Wombat short description. Wombat: animal of Australia. "Little bears" of the green continent. Life in an apartment

Wombats belong to the family of marsupials that live on mainland Australia. They are herbivores that dig holes. Outwardly, they resemble cubs. Their growth is rather low up to 130 cm, and the weight most often does not reach 45 kg. They have strong and short limbs that end in five fingers, four of which have large claws for digging the ground.

Scientific classification:

Family: Wombats

Class: Mammals

Order: Two-crested marsupials

Type: Chordates

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

Wombats are most common in southern and eastern Australia. The main condition for their existence is the soil, convenient for digging holes.

Wombat lifestyle

Wombats build branched caves up to 3.5 meters deep and up to 20 meters long. Sometimes caves of different animals can overlap. During the day, wombats rest in their caves, and at night they get out in search of food.

It is noteworthy that if a wombat meets a stranger on the surface of its territory, it will behave aggressively towards him, and may even attack. And if a stranger meets underground in the process of digging caves, then they cohabit amicably. Wombats are considered animals that cannot be tamed and, moreover, trained. But at the same time, people start them on their plots of land as pets.

A distinctive feature of the body structure of wombats is a very hard back, which has a kind of solid shield. If the animal crawls into the cave to the wombat, then he tries to drive the animal into a corner and begins to crush it with his shield. It can also butt its enemy like a ram and make sounds similar to lowing.

What do wombats eat?

Food for wombats is quite varied. Most of all they love young shoots of grass. But they also eat plant roots, berries, mushrooms, moss. Their sense of smell helps them to choose their food. And divided upper lip helps them choose exactly the plant they want to eat.

The metabolism of wombats is characterized as very slow. Food can be digested for up to 14 days. They are also famous for their very low water consumption. They are second only to camels. They need only 22 ml of water per day per 1 kg of their body. The feces of these animals are in the form of cubes. Wombats are very cold tolerant.

Wombat - video:

Wombat breeding

Wombats breed throughout the year. The only exceptions are the arid regions of Australia, where wombat breeding is seasonal. The female wombat has two nipples, but she can only give birth to one baby.

The female wombat carries the child for 21 days, and then he is in the mother's bag, which is more like a backpack, as it is located at the back.

The female's bag is located in the opposite direction so that when digging, the earth does not get to the child. From six to eight months, the baby wombat is in the bag and stays next to the mother for about a year. At 2 years old, the male wombat already reaches puberty, and at 3 years old, the female also reaches puberty.

The life expectancy of Australian bear cubs reaches about 15 years in nature, and approximately 25 years in captivity. A long-liver among wombats is known, who lived for 34 years in captivity.

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Wombat - Australia

The wombat is a rare animal native to Australia.

It belongs to the family of two-pronged 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.

Outwardly, this animal has 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 paw ends with five toes. big claws. Claws are the main tool of the wombat-digger. According to the structure of its jaws and teeth, the wombat resembles a rodent. Among all marsupial wombat the most “toothless”, he has only 12 teeth.

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

To date, there are two types of wombats, which differ in some ways. The first species was named the woolly-nosed wombat because of the fur on its nose.

AT this species includes two subspecies - the Queensland wombat and the long-haired wombat.

The second type of wombats are bare-nosed, they do not have hair on their nose. This species includes shorthair wombats and salamate wombats. In addition, science knew five more species of wombats, which today are completely extinct.

Wombat life

B Most of the life of a wombat passes underground, in a hole. Of all the mammals, it is the largest burrowing animal. A burrow is a wombat dwelling that can connect to other dwellings through underground tunnels. Such a tunnel can be up to twenty meters long, and the average depth of a wombat hole is 3.5 meters. All day long, the wombat hides from the hot sun in the bowels of the earth, and by night it gets out to the surface to find food for itself. Wombats feed on grass, mainly finding young shoots. In extreme cases, they may eat moss, berries, mushrooms, or roots.

On the ground, the wombat encounters few dangers. The only predator that threatens the measured life of the wombat is the wild dog dingo.

