The wombat is a large burrowing herbivore. This ancient Australian animal, which has lived on Earth for about 18 million years, looks like a bear cub. Well-fed, with short legs, clumsy, the animal evokes affection.
Habitat
Wombats (Vombatidae) are a family of marsupial mammals from the order Diprotodontia. These animals are close relatives of koalas - in ancient times they had common ancestors, one of which reached the size of a hippopotamus. But once the wombat’s paths diverged: the first found refuge in the trees, and the second began to dig deep holes.
Wombats live only in Australia - in the southeast of the continent, as well as on the Tasmania and Flinders Islands. A characteristic feature of animals is the ability to maintain high population densities even in unproductive areas.
In sandy coastal areas, the population of short-haired wombats reaches very high densities. They can also be found in the alpine belt up to the snow line and above.
Long-haired wombats favor dry regions where soil fertility is too low to support livestock, but these marsupials thrive here.
Types, descriptions and photos of wobmats
The family includes 3 modern species, combined into 2 genera:
1) The genus Lasiorhinus, which includes the Queensland wombat (Lasiorhunus krefftii) and the long-haired wombat (Lasiorhunus latifrons);
2) The genus Vombatus, consisting of one species - the Short-haired wombat (Vombatus ursinus).
The animal's physique is dense, its legs are short, and its tail is not developed. The muzzle is slightly flattened, the eyes are small, and the large nose is covered with hair.
In the photo of the wombat you can see its external features.
The girdle of the forelimbs is strong and heavy, the humerus is wide, which makes the front of the body especially powerful. The front paws are massive with large, long claws.
Females and males of all species are similar, but male Queensland wombats have a shorter body than females, a thicker neck, and more powerful shoulders. The animal's skull is massive, wide and flattened. Teeth grow throughout your life.
A very interesting feature of wombats is their back part of the body, which, if necessary, can serve as a kind of shield. It is very hard due to its rough skin, cartilage and bones, which is very useful when you need to repel an enemy attack. If a dingo dog tries to get into the hole, our hero, turning his back, blocks the entrance to the hole, and if the enemy still ends up in the hole, the animal drives him into a corner and tries to strangle him with his hindquarters.
Short-haired wombat
This species lives in forests and groves, heather thickets and alpine meadows throughout south-eastern Australia, as well as on the islands of Tasmania and Flinders.
Body length 90-115 cm, tail length – 2.5 cm; height at withers 36 cm; weight – 22-39 kg. The coat is coarse and varies in color from black to brown and gray.
Short-haired wombat (Vombatus ursinus)Long-haired wombat
The long-haired wombat lives in central South Australia. In arid regions it inhabits forest areas and is also found in meadows and steppes.
Body length 77-94 cm, tail – 2.5 cm; height at withers 36 cm, weight – 19-32 kg. The coat is soft, its color varies from gray to black with light spots, the muzzle is covered with fur, the ears are long and pointed.
Long-haired wombat (Lasiorhunus latifrons)Over the past two hundred years, the ranges of short-haired and long-haired wombats have been reduced by 10-50% due to habitat destruction and competition with rabbits and livestock for food, but they are safe in most of their original range.
In some areas of Victoria, the short-haired wombat is considered a pest, and its numbers even have to be controlled.
Queensland wombat
One of the rarest animals today. This species was found in only three places, in two of which it disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century due to habitat changes and the use of poisons against rabbits. The latter population survived due to the fact that in 1974 its range entered the Epping Forest National Park (Central Queensland). In 1980 there were only 35 individuals, but by 1995 the population had doubled. Today, according to various sources, there are from 90 to 118 Queensland wombats.
Queensland wombat (Lasiorhunus krefftii)This is the largest species. The average body length of males is 102 cm, females - 107 cm; height at withers 40 cm; males weigh about 30 kg, females - 32.5 kg. The coat is silky, silver in color, and there are dark circles around the eyes.
Lifestyle
Not much is known about the behavior of wombats in nature, since they are secretive, nocturnal animals that spend a lot of time in burrows underground. Burrows often have multiple exits, side tunnels and nesting chambers and can be over 30 meters long.
Wombats can live alone or in groups of up to 10 animals; the number of males and females in the group is usually the same. As a rule, several groups live close to each other.
These animals are characterized by an unusual settlement feature: young males and females remain in the area where they were born, while adult females, after raising their offspring, can move to another area. They disperse over a distance of up to 3 kilometers.
