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SPECIES PROFILE

Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

Vombatus

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) — Southeastern Australia, including Tasmania

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Mammalia

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Southeastern Australia, including Tasmania

DIET

Herbivorous

HABITAT

Forests, woodlands, heathlands, and grasslands

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Mammalia

ORDER

Diprotodontia

FAMILY

Vombatidae

GENUS

Vombatus

📋 Description

SIZE

Up to 1 meter long; weighs 20-35 kg

COLORATION

Coarse grey-brown fur, sometimes blackish, with a bare snout

ADAPTATIONS

Powerful legs and claws for digging, cube-shaped feces to mark territory

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Forests, woodlands, heathlands, and grasslands

DIET

Herbivorous

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Southeastern Australia, including Tasmania

REPRODUCTION

Single joey born after a 20-22 day gestation, stays in pouch for about 6-7 months

DIET DETAILS

Eats grasses, roots, and bark

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Habitat loss, roadkill, and sarcoptic mange from mites

💡 Interesting Facts

1

Burrow Engineers: Common wombats dig 20-meter burrows in Wilsons Promontory, their 35 kg bodies turning 1 ton of soil monthly, shaping grasslands. Their millions-strong population faces mange, with 10% affected, though protected parks aid recovery.

2

Cube Creators: Their cube-shaped feces, marking Narawntapu’s territories, prevent rolling, with 100 cubes produced daily in Cradle Mountain. This unique trait, paired with grazing 5 kg of grass nightly, supports their role in ecosystem health, despite 5,000 roadkill deaths yearly.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria has Tidal River grasslands ideal for wombat sightings at dusk

Narawntapu National Park in Tasmania north of Devonport features open fields and woodlands for wombat sightings

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania has Ronny Creek grassy plains near Overland Track for wombat sightings

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

April-October. Cooler months make wombats more active in grasslands for grazing.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Visit grasslands at dusk to see wombats grazing or digging burrows.