them around four to six days to digest a meal.
10. They Are The Second Largest of All Marsupials
The largest living marsupial is the Red Kangaroo. However, the largest ever marsupial was a Diprotodon, which was a wombat-like creature standing at around 2 metres tall. Yikes!
