Wombats are amazing animals. And because they are ancient (they have lived on earth for more than 50,000,000 years), and because they are not at all afraid of humans, unlike other wild animals.

Description

The appearance of a wombat is very funny; in childhood it resembles a pig, and when it grows up, it resembles a small one, however, retaining some of the features of a pig. However, this is limited to slight external resemblance, because the wombat is a marsupial, a digger, and also a rodent. The length of a wombat ranges from seventy to one hundred and twenty centimeters, and its weight ranges from twenty to forty kilograms.

It has a compact body, strong and short limbs. Each paw has five toes, four of which are topped with large claws that allow the wombat to dig. The head is large, seems a little flattened, small eyes. Short tail.

Wombats are divided into eight genera, but only three live today in the vast reserves of Australia, the remaining five are considered extinct. However, there is a version that they did not die out at all, they were just hiding underground. Extant wombats are divided into medium-haired, short-haired and woolly-nosed wombats.

Behavior

The wombat lives exclusively in Australia, as well as adjacent areas, for example, Tasmania. However, do not think that they are easy to meet here. These animals are the largest and best diggers. To satisfy the desire for constant excavation, wombats choose to build a home in a place with flat, dry, soft soil without stones, groundwater and other obstacles. Moreover, in Australia it is quite difficult to find such a place, despite the dry and hot climate.

Digging is their favorite pastime. Short periods of time allow these animals to build entire underground cities for several families. The length of the burrows reaches 30m. In these giant “communal” corridors, wombats from different families can meet, but no showdowns follow. They just go their separate ways. However, you should not let any foreign element into the hole.

In general, a wombat is laziness-like. Like her, he moves slowly, eats slowly and digests food for quite a long time - up to 14 days! The wombat drinks very little. They eat grass (young shoots), mushrooms, mosses and roots. What distinguishes it from the koala is its ability to run quite quickly, reaching speeds of up to 42 kilometers per hour. A wombat can also escape from danger by climbing a tree or swimming.

The animals do not have enemies, except for one introduced by humans -. If a dingo decides to dine on a wombat, it will hide in a hole, also trying to lure the unlucky hunter inside. After which he turns his back to the enemy and crushes him like a powerful press. The wombat has a back part consisting of rough skin, cartilage and bones, and there are no painful points there. Wherein heavy weight and claws that allow it to rest on the ground make the stern a serious weapon. Dingo can only sympathize.

Australia is rightly called the country of the most amazing animals in the world. After all, only there live representatives of the fauna with pouches on their stomachs. Among them, an unusual and charming marsupial animal, similar to a small bear cub, the wombat, stands out for its uniqueness.

Humanity first learned about wombats in 1797, when a ship was wrecked off the coast of Australia and sailors, seeing these animals, decided to eat them to save themselves from starvation. Many years have passed since then, but even now many people have not even heard of these rare creatures of nature, so many facts about their habitat may be of interest.

History of occurrence and types of wombats

Wombats are the largest burrowing herbivores. Strong, short paws with claws serve them well for building underground dwellings, where they spend the bulk of their lives. The body of wombats is compact with a pouch on the stomach and short tail. Their head is large, slightly flattened on the sides and with small eyes.

The appearance of wombats on Earth occurred 18 million years ago. Five species of ancient wombats have not survived to this day. They were much larger than modern animals; the weight of one of the extinct species reached 200 kilograms.

The closest relatives of these animals are considered to be marsupial bears - koalas. They are similar in the structure of teeth, skull and sperm.

The largest representative of the genus is the broad-fronted or big-nosed wombat. He has a strongly flattened forehead, pointed ears, a long nose and body length up to 130 centimeters. It differs from other species in having shorter and darker fur, which covers the entire body and head. It weighs up to 40 kilograms.

Another, more rare, inhabitant of the Australian continent is woolly-nosed wombat. It can be found in eucalyptus forests and grasslands of Australia. These are quite large animals up to 1 meter long and an average weight of 35 kilograms with long and soft fur. The fur on the back is brown-gray, and on the chest and cheeks it is white. The head of these animals is smaller than that of their short-haired counterparts, the ears are triangular, and there are white spots above the eyes. There are two species in this genus: long-haired and Queensland wombats.

Queensland wombats are an endangered species. At present, all of them have survived 118 copies, who live on a small reserve in Queensland.