The diet of wombats mostly consists of young grass; sometimes they eat plant roots, fruits of berry bushes, mosses and mushrooms.
Animals have a very low basal metabolic rate, and their energy requirements are the lowest among marsupials. Low energy requirements coupled with efficient digestion of fiber mean that wombats require little food. Thus, the animal spends much less time searching for food than would be expected from a herbivore of its size. The total feeding time for the Queensled wombat under favorable conditions is only 2 hours a day. This allows the animals to spend most of their time underground. Under unfavorable weather conditions, they do not fall into torpor, but may not leave the hole for several days.
The breeding season for long-haired and Queensland wombats is in spring and early summer, while short-haired wombats breed at any time of the year. Pregnancy lasts 20-22 days, there is 1 cub in the litter. The newborn moves into the mother's pouch, where it develops from 6 to 10 months (depending on the species, the baby of the Queensland species remains in the pouch the longest).
The life expectancy of these animals in nature is on average 15 years, in captivity 20-25 years. A long-lived wombat from the Australian Ballarat Wildlife Park is also known. He lived for 32 years.
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The wombat is a very cute and cute creature of nature. His homeland is Australia. Like many animals in this country, the wombat is also a marsupial, but the place intended for raising the baby is located not in front, but in the back. Therefore, the bag resembles more of a backpack. This arrangement is not accidental. After all, a wombat is a burrowing animal that builds long passages underground, helping itself to dig the ground with its clawed paws. If the bag were on the stomach, soil and dirt would get there.
Description of the rodent wombat
Outwardly, a wombat resembles a fluffy bear cub, but its muzzle is slightly flattened. The animal's weight is 20-45 kilograms, and its height ranges from 70 to 120 cm. The animal's body is compact.
Short, stocky, strong limbs help the wombat dig tunnels at a depth of 3 meters, the length of which is on average 20 meters. Large claws also help with this. There are five toes on each paw of the animal. Wombats have gray-brown fur and thick skin.
Its cute face has two small eyes, its tail is short, and its teeth reveal its resemblance to rodents. If we compare the teeth of a wombat and Australian marsupials, then wombats have fewer of them, only 12.
There are three modern types of wombats: Short-haired, Kwislensky, Long-haired wombats. Once upon a time there were 5 more species of these animals, but they became extinct. Wombats have a long history, as they began to inhabit the earth 18 million years ago. More than 36 million years ago, the ancestors of wombats and koalas shared the same evolutionary line, but then each went their own way. Since then, these are different species of animals that are the closest relatives.
About 40 thousand years ago, an even closer relative of wombats, called Diprotodon, became extinct. These animals had even larger dimensions; the largest representatives were about two meters at the withers and 3 meters in length.
Of course, it’s unlikely that anyone would want to keep such large animals at home, but wombats are happily tamed. This is not difficult to do, since the animals easily make contact and become quite good-natured. Wombats are pleasant to hold in your arms; if you blow on their nose, the animals can fall asleep.
They can be trained to open doors, which wombats will happily do. The animal has good hearing and scent, but poor vision. There were cases when these animals sat patiently near their owner’s clothes, thinking that he was nearby. In fact, the owner of the house was not there.
Despite the fact that the animal adapts well to captivity and can even live here instead of the required fifteen years to 20-25 years, the animal is considered stupid. Therefore, it can pose a danger to surrounding pets and people. If the animal gets scared or feels threatened, it may even bite in defense.
Interestingly, in the wild it has almost no enemies, with the only exceptions being the wild dog dingo and the Tasmanian devil. But the wombat is not so easy to defeat, because it has a strong shield on the back of its body.
If an enemy wants to climb into a wombat’s hole, it closes it with its hind limbs, preventing the uninvited guest from entering. If he still succeeds, the wombat begins to push him against the wall, presses him against it with his shield and strangles him. If this cannot be done, the animal desperately butts like a ram.
It can frighten the aggressor by making sounds similar to mooing or baring its teeth. Usually this measure helps, and the uninvited guest leaves. If the enemy is stronger, the wombat runs away, reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. But the animal will not be able to run so fast for a long time.
This rodent is not picky when it comes to food. He feasts on young shoots of grass, mushrooms, berries, mosses, and plant roots. They digest food within 14 days, so it is consumed very sparingly. The same goes for water. For 1 kg of animal weight, only 20 milliliters of water is enough.
