The Wombat,
is a member of the marsupial family. They are found in coastal
regions and hills of South Eastern Australia, Tasmania, and Flinders
Island.
They are large, burrowing,
tail-less animals with rodent-like grinding teeth. In some respects
they are equivalent to badgers, using their sturdy limbs and claws
to dig burrows up to 30 m (100 feet) long with a nest chamber at the
end.
Wombats are nocturnal, remaining
in their burrows by day, emerging in darkness to feed upon grasses,
roots, and the inner bark of trees.
They are solitary except at mating
time; a single young is born, which is then carried in the mother's
pouch. The wombat has been known to survive for up to thirty years
in captivity.
