Photos

Today I went to Melbourne Zoo again, took my cousin there. So, here is a Baby wombat.

Some info. about Wombat:
- Babies live in their mother's pouch for 6 months.
- Wombats dig dens with tunnels.
- They eat plants at night.
- They stay in a den in daytime.

The wombat is a marsupial that digs burrows. It is about 1 metre long from nose to tail, the tail being only a couple of centimetres long. An adult weighs about 25-35 kilograms. Wombats are the largest burrowing mammals. There are three different kinds (species) of wombat.

A wombat is covered with coarse grey or brown fur, with a large head, a large nose and small ears. It is solidly built, with large claws for digging. Its body has a rounded appearance. Its back is hard and bony. This bony back is a useful defence against intruders in the burrow, as the wombat uses its back to crush them against the burrow wall.

The wombat is nocturnal, which means it is active at night, eating grasses, roots and shrubs. It stays in a burrow in daytime, though sometimes can be seen basking in the sun at the burrow entrance. It lives alone, except for a female with young.

Some wombat burrows can be about 20 metres long, with several entrances and chambers. A wombat generally has a number of burrows in its territory, and may visit several during its nightly wanderings.The wombat marks its territory by leaving droppings (scats) on logs and rocks.

The female's pouch has its opening facing the back legs. When she is digging, the pouch does not fill with soil. A female wombat gives birth to one very tiny young, which moves to her pouch after being born. It stays in the pouch for about 6 months, suckling milk from a teat in the pouch. After it leaves the pouch, it will follow her for another 11 months.

All comments are welcome.