Animal Postcards and Stories
Wally the Wombat
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Hi I'm Wally, a male Northern Hairy-nosed wombat. Some people say I'm grumpy .
I'm not really, I just like to be left alone.
If you see me with other wombats, I'm the one with short brown hairs on my turned-over nose. My cousin the Common Wombat has a bare nose.
I'm a marsupial mammal. That means female wombats have a pouch where they keep their baby.
The pouch is like the Koala's and opens backwards.
I'm about 13½ inches (34cm) tall, 39 inches (99cm) long and I weigh about 77 pounds (35kg).
My grey fur is soft and silky and I have black patches around my eyes. My short powerful legs and strong claws are really useful for digging burrows. I dig with my front legs and push soil out of the burrow with my rear legs. I sleep during the day in my burrow, especially if it's very hot. This saves energy.
Usually I only come out at night for food. I'm a vegetarian but I can go without food and water for a long time.
Don't be fooled by the clumsy way I walk. I can run really fast if I need to escape, but I can't keep going for very long.
There aren't many of us Hairy-nosed Wombats left in the world. I'm Australia's most endangered marsupial. I live in the Epping forest in Central Queensland, where it gets very hot and we have a lot of droughts.
You can see where I've been because I leave cube shaped droppings behind me wherever I go.
So be careful what you step in.
See ya!
Wally
