Wombats[1] Fossil range: Pleistocene to Recent
Common Wombat in the snow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Marsupialia Order: Diprotodontia Suborder: Vombatiformes Family: Vombatidae Burnett, 1829
Genera and Species
Vombatus Vombatus ursinus Lasiorhinus Lasiorhinus latifrons Lasiorhinus krefftii †Rhizophascolomus †Phascolonus †Warendja †Ramasayia

Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately one metre (39 inches) in length with a very short tail. They are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The name wombat comes from the Eora Aboriginal community who were the original human inhabitants of the Sydney area. Look up wombat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ... Image File history File links Vombatus_ursinus_(Wombat_in_snow). ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria For the folk-rock band see The Mammals. ... Orders Superorder Ameridelphia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Superorder Australidelphia Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name Marsupial derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. ... Suborders Vombatiformes Phalangeriformes Macropodiformes Diprotodontia is a large taxon of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats, and many others. ... Families Phascolarctidae Vombatidae Vombatiformes is one of the two suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. ... Gilbert Thomas Burnett (1800 - 1835) was a British botanist. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Vombatus ursinus (Shaw, 1800) The Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is one of three species of wombat and the only one in the Vombatus genus. ... Binomial name Vombatus ursinus (Shaw, 1800) The Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is one of three species of wombat and the only one in the Vombatus genus. ... Binomial name (Owen, 1845) The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is one of three species of wombats. ... Binomial name (Owen, 1873) The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii), also known as the Yaminon, is one of three species of wombats. ... Binomial name Phascolonus was a genus of marsupial related to the wombat, foe which it also had a physical resemblance. ... This article is about mammals. ... The Zebra is an example of a quadruped. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A scorpion tail The tail is the section at the rear end of an animals body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. ... Slogan or Nickname: Island of Inspiration; The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product... Portrait of Bennelong, senior man of the Eora / Dharawal tribe The traditional owners of the inner Sydney City region of Australia are the Cadigal people. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ...

Characteristics

Wombats dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats will also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. They are not as commonly seen as many animals, but leave ample evidence of their passage, treating fences as a minor inconvenience to be gone through or under and leaving distinctive cubic scat. Adult Firefly or Lightning Bug – a Crepuscular Beetle Photuris lucicrescens Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during the twilight. ... A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. ...

Wombats are herbivores, their diet consisting mostly of grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots. Their incisor teeth somewhat resemble those of the placental rodents, being adapted for gnawing tough vegetation, as well as for digging tunnels. Like many other herbivorous mammals, they have a large diastema between the incisors and the cheek teeth, which are relatively simple. The dental formula of wombats is: A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... In nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. ... Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. ... Genera See text The Family Cyperaceae, or the Sedge family, is a taxon of monocot flowering plants that superficially resemble grasses or rushes. ... For other uses, see Herb (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bark (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Root (disambiguation). ... Incisors (from Latin incidere, to cut) are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing. ... Diastema is a gap or space between two teeth. ... Incisors (from Latin incidere, to cut) are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. ...

Dingos and Tasmanian Devils prey on wombats. Their fur colour can vary from a sandy colour to brown, or from grey to black. Each of the species is around a metre in length and weighs between 20 and 35 kg (44 to 77 pounds). Dentition is the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. ... For other uses, see Dingo (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tasmanian Devil (disambiguation). ... Kg redirects here. ...

Female wombats give birth to a single young in the spring, after a gestation period lasting 26-28 days.^{[citation needed]} They have a well-developed pouch, which the young leave after about 6-7 months. Wombats are weaned after 15 months, and are sexually mature at 18 months of age.^[2] Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ... Kangaroo Joey inside the pouch The pouch is a distinguishing feature of marsupials; the name marsupial is derived from the Latin marsupium, meaning pouch. ... A breastfeeding infant Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. ...

Ecology and behavior

Wombats have an extraordinarily slow metabolism, taking around 14 days to complete digestion, which aids their survival in arid conditions.^[2] They generally move slowly, but when threatened they can reach up to 40 km/h and maintain that speed for up to 90 seconds.^{[citation needed]} Wombats defend home territories centered on their burrows, and react aggressively to intruders. The Common Wombat occupies a range of up to 23 hectares (57 acres), while the hairy-nosed species have much smaller ranges, of no more than 4 hectares (10 acres).^[2] Structure of the coenzyme adenosine triphosphate, a central intermediate in energy metabolism. ... For the industrial process, see anaerobic digestion. ...

