The lovable, feisty young star from the web-comic 'Digger' by Ursula Vernon is none other than a very huggable Australian Marsupial, Wombat. Wombats are shy animal from Australia and are certainly not the ones that subscribe to confinement. They are the natives of the wilds.
There are three prevalent species of Wombats found in Australia. The Common Wombats (Vombatus ursinus) are found mainly in and around Queensland-New South Wales border and the coastal region of South Australia. The hills and the mountain region is its favorite place for burrowing while the native grass is the favorite food. The adult wombats can weigh up to 40 kg. Common wombats are the protected species. However, a subspecies of wombats, found chiefly in the Flinders Island region in Bass Straight and the Victorian region, are killed as pests. |
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Contrasting the mountain-loving Common Wombats, Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats (Lasiorhinus latrifrons) are natives of southern regions of Southern and Western Australia that have arid climate. They live in deep burrows inside which the temperature is cool and humid during the daytime. With time, the bodies of this species has adapted to the harsh climatic conditions and found methods to combat such situations. For example, its body temperature remains low so that energy and water stay conserved. Their metabolism rate is slower than that of the common wombats. It is in fact so slow that the food actually takes 8 days to pass through the gut.
Poor cousins of the Common Wombats and the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats are the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats that are on the verge of extinction. They thrived in the interiors of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. However, the only left habitats are Deniliquin and Moonie River area.
Wombats are smart and energetic animals, running at the speed of about 40 km/hr. Their burrows can extend as deep as 20 to 30 m. Though wombats are nocturnal animals, a bright sunny winter morning may bring them out of their deep slumber to enjoy the sun's warmth. They eat native grasses, roots and sedges. And yes they love the delicious chocolate biscuits.
Many parks, zoos and other tourist set-ups across Australia have wombats for show to the public. You can easily spot one, while bush walking through the numerous wildlife parks dotting the Australian landscape.
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