These features help the wombat survive in years of crop failure and drought, and be an economical animal when kept at home or in a zoo. Perhaps the only thing that poses a danger to them in captivity is the cold; the animal does not tolerate low temperatures well.
Wombat lifestyle and reproduction
Wombats are solitary animals; they do not live in packs. However, the burrows are located close to each other. Sometimes the wombats' passages intersect, but the animals mark their territory with their square-shaped feces so that the neighbor does not encroach on it.
Wombats have a nocturnal lifestyle; during the day they sleep or rest in their burrows, and at sunset they come out to feed and take a walk. But in winter they lack warmth, so they sometimes go out during the daytime at this time of year to bask in the rays of the sun.
Wombats, unlike many other animals, reproduce all year round, with the exception of arid regions where it is seasonal. The female has 2 nipples, but only 1 cub is born at a time. The female carries it for about 21 days, then the baby stays in the mother’s pouch for 6-8 months, but even after getting out of it, it remains close to the mother for another year.
Sexual maturity in these rodents occurs at two years of age in males and at 3 years in females. As mentioned above, in captivity, wombats sometimes live up to 25 years, but there is a recorded case of a wombat living in a zoo to 34 years.
An inhabitant of the Australian open spaces, the wombat is an animal that immediately attracts attention with its incredibly mobile emotional muzzle and appearance, reminiscent of a bear cub.
This representative of the family of two-incisor marsupials appeared on Earth almost 18 million years ago and has lived to this day, practically without undergoing any radical changes. Let's find out details about the existence of these unique herbivores.
Wombat: photo. Animal and its features
Wombats, which live in the south and east of Australia, are found in many states of the continent where there is land suitable for digging burrows. marsupial bears - koalas, these animals are very similar to them, but their evolutionary lines diverged, according to scientists, long before the appearance of the species known today.
These cute “bear cubs” reach a length of 0.7 to 1.2 m and weigh from 20 to 40 kg. Nature thoughtfully designed their compact body, providing them with short and strong flat limbs ending in five fingers topped with strong claws adapted for digging holes. The description is complemented by a short, undeveloped tail, an impressive head that gives the impression of being slightly flattened on the sides, and small eyes.
Kinds
The uniqueness of these animals is emphasized by the small number of their species. The wombat is an Australian animal found nowhere else in the world. There are only four species of this marsupial:
- Ordinary or large. The main features are a coarse coat, rounded short ears and lack of hair on a small area of the muzzle. The jaws and teeth of this species are similar in structure to rodents. In the center of the upper and lower rows there is a pair of classic long incisors.
- Tasmanian. The species is the most heat-loving and rare, although it used to be very common. Found in Tasmania and Flinders Island.
- Broad-browed. Also a rare species, distributed only in South Australia. Exterminated due to its soft, silky fur.
- The Lesser Wombat is a species native to Queensland.
Lifestyle
The marsupial wombat is the largest of the burrowing mammals that spend a significant part of its life underground. Perhaps it was this way of life that allowed this unique population to be preserved to this day.
With strong and sharp claws, they are able to dig complex passages, small caves and tunnels in the ground. The burrows that the wombat digs are similar to those of a badger: ornate corridors of varying lengths (from 3 to 30 meters) lead to a room used by the wombat as a home. There he makes a cozy nest for himself.
The wombat is a nocturnal animal. Activity increases with the onset of night, when he begins to search for food, moving quite quickly. Sometimes these amazing “Australians” reach high speeds - up to 40 km/h, although only over short distances. It is difficult to see them during the day because they rest in their caves.
What do "little bears" eat?
The wombat is a gourmet animal. He is picky and looks for young tender shoots of grasses, sweet roots of some plants, and the upper lip, divided into two parts, allows wombats to choose exactly the food they like, since the animal’s front teeth can freely reach the smallest sprout or root. Wombats' sense of smell plays an important role in finding food.
These unique animals have the same incredible yet efficient metabolism. Digestion of food in a wombat lasts 14 days.
And in terms of water consumption, these “Australians” are the leaders among mammals after the camel: for the normal functioning of the body, on average, 0.5-0.7 liters of water per kg of body weight per day is enough for them.