Behavior and lifestyle

Wombats are the largest herbivorous mammals, spending most of their lives underground. This largely determined their behavior and lifestyle.

Wombats can use their sharp claws to dig out caves with numerous underground tunnels up to 20 meters long and 3.5 meters deep. These underground structures are so spacious that it is not difficult for a person to crawl into them.
These animals have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, but their eyesight is poor. Therefore, they are attracted to a nocturnal lifestyle; during the daytime, wombats prefer to hide and sleep in their underground dwellings. During the daytime, they come to the surface in winter to bask in the sun.
The wombat is a very slow animal by nature, but when danger approaches, it can run away from pursuit, developing speeds from 40 to 62 kilometers per hour.
Wombats prefer solitude and do not live in packs. However, the burrows of their brothers are located close to each other.
Wombats mark their territory by droppings that they have. unusual shape- cubes. In one day, the animal secretes up to 100 such cubes.
Wombats have a slow metabolism; it takes two weeks for them to digest food.
Wombats, after camels, are in 2nd place among mammals in terms of water consumption. They need only 22 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per day.
Males reach sexual maturity at two years of age, and females at three years of age. The breeding season lasts from May to August. The female carries the baby for 3 weeks, and after birth carries it in a pouch for 9 months.
The wombat defends itself from enemy attacks in several ways. Thanks to rear end His body is very hard, it serves as a shield from attacks from behind. If a wild dog Dingo climbs into his hole, the wombat tries to corner it against the wall of the hole and strangle it with its powerful rear shield. Also, a wombat can, like a goat or ram, gore an enemy with its hard forehead.

Coexistence with man

The wombat has few enemies natural nature a habitat. Humans are mostly responsible for the death of these animals. Wombats often die under the wheels of cars, crossing roads or as a result of hunting. It is not uncommon for people to domesticate these wonderful animals.

Wombats are easily tamed and make excellent pets. However, they are very timid by nature, and if they feel the slightest threat, they can behave aggressively: bite or injure a person with sharp claws. Therefore, you should treat them kindly and not give them cause for concern.
Living in home environment, wombats get along well with other pets and can also give birth to healthy offspring. The lifespan of this species in captivity can range from 15 to 20 years.
A famous case was when, with the help of a wombat, it was discovered in Australia large deposit copper In the soil that the animal dug up to build its burrow, people noticed inclusions of yellow metal, which they examined and determined the presence of copper.
Wombats are a species of animal prohibited for export from Australia, so people from other countries cannot purchase them at any cost. Officially, only a large zoo can buy wombats. At home they stand from 500 to 1000 $.
As a sign of gratitude to these amazing animals, the people of Australia named them Wombat. small village state of New South Wales, and scientists astronomers - a Main Belt asteroid.

The wombat is a herbivore that belongs to the fauna of the smallest continent, Australia. Appearance looks like a little bear. Scientists classify wombats as two-incisor marsupials.

What does a wombat look like?

The length of the exotic animal is 71 - 122 cm, weighs from 22 to 45 km. Head relative to body. It seems large, has a slightly flattened shape on the sides, tiny eyes and short but strong five-fingered paws. The claws on the fingers are disproportionately larger relative to the size of the animal. This is necessary for digging holes, since the animal spends most of its life underground. For their habitat, they choose an area with soil suitable for digging holes. The wombat has only 12 teeth, which, like the jaws, resemble the structure of the chewing system of rodents. A miniature ponytail completes the picture.

Below - beautiful photos Australian wombat:

What does it eat?

The animal feeds on young shoots herbaceous plants. Less often, moss, plant roots, berries, mushrooms. The upper lip helps select food. Thanks to its separation, the front teeth reach the surface of the earth, cutting small shoots. They have excellent charm, which helps in finding food. They are not adapted to cold, but they tolerate a lack of water very well.

Features of the animal

Wombats are the largest and very ancient (more than 50 million years of existence) mammals. They are absolutely not afraid at the sight of people. They have practically no natural enemies, except for the feral dingo dog. The animal copes well with this threat with the help of its hard rear part of the body, which it uses as a shield, and, on occasion, can crush uninvited guests of its den with it.

