Did you know… Animals - Wombats •
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Wombats like their tree-climbing cousin, the koala, are marsupials. This means that they are part of a particular group of mammals, who have pouches where their newborn young develop.. Wombat babies are born super small and helpless, so the pouch is a safe place for them to grow up and get ready for the world! Wombats are clever critters who spend their nights foraging for food, or digging new tunnels, entrances, or exits for their ever-expanding burrows! Wombats are herbivores, so most of their time is spent grazing on native grasses. Wombats usually spend their days tucked away in their underground homes. However, they do sometimes come out to sunbathe and warm up, especially when the weather is very cold. A wombat’s intestines have a curious ability – they shape their poop into angular cubes. A group of wombats is called a “wisdom”. A wombat can move up to 3 feet of dirt in a single day when building a burrow. During the Ice Age, there used to be giant wombats the size of a rhinoceros. Wombats live in large complex burrows up to 100 ft long. Wombats are the largest burrowing animal in the world. Wombats have the most developed brain of any marsupial. The bones and musculature around the jaw are very much like the beaver – but they are not related. Although generally quiet, if wombats become angry, they make hissing sounds.
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