Description
The Common Wombat has coarse, thick fur which can be cream, brown or black in colour. They have a large head with short rounded ears and a naked nose. Female Common Wombats also have a pouch which faces backwards to protect their young from flying dirt whilst the mother is digging the burrow.
Size
Common Wombats weigh between 22-39kgs.
Food
Native grasses, sedges, rushes, shrubs and tree roots.
Habitat
Eucalypt forest, open woodland, coastal scrub and heath
Distribution
The Common Wombat is found throughout South-east Australia and also in Tasmania.
Breeding
When food is plentiful Common Wombats breed throughout the year. Gestation lasts for one month, then a jelly-bean sized Joey is born which attaches to a teat in its mother’s pouch. The Joey will leave the pouch at 10 months but will stay with the mother for another eight to ten months. From the time the juvenile leaves the pouch it begins to substitute increasing amounts of plant material instead of milk. At between 12-15 months of age it stops suckling altogether.