The wombat is always protected by the back of the body, as it is very hard and almost impenetrable. Thick skin, cartilage and bones perfectly reflect the attacks of enemies. Sometimes a wombat can obscure the entrance to its hole with the back of its body in order to secure the dwelling. Defensively, wombats headbutt opponents as if butting heads. When a dingo dog enters a hole, the wombat drives it into a far corner and strangles it with the back of its body.

Wombats in nature

Wombats are excellent defenders of their territory. Defensively, 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 the short legs, the wombat is able to run very fast. Moving away from the enemy, he can develop a phenomenal speed of up to 62 kilometers per hour. If necessary, the wombat can climb a tree or burrow into the ground.

Usually wombats can breed throughout the year. However, those species that live in the arid part of the country breed only in certain seasons. Each female can give birth to one cub.

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

The wombat is a herbivorous representative of the fauna of the Australian mainland, belonging to the family of Dictate marsupials.

Outwardly, the animal resembles a small bear cub, weighs between 20-40 kg with a total body length of about 1 meter.

Wombat: description of the animal

The body of a wombat is compact, covered with hard gray-brown hair. Short tail. The head is large, slightly flattened. The eyes are small. According to the structure of the jaws and teeth, of which there are 12 (which is the smallest indicator among marsupials), there is a resemblance to rodents. Well developed short, strong limbs. Each of them has 5 fingers, 4 of which are crowned with large claws designed for burrowing.

Methods of protection from the enemy

The rear part of the wombat's torso, consisting of thick skin, bones and cartilage, is extremely hard. Thanks to this feature, the marsupial can defend itself from enemies: turning its back to them, it blocks the entrance to its home. If the enemy managed to get inside, the burrower is able to crush the latter against the walls of the shelter. Another way to repel an attack is headbutts, which the wombat inflicts like a ram or a goat. The sounds similar to lowing made by the animal are aimed at intimidating and intimidating the enemy.

A wombat is an animal that, if unable to cope with the enemy, can run away from him, developing a speed of about 40 km / h (for short distances). Also, the marsupial is able to climb trees or go swimming.

Where do wombats live?

The habitat of wombats can be called the southern and eastern parts of Australia, the states of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, South Wales, Queensland. The animal spends most of its life underground, therefore it chooses an area with soil that is good for digging holes. The depth of such caves reaches 3 meters, the length of complex tunnel systems is about 20 meters.

Knowing where wombats live, it would be useful to mention that such animals prefer a solitary lifestyle, but try to have holes close to each other. For this reason, moves can sometimes overlap.

animal lifestyle

Australian Dweller Leads Predominantly night image life; rests in a burrow during the daytime. At sunset, it goes out in search of food. In winter, with a lack of heat, it can leave the dwelling during the day, in order to warm up. By the way, the wombat is hard to tolerate low temperatures.

For marking the territory (on stones, trunks fallen trees) marsupial uses his own feces, which, due to the specific structure of the anus, have a cubic shape. Sticky mucus and a specific sweetish smell of feces scare away competitors from an already occupied territory. By the way, in Australia, wombat feces are the raw material for paper production.

wombat progenitors

Wombat is an animal that is the oldest inhabitant of the planet, which appeared on it more than 18 million years ago. A close relative of the Australian animal is considered to be diprotodon - a marsupial, the largest representatives of which reached about 3 meters in length and 2 meters at the withers. Of modern animals, wombats are most similar to koalas: in teeth, spermatozoa.

During the settlement of Australia (about 40-60 thousand years ago), the number of wombats on the continent declined sharply due to hunting for them, destruction of habitats, competition with new species of animals imported to the continent. Today, the animals are threatened by cars, under the wheels of which marsupials carelessly jumping onto the road perish. However, the wombat is an animal that is not afraid of humans. Sometimes, at bad mood or the manifestation of signs of aggression in his direction, it can even show character: attack, scratch. The enemy from the animal world for the wombat is the dingo dog.

Diet

The main food of wombats are young grass shoots, which the animal, which has an excellent sense of smell, seeks out and cuts to the very root. sharp teeth. The marsupial does not disdain berries, mushrooms, moss. The marsupial inhabitant of the Australian continent is characterized by a slow metabolism: food is digested for about 2 weeks.

In terms of water consumption, the marsupial wombat is the most economical among mammals: the fluid consumption per 1 kg of its weight is 22 ml. This feature helps such a representative of the fauna to survive in conditions of drought and crop failures.

