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Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Check out Australia Zoo’s Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat!

Don’t miss the bulldozers of the bush, right here at Australia Zoo! Our gorgeous southern hairy-nosed wombats can be spotted digging, grazing and exploring the sights, sounds and smells that the Zoo has to offer on their daily walks.

 

Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat standing and looking at the camera.

 

Southern hairy-nosed wombats are found throughout the semi-arid areas of South Australia and the southern parts of Western Australia. These animals are perfectly adapted for digging! They use their strong claws and jaws to dig through earth and tree roots in order to build their homes, which is an impressive underground burrowing system.

 

Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat looking to the left zoomed in.

 

They have a tough, cartilage plate on their back, allowing them to block any would-be predators, such as dingoes and foxes, from entering their burrow. To ensure their pouch doesn’t fill up with dirt whilst burrowing, it is backwards facing. This pouch is used to raise their young, which are called joeys. A wombat joey is born weighing just 1 to 2 grams (0.03 to 0.07 ounces) and looks just like a pink jellybean. Crikey! Wombats are herbivorous and are often spotted during the night, foraging and grazing on grasses, shrubs and leaves and even tree bark during drought.

 

Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat eating in the grass.

 

Sadly, habitat destruction and car strikes are threatening the fragmented populations that remain. They are listed as an endangered species and are truly in need of our support.

  • Class of animal icon
    Class

    Mammalia

  • Genus of animal icon
    Genus

    Lasiorhinus

  • Species of animal icon
    Species

    latifrons

  • height of animal icon
    Length

    80 - 90 centimetres

  • weight of animal icon
    Weight

    20 - 32 kilograms

  • Diet

    Herbivore

  • gestation of animal icon
    Gestation

    30 days

  • threatened species status of animal icon
    Status

    Endangered

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