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Wally the Wombat
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Wally the 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

Facts about Wombats Facts about Wally the Wombat