Wombat enemies and methods of protection
The Australian “bear cub” has practically no natural enemies in nature. The main opponents can be considered dingoes and Tasmanian devils. Nature took care of protecting the wombat by creating a kind of shell from the back, inventing an unusual combination of bones and cartilage, covered with extremely hard skin. Sensing danger, they turn around backwards, blocking the entrance to the hole, and successfully repel the attacks of the attackers. If an uninvited guest climbs into a hole, the wombat skillfully drives him into a corner and tries to strangle him using the same protective “device.”
He is capable of striking with his head, acting like a goat, which also leads to the escape or death of the victim.
Reproduction
Wombats do not have distinct periods for reproduction. This process can happen at any time and anywhere. The wombat is a monogamous animal. The mother touchingly takes care of the cub and does not leave worries about him until he reaches puberty - the age of two. The offspring stays in the mother's pouch for up to 6-8 months, and when released into the world, they remain next to the mother for more than a year. The lifespan of this interesting animal in nature reaches 15 years, and individuals in captivity can live up to 25.
It must be said that for Australians, the wombat (photo) is almost a domestic animal, since it often lives next to people, coming to them for various reasons, sometimes tragic.
Wombats, or wombats (Vombatidae) are representatives of the family of marsupial mammals, which belong to the order of two-incisors, living mainly in Australia. All wombats are burrowing, completely herbivorous animals, resembling very miniature bears or fairly large hamsters in appearance.
Description of the wombat
Mammals from the order Two-incisor marsupials and the Wombat family lived on our planet more than ten million years ago, which directly indicates the unusual originality and uniqueness of such an animal. Many species of wombats have already disappeared, so at present, only two genera of the wombat family are representatives of the modern fauna: the short-haired wombat and the long-haired or Queensland wombat.
Appearance
Wombats are typical representatives of herbivorous mammals. The average weight of an adult animal is 20-40 kg with a length ranging from 70-120 cm. The wombat has a fairly dense and compact build, has a small body, a large head and four well-developed, powerful limbs. Wombats are characterized by the presence of a small tail, which is considered to be undeveloped. The coat of such a mammal is gray or ashen in color.
This is interesting! The back part of the herbivore is built in a special way - it is here that there is a significant amount of bones and cartilage, covered with very hard skin, which serves the wombat as a kind of protective shield.
When there is a threat of natural enemies entering the hole of such an unusual animal, wombats, as a rule, expose their back parts and thus protect or block the passage to their home. Due to its impressive size, the rear part can also be used as a weapon that crushes the enemy. Despite their short legs, wombats reach speeds of up to 40 km/h when moving, and are also able to climb a tree and even swim quite well.
The head area of such funny and compact “bears” also attracts attention.. The head is very large compared to the size of the body, but slightly flattened, with beady eyes on the sides. In case of real danger, a wombat is capable of not only defending itself, but also quite effectively attacking with its head, using characteristic goring movements for this purpose.
The jaws, as well as the teeth of a mammal, in their structure and appearance are very similar to the primary food processing organs of rodents. Among other marsupials, wombats have the fewest teeth: the upper and lower rows are characterized by the presence of a pair of cutting-type front teeth, as well as chewing teeth. At the same time, the animal completely lacks traditional angular teeth.
This is interesting! Wombats are rightfully famous for their art of digging, and can easily create entire underground labyrinths. It is for this reason that wombats are often called the most talented and largest diggers.
The wombat's limbs are very strong and muscular, quite strong, having claws that are located on all five toes of each paw. A well-developed skeleton of the limbs plays a very important role in the life of a mammal. Using their paws, adult miniature “bears” are able to dig comfortable and spacious holes. The tunnels they dig often reach a length of 18-20 meters and a width of 2.5-3.0 meters. Representatives of the order Two-incisor marsupials and the Wombat family deftly build unique underground “palaces” in which entire families live.
Wombat lifestyle
Wombats lead a predominantly underground and nocturnal lifestyle, so the main condition when choosing a habitat is the presence of dry soil in the complete absence of overly large stones, groundwater and tree roots. The wombat spends a significant part of the day inside its burrow. Rest and sleep are carried out during the day, and when darkness sets in, the mammal goes upstairs, warms up or refreshes itself.
All representatives of wombats prefer to live in fairly large groups, so the territory for their life activities occupies a very impressive size. The boundaries of its territory, which can be several tens of hectares, are marked with peculiar square excrement of the animal. By their nature, wombats are friendly and have absolutely no fear of humans, which is why they are often kept as exotic pets.
