WOMBAT
Short, stocky and feisty, wombats are known for their stout appearance and viral videos. Sadly, wild wombats face many threats, but you can help them thrive by symbolically adopting one today.
With their short legs, stocky bodies, hilarious antics and curious cube-shaped poo, it’s no wonder wombats are loved all over the world. There are three species of wombat that live across southern and eastern Australia and while they may be low to the ground, they make up for it on the scales. Adult wombats can measure up to one metre in length and weigh between a whopping 20 and 35kg! While their playful zoomies and destructive tendencies have made them internet sensations, wombats are actually extreme diggers that can shovel up to one metre of hard earth every night. These marsupials use their strong claws to dig into the soil, creating a complex network of burrows called warrens. These warrens can be impressively large, with some tunnels running for up to 30m that can sometimes be seen from space!
Meet the family
There are three species of wombat: the bare-nosed wombat, the southern hairy-nosed wombat and the northern hairy-nosed wombat.
Bare-nosed wombat
Scientific name: Vombatus ursinus
Stats: Unlike their hairy-nosed cousins, these wombats have bald noses. They prefer wetter habitats, residing in forests in southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania.
There are three subspecies of common wombat: one found on the Australian mainland, one in Tasmania, and one on Flinders and Maria Islands in the Bass Strait.
Status: Least Concern
Southern hairy-nosed wombat
Scientific name: Lasiorhinus latifrons Stats: Southern hairy-nosed wombats are the smallest species of wombat in Australia. They live in semi-arid to arid woodlands and grasslands in southeast WA, SA and southwest NSW, where they spend their days foraging for grasses. Status: Near Threatened (but Endangered in NSW)
Northern hairy-nosed wombat
Scientific name: Lasiorhinus krefftii Stats: Northern hairy-nosed wombats are the largest species of wombat. They are also one of the rarest land mammals in the world, with only 400 individuals remaining in the wild. Status: Sadly, the northern hairy-nosed wombat is listed as Critically Endangered and can now only be found in a few protected areas in Queensland.
Threats
Sadly, wombats face a number of threats in the wild and need our help.Habitat destruction
Wombats live across diverse landscapes including forests and heathland, but habitat loss is impacting their populations.
Vehicle collisions
Wombats are often victims of vehicle collisions, especially at night when they are most active.
Predators
Young wombats are vulnerable to predators like foxes, while domestic dogs can threaten wombats of all ages.
Why it matters
Not only is the wombat an Aussie icon, they also play an important role in their environments as ecosystem engineers. With their powerful claws, wombats move a prodigious amount of earth during their digging sprees. This helps to aerate the soil by breaking up hard clumps, as well as improving water penetration and cycling organic material and nutrients. Not only does a wombat’s digging help the environment, but their burrows provide shelter for other wildlife. In fact, a 2024 WWF-supported study found that these underground dwellings provide crucial resources like shelter and water for animals after bushfires.
Sensor cameras captured images of over 15,000 individual animals inspecting, foraging, entering and leaving, or even bathing in and drinking from the water that pooled inside the burrows, including echidnas, wallabies, bush rats, lizards and birds.
How we're helping
Habitat protection
Australian forests are being bulldozed at unprecedented rates, robbing native animals like the wombat of their homes and food. We’re working to stop excessive tree-clearing, protect existing trees and forests, and replant native habitat that has been lost.
Rewilding
We’re returning Aussie species like the wombat, platypus and eastern quoll back to their former homes by reintroducing them to landscapes where they once thrived.
Reforestation
We’re advocating to shape stronger nature laws to protect the remaining habitat for wombats and so many other Aussie animals.
Lungtalanana
We’re working with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and researchers from the University of Tasmania to bring lost species like the wombat back to Lungtalanana, an island off the coast of Tasmania.
Did you know?
Wombats have cube-shaped poo. These unconventional scats act as territorial markers and to attract a mate (no, thank you!) and are left on top of rocks and logs. The cube shape means that their poop won't roll away and can stay put in precarious locations. Love scat? Find out more about wombat poop on episode three of Scat Chat with WWF-Australia.
But that’s not the only fascinating thing about this animal’s rear end. Wombat posteriors are made of thick cartilage and are super tough. When threatened, wombats can shelter in their burrows head-first and use their rock-hard bums to plug up the tunnel’s entrance. A bite to the bum from a predator won’t be fatal, leaving the wombat to live another day!
How you can help
- Adopt a wombat - by symbolically adopting a wombat today, you’re supporting our work to protect the future of wombats and restore the areas they call home.
- Slow down when driving between dusk and dawn in country areas - cars pose a serious threat to wombats. Be alert and cautious while driving through potential wombat habitat.
- Learn more and spread the word - help us teach even more people about the incredible wombat and why they need our support.
