Wombats

Wombat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Wombat (disambiguation).
Wombats[1]
Fossil range: Pleistocene to Recent


Common Wombat in the snow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Infraclass: Marsupialia

Order: Diprotodontia

Suborder: Vombatiformes

Family: Vombatidae
Burnett, 1829

Genera and Species
Vombatus
Vombatus ursinus
Lasiorhinus
Lasiorhinus latifrons
Lasiorhinus krefftii
†Rhizophascolomus
†Phascolonus
†Warendja
†Ramasayia

Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately 1 metre (39 in) in length with a very short tail. They are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The name wombat comes from the Eora Aboriginal community who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area.

Contents [hide]
1 Characteristics
1.1 Ecology and behaviour
2 Evolution
3 Species
4 Wombats and humans
5 Gallery
6 Further reading
7 References
8 External links



[edit] Characteristics
Wombats dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. One distinctive adaptation of wombats is their backwards pouch. The advantage of a backwards-facing pouch is that when digging, the wombat does not gather dirt in its pouch over its young. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats will also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. They are not commonly seen, but leave ample evidence of their passage, treating fences as minor inconveniences to be gone through or under, and leaving distinctive cubic faeces.

Wombats are herbivores, their diet consisting mostly of grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots. Their incisor teeth somewhat resemble those of the placental rodents, being adapted for gnawing tough vegetation. Like many other herbivorous mammals, they have a large diastema between the incisors and the cheek teeth, which are relatively simple. The dental formula of wombats is:

Dentition
1.0.1.4
1.0.1.4

Wombats' fur colour can vary from a sandy colour to brown, or from grey to black. All three known extant species of wombats average around 1 m (39 in) in length and between 20 and 35 kg (44 and 77 lb) in weight.

Female wombats give birth to a single young in the spring, after a gestation period lasting 26–28 days.[2] They have a well-developed pouch, which the young leave after about 6–7 months. Wombats are weaned after 15 months, and are sexually mature at 18 months of age.[2]


[edit] Ecology and behaviour
Wombats have an extraordinarily slow metabolism, taking around 14 days to complete digestion, which aids their survival in arid conditions.[2] They generally move slowly, but when threatened they can reach up to 40 km/h (25 mph) and maintain that speed for up to 90 seconds.[1] Wombats defend home territories centred on their burrows, and react aggressively to intruders. The Common Wombat occupies a range of up to 23 ha (57 acres), while the hairy-nosed species have much smaller ranges, of no more than 4 ha (9.9 acres).[2]

Dingos and Tasmanian Devils prey on wombats. The wombat's primary defence is its toughened rear hide with most of the posterior made of cartilage. This, combined with its lack of a meaningful tail, makes it difficult for any predator that follows the wombat into its tunnel to bite and injure its target. When attacked, wombats dive into a nearby tunnel, using their rump to block a pursuing attacker.[3] They may allow an intruder to force its head over the wombat's back and then use its powerful legs to crush the skull of the predator against the roof of the tunnel.


[edit] Evolution
Wombats, like all the larger living marsupials, are part of the Diprotodontia. The ancestors of modern wombats evolved sometime between 55 and 26 million years ago (no useful fossil record has yet been found for this period). About 11 species flourished well into the ice ages. Among the several rhinoceros-sized Giant Wombat (Diprotodon) species was the largest marsupial to have ever lived. The earliest human inhabitants of Australia arrived while diprotodons were still common. The Aborigines are believed to have brought about their extinction through hunting, habitat alteration, or probably both.


[edit] Species
There are three living species of wombat:[1]

Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat or Yaminon (Lasiorhinus krefftii)[4][5]

[edit] Wombats and humans
Wombats were often called badgers by early settlers because of their size and habit. Because of this, localities such as Badger Creek, Victoria and Badger Corner, Tasmania were named after the wombat.[6]

The town Wombat, New South Wales, the asteroid 6827 Wombat, a soccer team in Brisbane and the British anti-tank rifle L6 Wombat (by an awkward acronym) are named after the animal.