Lifespan
As many years of scientific research and naturalistic observations show, the average life expectancy of a wombat in natural conditions does not exceed fifteen years. In captivity, a mammal can live for almost a quarter of a century, but the duration depends on the conditions of detention and the characteristics of the diet.
Types of wombats
Currently, the family includes three modern species, which are combined into two genera:
- Genus Lasiorhinus. Long-haired, or woolly-nosed, or hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus) are animals from the genus of marsupial mammals. A fairly large animal with a body length of 77-100 cm, a tail length of 25-60 mm and a weight of 19-32 kg. The fur is soft and long, brown-gray on the back, and white on the chest and cheeks. The ears are small and triangular in shape;
- Genus Vombatus. Short-haired, or bare-nosed, or Tasmanian wombats (Vombatus ursinus) are animals belonging to the species of marsupial mammals. The only modern representative of the genus of bare-nosed wombats.
This is interesting! The closest relatives of the representatives of wombats included Diprotodon, but this simply gigantic representative of marsupials died out about forty thousand years ago.
Today, just over a hundred individuals remain of the Queensland wombat population, which are kept in a small reserve in Queensland. The broad-browed wombat from the genus Lasiоrinus is about a meter long, has light gray skin and original, pointed ears.
Range, habitats
The ancestors of wombats were small in size, settled in trees, and moved from one branch to another using long tails, like all monkeys, or hooked onto the stem part of plants using their big toes. This feature affected the range and habitats of the modern mammal.
The least studied Australian marsupials, the long-haired or woolly-nosed wombat, are found in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria, as well as south-western New South Wales and southern and central Queensland. There are three known subspecies of the genus Vombatus or short-haired wombats: Vombatus ursinus hirsutus, which lives in Australia, Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis, which lives in Tasmania, and Vombatus ursinus ursinus, which inhabits only Flinders Island.
Wombat diet
Wombats very readily eat young grass shoots. Sometimes mammals also eat plant roots and mosses, berries and mushrooms. Thanks to such an anatomical feature as the division of the upper lip, wombats are able to very accurately and competently select their diet.
This is interesting! The animal's front teeth can reach directly to ground level, which is very convenient for cutting even the smallest green shoots. A well-developed sense of smell also plays an important role when choosing food at night.
It should be noted that representatives of wombats are characterized by slow, but at the same time very effective metabolic processes. It takes about two weeks for a mammal to fully digest all the food it eats. In addition, wombats are by far the most economical consumers of water of all mammals currently living on our planet (after the camel, of course). An adult animal needs about 20-22 ml of water per day for every kilogram of body weight. However, wombats have a hard time withstanding the cold.
The wombat is a unique animal of its kind. In appearance, these creatures resemble the more famous representatives of the family of two-incisor marsupials - koalas. Despite the fact that these 2 species have certain similarities, their evolutionary paths diverged many millions of years ago. Modern wombats are burrowing animals. Currently, these unique creatures are on the verge of extinction. They are not hunted for their skin or meat. However, the extensive passages that animals make are enormous in size, and they often lead to the destruction of fences.
The wombat is a unique animal of its kind
This in most cases causes significant material damage to Australian farms, which is why some people poison these creatures in order to get rid of such a neighborhood. The burrowing wombat causes as much damage as rabbits and kangaroos, which are abundant in Australia. Because of this, the number of animals has decreased significantly over the past 100 years. In addition, many wombats die under the wheels of cars, since the animals, if such a threat approaches them, do not try to escape, but freeze in place, which becomes the cause of the collision. These creatures are an endangered species, so conservation measures are being taken to increase their numbers.
The only continent where this unique marsupial mammal is found is Australia. The range of wombats extends across the entire southern and eastern part of the continent. Currently, this marsupial mammal is the largest animal that digs extensive burrows in the soil. The lifespan of these creatures in nature is about 18-25 years. The body length of an adult varies from 70 to 130 cm. Their weight can range from 20 to 45 kg. At the moment, there are 2 types of unique animals. The most common is the northern long-haired wombat. This species is currently found throughout most of the habitat of these creatures. The short-haired wombat is smaller in size. These animals, in the process of evolution, have perfectly adapted to their way of life. The front and hind legs of wombats are quite short, but strong.