Wombat feces are shaped like cubes, this is due to the unusual type of structure of the anus. Every day the animal “creates” 80-100 cubes, which it carefully places on stones and trunks of fallen trees, marking its territory.

Reproduction

Animals breed all year round, excluding arid regions where this occurs seasonally. A small wombat cub is kept in the female's pouch, turned over on her back, to prevent lumps of earth from getting in when digging. Only one individual is born per animal, although there are two nipples in the pouch. Over the next year, the baby remains next to the female. Puberty comes in two years. Wombats live up to 15 years; in captivity, their life expectancy is longer.

Video: Funny Wombat - Wombat

Wombat - Australia

The wombat is a rare animal native to Australia.

It belongs to the family of two-incisor marsupials, which also includes kangaroos and koalas. The closest relatives of wombats can be considered marsupial bears. The wombat is a small animal, its body length usually ranges from 70 to 120 cm. The average weight of a wombat ranges from 20 to 45 kg.

Externally, this animal bears some resemblance to a bear. The body is quite compact, has short limbs, which are distinguished by great strength. With their help, wombats dig holes in the ground. Each wombat's paw ends in five toes with large claws. The claws are the main tool of the digger wombat. In the structure of its jaws and teeth, the wombat resembles a rodent. Among all marsupials, the wombat is the most “toothless”, it has only 12 teeth.

The wombat's main habitat is the states of Victoria, New South Wales, New Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. They can live in almost any conditions, the main thing is that the soil in this area can be dug.

Today there are two species of wombats, which differ in some characteristics. The first species was named the woolly-nosed wombat because of the hair on its nose.

IN this type There are two subspecies - the Queensland wombat and the long-haired wombat.

The second type of wombat is bare-nosed and has no fur on its nose. This species includes the short-haired wombat and the salamat wombat. In addition, science knew five more species of wombats, which are now completely extinct.

Life of wombats

B Most of a wombat's life is spent underground, in a burrow. Of all mammals, it is the largest burrow-dwelling animal. A burrow is a wombat's home, which can connect with other homes through underground tunnels. Such a tunnel can be up to twenty meters long, and the average depth of a wombat burrow is 3.5 meters. All day the wombat hides from the hot sun in the bowels of the earth, and by night it comes to the surface to find food for itself. Wombats feed on grass, mainly finding young shoots. IN extreme cases they can eat moss, berries, mushrooms or roots.

On earth, the wombat encounters few dangers. The only predator that threatens the wombat's quiet life is the wild dingo.

The wombat always defends itself with the back of its body, since it is very hard and practically impenetrable. Thick skin, cartilage and bones perfectly repel enemy attacks. Sometimes a wombat can block the entrance to its burrow with its back part of its body in order to protect its home. When defending themselves, wombats hit their opponents with their heads, as if they were butting. When a dingo dog enters a hole, the wombat drives it into the far corner and strangles it with the back of its body.

Wombats in nature

Wombats are excellent defenders of their territory. On defense, they show serious aggression, and can easily strangle almost any opponent. Warning of danger, wombats moo menacingly and wave their heads in different directions. Such a gesture is a signal to attack. Despite its short legs, the wombat is capable of running very fast. Moving away from the enemy, he can reach a phenomenal speed of up to 62 kilometers per hour. If necessary, a wombat can climb a tree or burrow into the ground.

Wombats can usually breed throughout the year. However, those species that live in the dry part of the country breed only during certain seasons. Each female can give birth to one cub.

Until about eight months of age, the wombat cub constantly remains in the mother’s pouch, and only then gradually begins to lead an independent life. For the first year, the cub is completely dependent on the mother and is always near her.

is a representative of the Australian fauna that is active at night. The herbivorous animal, like meerkats, mongooses and ferrets, digs holes. Vegetation is the main food of the animal. It looks friendly and seems safe, however, this is a mistaken opinion. As soon as the wombat senses a threat, it immediately becomes aggressive. It is appropriate to say that nature has endowed this animal with acute hearing.

Where does the wombat live?

Australia and Tasmania are the main regions where the wombat lives. It is found in southern New Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Its habitat is vast fields, mountains and forests. The wombat has a huge need for land, in which it tirelessly digs burrows - there it lives and marks its own territory.