They can be awkwardly tamed in a captive situation, and even coaxed into being patted and held, possibly becoming quite friendly. Many parks, zoos and other tourist set-ups across Australia have wombats on public display, and they are quite popular. However, their lack of fear means that they may display acts of aggression if provoked, or if they are simply in a bad mood. Its sheer weight makes a charging wombat capable of knocking an average-sized man over, and their sharp teeth and powerful jaws can result in severe wounds. One naturalist, Harry Frauca, once received a bite 2 cm (0.79 in) deep into the flesh of his leg — through a rubber boot, trousers and thick woollen socks (Underhill, 1993).

Unlike most other Australian marsupials, the wombat has a relatively large brain. This, combined with strong instincts upon maturity, allows a captive hand-raised wombat to be successfully released into the wild, unlike most other wild animals which either must be raised in specially simulated "wild" conditions (e.g., using "puppet parents") or kept as exhibits for their lifetimes.


[edit] Gallery
This section seems to be an image gallery.
Wikipedia is not a collection of images and policy discourages galleries. Please help by moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons, possibly creating a gallery of the same name if one does not already exist. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions.
Wombat grazing at dusk in Narawntapu National Park, Tasmania. Tasmania's cooler climate makes all its creatures furrier than their cousins in mainland Australia.
A pair of wombats.
A wombat at the Australia Zoo.
A wombat at the Melbourne Zoo



[edit] Further reading
The Death of a Wombat, Ivan Smith, drawings by Clifton Pugh, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973, hardcover, 62 pages, ISBN 0-684-13538-8. A humble wombat meets a tragic end during a fire.
Wombats, Barbara Triggs, Houghton Mifflin Australia Pty, 1990, ISBN 0-86770-114-5. Facts and photographs of wombats for children.
The Wombat: Common Wombats in Australia, Barbara Triggs, University of New South Wales Press, 1996, ISBN 0-86840-263-X.
The Secret Life of Wombats, James Woodford, Text Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1-877008-43-5.
How to Attract the Wombat, Will Cuppy with illustrations by Ed Nofziger, David R. Godiine, 2002, ISBN 1-56792-156-6 (Originally published 1949, Rhinehart)

[edit] References
^ a b Groves, C. (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 43-44. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
^ a b c d McIlroy, John (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 876–877. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
^ http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/webpages/bhan-53f7kj?open
^ http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lasiorhinus_krefftii.html
^ http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Lasiorhinus_krefftii/more_info.html
^ Lady Wild Life, Common Wombat, http://ladywildlife.com/animals/commonwombat.html, retrieved on 2008-09-01

[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vombatidae
South Australian Government Faunal Emblem (official website)
Wombania's Wombat Information Index
Russell The Wombat's Burrow
Fauna of Australia, Vombatidae by R. T. Wells
[show]v • d • eExtant Diprotodontia species

Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Class Mammalia · Infraclass Marsupialia

[hide] Suborder Vombatiformes

Phascolarctidae Phascolarctos Koala (P. cinereus)


Vombatidae
(Wombats) Vombatus Common Wombat (V. ursinus)

Lasiorhinus Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (L. latifrons) · Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (L. krefftii)




[show] Suborder Phalangeriformes (Possums) (cont. below)

Phalangeridae
(including Cuscuses) Ailurops
(Bear cuscuses) Talaud Bear Cuscus (A. melanotis) · Sulawesi Bear Cuscus (A. ursinus)

Phalanger Gebe Cuscus (P. alexandrae) · Mountain Cuscus (P. carmelitae) · Ground Cuscus (P. gymnotis) · Eastern Common Cuscus (P. intercastellanus) · Woodlark Cuscus (P. lullulae) · Blue-eyed Cuscus (P. matabiru) · Telefomin Cuscus (P. matanim) · Southern Common Cuscus (P. mimicus) · Northern Common Cuscus (P. orientalis) · Ornate Cuscus (P. ornatus) · Rothschild's Cuscus (P. rothschildi) · Silky Cuscus (P. sericeus) · Stein's Cuscus (P. vestitus)

