the Wombats got the applicable German name "Plumpbeutler." they are clumsy, penetrated animals with short, stocky legs and a tiny stub-tail. its total-length amounts to 67-105 cm. The weight can reach 25-30 kg. The head is thick and wide and carries middle-long, roundish or triangular pointed ears. Relatively small eyes let suspected that these Sinnesorgane have only a low meaning. The nose can be bare or hairy. Fore - and rear-feet carry 5 short toes each, that are bekrallt strongly until on the big-toes. The denture contains 24 teeth. In each case only 2 edge-teeth exist in the waiter and lower jaw, cuspids are missing. So, the denture of the Wombats appears quite similarly to that of the rodents. Female animals have a big, well-trained bag. it is opened to the back and contains 2 teats.
Way of life Wombats usually oversleep the day in myself-dug Erdbauen. Until walks long to 8 m lead into a big residential-kettle, that is padded with plant-materials. In the cooler season, they however also lie to sunbathing in flat hollows near the cave-entrance occasionally during the day. At night, they go on food-search. they are pure herbivores and live from grass, herbs, fungi and roots.
Wombat are excellent diggers. With its cylindrical body, the extensive paws and the mighty claws, they are on outstanding tried at the digging way of life. When digging out a building site, they dig alternate with a front-paw at first and then push away the earth, that accumulated under its stomach, with nearly unwillingly working movements of the rear-paw. If they forced their way more deeply into the ground, so they press striding the relaxed earth backwards from the walk in irregular intervals out. The entrance usually is under a tree-root or under a rock.
The clumsy appearance and the comically working one, Wombats let waddling walk appear easily as good-natured, harmless animals. In its persistence and obduracy, however, they remind of country-turtles. If they took a direction once, so they pursue these unwavering. With the whole strength of its stocky body and with help of its strong claws and teeth, they clear its way almost inexorably for itself.
Reproduction One knows only very little about the reproductive-behavior of the Wombats. they are loners in general, who meet only to the combination-time. In April or Mays, 1 young were born. It is relatively far developed for a marsupial-young. its birth-weight amounts to approximately 2 g with a length of approximately 2 cm. After approximately 6 months, it is fully hairy and leaves the bag. Usually, it then stays with the mother even further 4 month.
System The Wombats or Plumpbeutler (Vombatidae) form an independent family within the order of the Zehenbeutler (Phalangeria, marsupials). it includes 2 types with 1 types each.
A good difference is the nose-back. it is black and bare with the Nacktnasenwombat (Vombatus ursinus). The fur of these animals is short and hard and has little or no sub-wool. At the thick, round head, roundish ears sit. The back-line is curved. The tawny one is easily gray frequent speckled until blackish fur. Throat and breast are usually more brightly colored. The Nacktnasenwombat lives in the hard-foliage-forests, rocky landscapes and coast-areas Südostaustraliens, Tasmania and the Flinders-Insel in the bass-street with several subtypes.
The hair-noses or Breitstirnwombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) has one of white or brown hairy nose-backs on the other hand. The brown fur is long and soft with dense sub-wool. It carries dawns, irregular stains and frequently works somewhat "moth-eaten" through it. The ears are triangular pointed, the head is easily angular. The back-line proceeds approximately exactly. The Haarnasenwombat occurs in South-Australia and in the inside of Queensland in the grassland-ships and the tree and bush-steppes.
Endangering The Nacktnasenwombat is there where it is protected, therefore doesn't threaten in Neusüdwales, in Australia's south and in Tasmania. In sharing of Australia, however, it is pursued and is threatened there. The Haarnasenwombat is threatened very rare and accordingly strong.
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