Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Specy

Common Wombat

Mammals

The common wombat is a stocky, burrowing marsupial native to forested and mountainous areas of southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, recognized by its short legs, powerful claws and backward-facing pouch, an adaptation that keeps soil from being flung onto the joey while the mother digs. It is largely nocturnal and herbivorous, grazing on grasses, roots and bark, and it constructs extensive burrow systems that can run many metres in length and are also used by other wildlife for shelter. Common wombats are known for producing distinctively cube-shaped droppings, which they use to mark territory in prominent locations. The species remains widespread across its range and is classified as being of least concern.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill).
Scientific Name
Vombatus ursinus 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Population Estimate
1,300,000 1
Estimate per the article's Distribution and habitat section; more than two thirds are on islands including Tasmania, and mainland numbers are reported declining.
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
They have short, strong legs with long claws and are very efficient diggers. 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Diprotodontia, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Australia, found in there.
Sources
1. Common Wombat (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Introduction, binomial sentence
    The common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), also known as the bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the sole extant member of the genus Vombatus.
  • Conservation status infobox
    Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
  • Distribution and habitat section, population estimate sentence
    Scientists estimate that around 1.3 million common wombats remain in the wild, more than two thirds of are restricted to islands including Tasmania though numbers are declining nationally.
  • Description section, legs sentence
    They have short, strong legs with long claws and are very efficient diggers.
  • system (entity description states it plainly, diet)
    It is largely nocturnal and herbivorous, grazing on grasses, roots and bark, and it constructs extensive burrow systems that can run many metres in length and are also used by other wildlife for shelter.
View the Source
2. Common Wombat (Wikipedia)
lives in burrowsView the Source
3. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
Wikidata: Common Wombat
Wikidata Q752436, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: DiprotodontiaView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.