Spilocuscus Admiralty Island Cuscus (S. kraemeri) · Common Spotted Cuscus (S. maculatus) · Waigeou Cuscus (S. papuensis) · Black-spotted Cuscus (S. rufoniger) · Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus (S. wilsoni)

Strigocuscus Sulawesi Dwarf Cuscus (S. celebensis) · Banggai Cuscus (S. pelegensis)

Trichosurus
(Brushtail possums) Northern Brushtail Possum (T. arnhemensis) · Short-eared Possum (T. caninus) · Mountain Brushtail Possum (T. cunninghami) · Coppery Brushtail Possum (T. johnstonii) · Common Brushtail Possum (T. vulpecula)

Wyulda Scaly-tailed Possum (W. squamicaudata)


Burramyidae
(Pygmy possums) Burramys Mountain Pygmy Possum (B. parvus)

Cercartetus Long-tailed Pygmy Possum (C. caudatus) · Southwestern Pygmy Possum (C. concinnus) · Tasmanian Pygmy Possum (C. lepidus) · Eastern Pygmy Possum (C. nanus)




[show] Suborder Phalangeriformes (Possums) (cont. above)

Tarsipedidae Tarsipes Honey Possum (T. rostratus)


Petauridae Dactylopsila Great-tailed Triok (D. megalura) · Long-fingered Triok (D. palpator) · Tate's Triok (D. tatei) · Striped Possum (D. trivirgata)

Gymnobelideus Leadbeater's Possum (G. leadbeateri)

Petaurus Northern Glider (P. abidi) · Yellow-bellied Glider (P. australis) · Biak Glider (P. biacensis) · Sugar Glider (P. breviceps) · Mahogany Glider (P. gracilis) · Squirrel Glider (P. norfolcensis)


Pseudocheiridae Hemibelideus Lemur-like Ringtail Possum (H. lemuroides)

Petauroides Greater Glider (P. volans)

Petropseudes Rock-haunting Ringtail Possum (P. dahli)

Pseudocheirus Common Ringtail Possum (P. peregrinus)

Pseudochirulus Lowland Ringtail Possum (P. canescens) · Weyland Ringtail Possum (P. caroli) · Cinereus Ringtail Possum (P. cinereus) · Painted Ringtail Possum (P. forbesi) · Herbert River Ringtail Possum (P. herbertensis) · Masked Ringtail Possum (P. larvatus) · Pygmy Ringtail Possum (P. mayeri) · Vogelkop Ringtail Possum (P. schlegeli)

Pseudochirops D'Albertis' Ringtail Possum (P. albertisii) · Green Ringtail Possum (P. archeri) · Plush-coated Ringtail Possum (P. corinnae) · Reclusive Ringtail Possum (P. coronatus) · Coppery Ringtail Possum (P. cupreus)


Acrobatidae Acrobates Feathertail Glider (A. pygmaeus)

Distoechurus Feather-tailed Possum (D. pennatus)




[show] Suborder Macropodiformes (cont. below)

Macropodidae
(includes Wallabies) Lagostrophus Banded Hare-wallaby (L. fasciatus)

Dendrolagus
(Tree-kangaroos) Grizzled Tree-kangaroo (D. inustus) · Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo (D. lumholtzi) · Bennett's Tree-kangaroo (D. bennettianus) · Ursine Tree-kangaroo (D. ursinus) · Matschie's Tree-kangaroo (D. matschiei) · Doria's Tree-kangaroo (D. dorianus) · Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo (D. goodfellowi) · Lowlands Tree-kangaroo (D. spadix) · Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo (D. pulcherrimus) · Seri's Tree-kangaroo (D. stellarum) · Dingiso (D. mbaiso) · Tenkile (D. scottae)