In their appearance, these creatures resemble the more famous representatives of the family of two-incisor marsupials - koalas
There are sharp claws at the tips of the fingers. The diet of adults includes:
- young shoots of grass;
- mushrooms;
- berries;
- roots;
- some types of mosses.
These creatures have an excellent sense of smell, so they easily find the most suitable young shoots. The forked upper lip allows animals to cut succulent grasses right at the root. It is currently known that these unique marsupials have only 12 teeth. In their structure, wombats resemble rodents, but these creatures have nothing to do with them. Considering that wombats spend most of their lives underground, they do not have good eyesight. Their eyes are very small. Although wombats have thick fur and warm undercoats, they do not tolerate cold well. To reduce heat loss, this unique marsupial mammal from Australia acquired certain adaptations during the process of evolution. His tail and ears were greatly shortened and covered with thick hair.
Archaeological excavations carried out in Australia have revealed that more than 10 varieties of these creatures used to live on the continent. Some of them were real giants. Due to climate change and many other reasons, they became extinct, and now there are only 2 genera of these animals on this continent.
Animal wombat (video)
Gallery: wombat animal (25 photos)
Wombat lifestyle
These creatures are quite primitive. They have a small brain, so they usually act according to instincts. Even when locked up, the mammal does not stop trying to start digging. This is a built-in instinct that animals cannot resist. It is precisely because of this feature that it is not recommended to have such an exotic animal. Even a small wombat can damage floors and furniture. These creatures cause the least harm in their natural habitat, even if they come into conflict with agricultural workers. They can also be kept in large zoos.
Wombats spend most of the day in burrows, which can go 3 m deep underground. Branched passages with large rooms can extend for more than 20 m. Thus, the desire of wombats to constantly dig is more than compensated by the opportunity to obtain reliable shelter from predators.
The burrows maintain a temperature that is comfortable for marsupials. Usually these animals come to the surface at dusk and at night. One family occupies a certain territory, which can be up to 25 hectares. Wombat droppings are shaped like cubes. These animals use it to mark the border of their territory.
Males can behave aggressively with each other while defending their living space and the right to mate. However, if 2 males meet in underground passages, a fight between them is excluded. During disputes over territory, wombats take a fighting stance, begin to sway and warn the aggressor of their intentions with an unpleasant sound that is somewhat reminiscent of a moo. Wombats rarely use their claws when fighting.
During skirmishes for territory, these animals bang their heads, just like rams do. Such fights are extremely rare in nature. In some cases, these creatures can inflict serious wounds on each other with their claws.
A wombat in a hole is practically invulnerable. When an outsider tries to get inside, the animal blocks access to the hole with its butt, which has a special structure of cartilage and bones and very hard skin. This allows the wombat to pin any aggressor against the wall of the hole without harm to itself, not giving him a chance to penetrate further. There are known cases where dogs who tried to squeeze into a hole died in it, crushed by the body of a wombat to the earthen wall.
If necessary, this marsupial mammal can easily escape from a predator, as it can reach speeds of more than 40 km/h. Among other things, it can easily climb a tree and even swim across any body of water. However, despite the gentle appearance of these animals, it is not recommended to tempt fate and get close to them. A frightened Australian wombat can attack a person, which can end extremely unpleasantly for the latter, given the huge claws.
Wombats are herbivores. When given the opportunity, they eat. Due to their slow metabolism, it takes them at least 14 hours to digest their food. Given that this marsupial mammal lives mainly in arid areas, it has adapted to make do with a small amount of water, which can be obtained from plant foods.
Wombat (video)
How do wombats reproduce?
These animals are not overly fertile. They can conceive offspring throughout the year. Only in the most arid areas, where the entire grass cover is burned by the sun, do these creatures not reproduce for a certain period.
The gestation period of wombats is only 20 days. Only 1 cub is born. Despite the fact that the female has 2 nipples, she is not able to feed twins. After birth, a very poorly developed wombat cub, clinging to the mother’s fur, moves into the pouch. There he finds a nipple and begins to feed.
The baby can live in the bag for up to 8 months. Only occasionally, towards the end of this period, does he leave his warm place to develop his muscles. For approximately another 1 year after the baby leaves the pouch, it stays close to its mother, who continues to care for it.
During this time, the baby learns to distinguish between herbs, mushrooms and berries, which he will later eat on his own, and in addition, he comprehends all the intricacies of the life of adult wombats. Usually the female, after her pouch is released, becomes capable of reproduction.
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