Reproduction features

Wombat males reach puberty at 2 years, females - at 3. Reproduction of animals occurs all year round; in dry regions - seasonally. The term for bearing a cub is 21 days.

Having been born, the baby is in the mother's bag, which is located on the back (like a backpack) for another 6-8 months. Otherwise, when digging the earth, lumps of dirt would fall inside the bag.

Lifespan

The average lifespan of a wombat is 15 years. In captivity, this period is significantly increased. Thus, there was a case where Australian wombat lived to the age of 34 at the zoo. The ability to dig holes and destroy green spaces sometimes makes the wombat unsuitable for home content. In zoo marsupial mammal may even produce offspring.

The wombat is an animal that wild nature most often found in places most visited by tourists. The latter in the desire to admire such rare individuals, they are often fed.

The inhabitant of the Australian continent has a good-natured character and easily makes contact with a person. There is a version that the wombat is the prototype of Sonya, a participant in the Crazy Tea Party from Lewis Carroll's fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. A tame animal that loved to sleep on the table lived with Dante Rossetti, an acquaintance of the English writer.

To date, the export of the wombat from Australia is prohibited, the Australian animal is offered only to large zoos for $500-1000.

Wombats are amazing animals. And because the ancients (they live 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 look of a wombat is very funny, in childhood it resembles a piglet, and growing up, it looks like a small one, however, retaining some features of a mumps. However, this is limited by external slight resemblance, because the wombat is a marsupial animal, digger and, moreover, a rodent. The length of the wombat ranges from seventy to one hundred and twenty centimeters, and the weight is from twenty to forty kilograms.

It has a compact body, strong and short limbs. Each paw has five toes, four of which are crowned with large claws that allow the wombat to dig. The head is large, it 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, just hiding underground for now. Existing wombats are divided into medium-haired, short-haired and wool-nosed.

Behavior

The wombat lives exclusively in Australia, as well as adjacent areas, for example, in 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 dwelling place with flat, dry, soft soil without stones, groundwater and other factors that create obstacles. Moreover, in Australia it is quite difficult to find such a place, despite the dry and hot climate.

Digging the earth is their favorite pastime. Short periods of time allow these animals to build entire underground cities for several families. The burrows are up to 30m long. In these giant "communal" corridors, wombats from different families can be found, but no showdown follows. They just fall apart. However, do not fall into the hole of a foreign element.

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

The animals do not have enemies, except for one introduced by man -. If the dingo decides to dine with the wombat, he will hide in a hole, also trying to lure the unlucky hunter inside. Then it turns back to the enemy and crushes him like a powerful press. The wombat has a backside consisting of rough skin, cartilage and bones, and there are no painful points there. Wherein big weight and claws, allowing to rest against the ground, make the stern a serious tool. Dingo can only sympathize.

common wombat a small and very shy animal, covered with thick hair. A wombat looks like a bear cub and a badger at the same time, but it belongs to the order of marsupials. Row marsupials
Dimensions
Length: 70-115 cm.
Tail length: 2.5 cm.
Weight: 22-39 kg.
Reproduction.
Puberty: from the first year of life.
Mating season: autumn.
Pregnancy: 20-22 days. The female carries the baby for 6 months.
Number of cubs: 1.
Lifestyle.
Habits: loner.
Food: Mostly grass, but also roots, tree bark, and mushrooms.
Sounds: sharp growl.
Lifespan: up to 3 years.
related species. In the south lives the broad-browed, or long-haired, wombat, in the north, the Kreft wombat, which is threatened with extinction. Short and strong paws with long claws are an excellent tool for digging holes. Thanks to this, the wombat can lead interesting life underground. People often consider it a pest. Wombats cause significant damage to farmers in their fields and pastures.
Food. The wombat feeds mainly on grass. At night, he walks around his favorite places located on open areas. During the night, a wombat can walk up to three kilometers.
The limbs of these animals are strong, armed with powerful spade-shaped claws adapted for digging. With its front paws, the wombat pulls plants out of the ground, even eating their roots. The wombat eats the bark and leaves of trees and bushes. Each wombat has its own territory, which it guards against competitors from other wombats. Feature wombats are their teeth, similar to those of rodents. They do not have fangs, and the tooth enamel covers only the front side of the incisors, so the upper border becomes very sharp. Wombats have four incisors (two each on the upper and lower jaws), similar to those of rodents. They are constantly growing. The wombat bites off food by rapidly moving its lower jaw.