Dorcopsis Brown Dorcopsis (D. muelleri) · White-striped Dorcopsis (D. hageni) · Black Dorcopsis (D. atrata) · Gray Dorcopsis (D. luctuosa)

Dorcopsulus Small Dorcopsis (D. vanheurni) · Macleay's Dorcopsis (D. macleayi)

Lagorchestes Spectacled Hare-wallaby (L. conspicillatus) · Rufous Hare-wallaby (L. hirsutus)

Macropus
(includes Kangaroos
and Wallaroos) Subgenus Notamacropus: Agile Wallaby (M. agilis) · Black-striped Wallaby (M. dorsalis) · Tammar Wallaby (M. eugenii) · Western Brush Wallaby (M. irma) · Parma Wallaby (M. parma) · Pretty-faced Wallaby (M. parryi) · Red-necked Wallaby (M. rufogriseus)
Subgenus Osphranter: Antilopine Kangaroo (M. antilopinus) · Woodward's Wallaroo (M. bernadus) · Eastern Wallaroo (M. robustus) · Red Kangaroo (M. rufus)
Subgenus Macropus: Western Grey Kangaroo (M. fuliginosus) · Eastern Grey Kangaroo (M. giganteus)

Onychogalea
(Nail-tail wallabies) Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby (O. fraenata) · Northern Nail-tail Wallaby (O. unguifera)

Petrogale
(Rock-wallabies) P. brachyotis species-group: Short-eared Rock-wallaby (P. brachyotis) · Monjon (P. burbidgei) · Nabarlek (P. concinna)
P. xanthopus species-group: Proserpine Rock-wallaby (P. persephone) · Rothschild's Rock-wallaby (P. rothschildi) · Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (P. xanthopus)
P. lateralis/penicillata species-group: Allied Rock-wallaby (P. assimilis) · Cape York Rock-wallaby (P. coenensis) · Godman's Rock-wallaby (P. godmani) · Herbert's Rock-wallaby (P. herberti) · Unadorned Rock-wallaby (P. inornata) · Black-flanked Rock-wallaby (P. lateralis) · Mareeba Rock-wallaby (P. mareeba) · Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (P. penicillata) · Purple-necked Rock-wallaby (P. purpureicollis) · Mt. Claro Rock-wallaby (P. sharmani)

Setonix Quokka (S. brachyurus)

Thylogale
(Pademelons) Tasmanian Pademelon (T. billardierii) · Brown's Pademelon (T. browni) · Dusky Pademelon (T. brunii) · Calaby's Pademelon (T. calabyi) · Mountain Pademelon (T. lanatus) · Red-legged Pademelon (T. stigmatica) · Red-necked Pademelon (T. thetis)

Wallabia Swamp Wallaby (W. bicolor)




[show] Suborder Macropodiformes (cont. above)

Potoroidae Aepyprymnus Rufous Rat-kangaroo (A. rufescens)

Bettongia
(Bettongs) Eastern Bettong (B. gaimardi) · Boodie (B. lesueur) · Woylie (B. penicillata) · Northern Bettong (B. tropica)

Potorous
(Potoroos) Long-footed Potoroo (P. longipes) · Long-nosed Potoroo (P. tridactylus) · Gilbert's Potoroo (. gilbertii)


Hypsiprymnodontidae Hypsiprymnodon Musky Rat-kangaroo (H. moschatus)





Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wombat"
Categories: Marsupials of Australia | Vombatiforms | Words and phrases of Australian Aboriginal originViewsArticle Discussion Edit this page History Personal toolsLog in / create account Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Search
Interaction
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact Wikipedia
Donate to Wikipedia
Help
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Printable version
Permanent link
Cite this page
Languages
العربية
Bosanski
Català
Česky
Dansk
Deutsch
Español
Esperanto
فارسی
Français
Gàidhlig
한국어
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
עברית
ქართული
Latina
Lietuvių
Nederlands
日本語
‪Norsk (bokmål)‬
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Simple English
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
中文

This page was last modified on 24 February 2009, at 14:48. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers