Wombat Wonders

Did you know that Wombats were once as big as rhinos, way back in time? Now they are are only up to almost 4 feet and up to 80 pounds when adults.

Wombats are marsupials found in and around Australia, with a distinction - Their pouch is backward from kangaroos or koalas. They dig underground and the babies would be covered with dirt if the pouch faced forward. No, they are not badgers, which are carnivores, and related to the skunk family.

Wombats are herbivores with typical food digestion lasting 14 days, which allows them to extract every bit of nutrients to help live a desert existence. I believe the wombat is the only animal of any kind that has a perfectly square (cubic) feces. Wombats lifespan in the wild is around 5 years, but can live to the ripe old age of 25 in captivity.

Although they look cuddly, they have an extremely strong bite an would rather chew through things than walk around. They can run up to almost 25 miles an hour when threatened.