The wombat will always protect the inhabited expanses and scare away uninvited guests with a stern moo. Often this is enough for them to leave him alone, but if necessary, the wombat is ready to fight. Previously, all of Australia was inhabited by wombats, but due to the intensive extermination of rodents, their population has decreased significantly. Today they can be found exclusively only in the southern part of the mainland.

Gallery: wombat animal (25 photos)

looks like a small stocky bear because of its short legs. But in fact, he is a “relative” of the koala and kangaroo. The body is massive and thick, big head. There are currently three known species of these mammals:

common Vombatus ursinus;
broad-browed;
northern, or woolly-nosed Krefta.

Representatives of the last two varieties have another name - long-haired.

Appearance

The body length of an adult animal reaches about 75-130 cm. Weight is 25-45 kg. The body looks compact, the legs are short, but extremely strong. Each foot has five toes, four of which have piercing claws - with which it digs its trenches. There are two small eyes on the large head. Very long and thin tail.

The common wombat has a completely bare nose, short, round ears, the fur is gray-brownish in color and is completely hard to the touch. Representatives of the other two species - northern and broad-fronted - have a hairy nose, much larger ears and soft fur. The largest among the rest is the wombat, which belongs to the broad-fronted species. His distinctive features A flat forehead and pointed ears are considered.

Who is a wombat

It is found mainly underground in a hole that he dug himself.. Using its long, sharp claws, this animal is capable of building both small caves and real tunnel passages. The length of which can reach about 20 meters, and the depth is about 3.5 meters. In places of transition underground systems Independent caves are formed, in which different “families” of these mammals can live at different times. They are quite charming and extremely surprising, because they rest during the day, being in their shelters, and under the cover of night they become active in finding food.

Adult individuals have almost no natural enemies. However, they can only hunt on them Tasmanian devils and wild dingoes.

Nutrition

Vegetation is the source of food for wombats. They use:

grass shoots;
roots of found plants;
can be saturated with moss;
as well as mushrooms and berries.

And they recognize edible vegetation through upper lip. Strong front teeth protrude from under it, with which the animals instantly cut off young shoots to the very roots. Due to their excellently developed sense of smell, these representatives of the fauna are perfectly oriented even in the dark.

The breeding phase begins in May and continues until August. No more than three weeks are given to carry a wombat baby. During one pregnancy, she can give birth to only one “heir”, who after birth remains under her protection for a fairly maximum period of time. This animal has a pouch on its abdomen, which is turned upside down. This placement helps the wombats to dig their tunnels at ease, even while the small wombat (baby) is in this pouch.

The wombat reproduces almost throughout the entire area where it lives, with the exception of isolated arid zones. In such habitats, this animal is capable of producing offspring only at certain times of the year. In situations wildlife The northern and common wombats last on average about fifteen years. In captivity, their life expectancy, on the contrary, increases to a quarter of a century.

Australia is famous for its huge number of zoological parks and tourist centers, where the animals live in captivity and actively reproduce. Australian wombat extremely popular, despite the fact that they are extremely difficult to tame. But the park staff managed to find a common language with these creatures: after much persuasion, they still leave their personal “apartments” for everyone to see and even allow themselves to be stroked.

But do not forget about their far from meek character, which can awaken at any moment. As soon as a marsupial senses danger, it is immediately able to attack a person and scratch him with its rather large and strong claws. If you don't provoke him, he won't show any signs of anger. But at the same time, even a bad mood can affect his behavior.

Being powerful and strong, possessing remarkable weight, sharp teeth and massive jaws, an angry wombat will leave deep wounds if the person does not disappear from his sight at the right time. In addition, when angry, these animals can completely destroy the vegetation that will be in the area. He will diligently dig up the entire area until not a single sprout remains on it.

Such data makes the wombat not the kindest pet. He is unpredictable, extremely timid and because of this he poses a huge danger to humans. And even if the threat is not realistic, a wombat gripped by fear can attack an imaginary enemy.

Today, many people want to keep such a pet at home. However, experts do not recommend... Because it can cause a lot of trouble both for other pets and for people. If the animal gets scared or feels threatened, it may bite or scratch. Undoubtedly, this fluffy and funny animal evokes sympathy and respect. However, keeping a wombat at home is not the best option.

A favorable place for this animal is a vast territory personal plot, not a house. At the same time, it is important to remember about the climatic zone of residence, since they tolerate the cool season incredibly poorly.