When attacked, they can summon immense reserves of strength; one defense of a wombat against a predator underground is to crush it against the roof of the tunnel, thus suffocating the animal.^{[citation needed]} Its primary defense is its toughened rear hide with most of the posterior made of cartilage. This, combined with its lack of a meaningful tail, makes it difficult for any predator that follows the wombat into its tunnel to bite and injure its target. The English word POSTERIOR is identical to the original Latin adjective, and has two different uses : as an ADJECTIVE, it indicates that someone or something is behind another, either spatially or chronologically it also became a SUBSTANTIVE, indicating the rear-end, especially of a person, i. ... Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. ...

Evolution

Wombats, like all the larger living marsupials, are part of the Diprotodontia. The ancestors of modern wombats evolved sometime between 55 and 26 million years ago (no useful fossil record has yet been found for this period). About 11 species flourished well into the ice ages. Among the several rhinoceros-sized Giant Wombat (Diprotodon) species was the largest marsupial to have ever lived. The earliest human inhabitants of Australia arrived while diprotodons were still common. The Aborigines are believed to have brought about their extinction through hunting, habitat alteration, or probably both. Suborders Vombatiformes Phalangeriformes Macropodiformes Diprotodontia is a large taxon of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats, and many others. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... For other uses, see Rhinoceros (disambiguation). ... Species Diprotodon opatum Diprotodon minor Diprotodon loderi Diprotodon annextans Cast of a Diprotodon skeleton at Queensland Museum. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ...

Species

There are three living species of wombat:^[1]

• Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
• Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
• Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat or Yaminon^{[citation needed]} (Lasiorhinus krefftii)

Binomial name Vombatus ursinus (Shaw, 1800) The Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is one of three species of wombat and the only one in the Vombatus genus. ... Binomial name (Owen, 1845) The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is one of three species of wombats. ... Binomial name (Owen, 1873) The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii), also known as the Yaminon, is one of three species of wombats. ...

Wombats and humans

They can be awkwardly tamed in a captive situation, and even coaxed into being patted and held, possibly becoming quite friendly. Many parks, zoos and other tourist set-ups across Australia have wombats on public display, and are quite popular. However, their lack of fear means that they may display acts of aggression if provoked, or if they are simply in a bad mood. Its sheer weight makes a charging wombat capable of knocking an average-sized man over, and their sharp teeth and powerful jaws can result in severe wounds. The naturalist Harry Frauca once received a bite 2 cm deep into the flesh of his leg—through a rubber boot, trousers and thick woollen socks (Underhill, 1993). Harry Frauca (born 1928) is an Australian naturalist, writer and photographer. ...

When wombats are kept illegally as pets by people living in rural areas, they can often become a danger to humans. Once the wombat becomes confident in human company, it may lose its fear of humans altogether. This may result in the wombat approaching and attacking a person, which has happened several times in past years^[when?]. Currently^[when?], in central New South Wales, a wombat that once belonged to an elderly woman who passed away is becoming a serious danger to people, as it regularly attacks them when they come into its territory.^[3]

Gallery

Wombat grazing at dusk in Narawntapu National Park, Tasmania. Tasmania's cooler climate makes all its creatures furrier than their cousins in mainland Australia. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1519x1006, 305 KB) Опис файлу A wombat helping maintain the grass in Narawntapu National Park, Tasmania. ...	A pair of wombats. Wombats in Captivity Photographed by user:dramatic in an Australian wildlife centre, 2001. ...	A wombat at the Australia Zoo. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ...	A wombat on a leash, being walked at the Australia Zoo. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 763 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this image myself. ...
A wombat at the Melbourne Zoo	A wombat eating at the Melbourne Zoo

Further reading

• The Death of a Wombat, Ivan Smith, drawings by Clifton Pugh, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973, hardcover, 62 pages, ISBN 0-684-13538-8. A humble wombat meets a tragic end during a fire.
• Wombats, Barbara Triggs, Houghton Mifflin Australia Pty, 1990, ISBN 0-86770-114-5. Facts and photographs of wombats for children.
• The Wombat: Common Wombats in Australia, Barbara Triggs, University of New South Wales Press, 1996, ISBN 0-86840-263-X.
• The Secret Life of Wombats, James Woodford, Text Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1-877008-43-5.

References

Dr Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. ... is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Vombatidae

• South Australian Government Faunal Emblem (official website)
• Wombania's Wombat Information Index
• Russell The Wombat's Burrow
• Fauna of Australia, Vombatidae by R. T. Wells