The common wombat also known as the coarse-haired wombat or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial

Marsupial

Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...

, one of three species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of wombat

Wombat

Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...

s and the only one in the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Vombatus. The common wombat grows to an average of 98 cm (38.6 in) long and a weight of 26 kg (57.3 lb).

Taxonomy

The common wombat was first described by George Shaw

George Shaw

George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University...

 in 1800. There are three subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

:

• V. ursinus hirsutus, the nominate form, is found on the Australian Mainland
  Australia (continent)
  Australia is the world's smallest continent, comprising the mainland of Australia and proximate islands including Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands and Raja Ampat Islands...
  
  .
• V. ursinus tasmaniensis, is found in Tasmania
  Tasmania
  Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
  
  . It is smaller in size than V. ursinus hirsutus.
• V. ursinus ursinus, was once found throughout the Bass Strait Islands but is now restricted to Flinders Island
  Flinders Island
  Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
  
   to the north of Tasmania. Its population was estimated at 4,000 in 1996 and is listed as vulnerable
  Vulnerable species
  On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
  
   by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
  
   and IUCN Red List
  IUCN Red List
  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
  
  .

Distribution

It is widespread in the cooler and better watered parts of southern and eastern Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, including Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, and in mountain districts as far north as the south of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, but is declining in Western Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 and South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

.

Description

Common wombats are sturdy and built close to the ground. When fully grown they can reach anywhere between 80 and 130cm, and between 17 and 40kg. The wombats found on Tasmania and Flinders Island are often smaller than their mainland counterparts. It is distinguished from both Hairy-nosed wombats by the fact that it has a bald nose.

Behaviour

Common wombats are a solitary, territorial species, with each wombat having an established range in which it lives and feeds. In this area, they dig a tunnel system, with tunnels ranging anywhere from 2 to 20 metres in length, along with many sidetunnels. There is usually only one entrance to the burrow, although they may create a smaller one to escape with. Often nocturnal, the common wombat does come out during the day in cooler weather, such as in early morning or late afternoon.

Diet

Common wombats are herbivorous, subsisting off grass and other plant materials. Foraging is usually done during the night.

Breeding

The common wombat can breed

Breeding in the wild

Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity...

 every two years and produce a single joey. The gestation period is about 20-30 days, and the young remain in the pouch for 5 months. When born, they weigh between 3.5 and 6.5 kg (7.7 and 14.3 lb). The joey is weaned

Weaning

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing a mammal infant, either human or animal, to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk...

at around 12 to 15 months of age and is usually independent at 18 months of age..

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