Wombat and man. The first Europeans to see a wombat were sailors from a ship that was wrecked at the end of the 18th century in Bass Strait, located between Australia and Tasmania. When they reached the shore and saw the wombats, people at first mistook them for cubs. Then these animals were called badgers. The Australian settlers soon realized that wombats were pests. Residents of Australia believe that wombats spoil pasture surfaces with burrows. Rabbits began to hide in the burrows of wombats. During the destruction of rabbits, wombats also died. For each wombat killed, a huge reward was paid. AT late XIX century on the Bass Strait Islands, almost all wombats were destroyed.
Way of life. The homeland of the wombat is hilly areas in the deserts and along the edges. It lives in burrows that it digs for itself. In a hole, the wombat sleeps and hides when threatened. One wombat occupies ten or more holes at the same time. Each of them has a separate entrance. The wombat digs holes with strong front paws, on which it has long sharp claws. He throws the excavated earth aside.

As the hole gets deeper, the wombat starts digging with all four paws. When a root appears in its path, the wombat immediately gnaws through it. The wombat is nocturnal, so most during the day he sleeps in a hole. Often, not far from the entrance to the hole of this animal, you can see a shallow hole - this is the place where it "takes" morning sunbaths. Although some animals dig holes not far from each other, and sometimes even their structures are connected by common corridors. Two individuals rarely use one hole If a wombat is being chased by a predator, he tries to get to his hole at all costs.Only in the hole does the wombat feel completely safe.
Reproduction. The wombat creates pairs only for the duration of mating. This period begins in April and lasts until June. At this time in Australia, the middle and end of autumn. After a pregnancy that lasts only a few weeks, the female in a safe and comfortable burrow (a corridor that ends with a nest chamber prepared in advance and lined with soft plants) gives birth to one cub. At the time of his birth, he is still in the embryonic stage of development, but he already has well-developed forelimbs. With their help, the child can climb into the mother's bag. For six months, he sits in his mother's pouch, firmly attached to one of the three nipples, through which he generously receives nourishing milk. Due to the fact that the opening of the bag is at the back, the journey of wombat cubs into the bag is shorter than the path that small kangaroos overcome. This is also convenient because it excludes the possibility of clay getting into the bag while digging a hole and getting food. Even when the child grows so large that he can leave the bag, for another eleven months he remains with his mother and, in case of danger, hides in her bag. After the baby wombat learns to chew on its own, the mother nibbles fresh grass for him and places it on the ground in front of his muzzle.

Did you know… Fishermen who lived on the Bass Strait Islands captured wombats, raised them, and kept them at home as pet dogs. Wombats are easy to tame.
Marsupials live in Australia, on nearby islands and in America. There are about a hundred species of marsupials in Australia.
Fossils of marsupial ancestors date back 10,000 years. The then marsupials were the size of a hippopotamus.
Wombat can dig a hole in the ground as quickly as a grown man does with a shovel.
Latin name comes from the word "bag". But there are several types of marsupials in which the leather bag is absent, their cubs cling tightly to the milk nipples or to the mother's hair.
A newborn wombat weighs only 2g and is only 22mm tall.

Nora wombat. The burrow can be 30 m long and 2 m deep. The entrance to the burrow is oval and wide so that the wombat can crawl into it. He can block the entrance with his own body, not letting in uninvited guests.
Residential area: lined with plant material and serves as a bedroom and "maternity room".
Place for sunbathing: not far from the entrance to the hole, the wombat digs a shallow hole for itself, in which it basks in the sun early in the morning.
Pouch: The female wombat has a pouch that opens back to keep out clay when she digs the ground.
Places of residence.common wombat lives in Australia. Distributed from Queensland and New South Wales along the Great sandy desert and the Victoria Desert all the way to Southwest Australia and Tasmania.
Preservation. Now the wombat is not threatened with extinction. Despite the ban, it is hunted in the state of Victoria.

Video about wombat