BODY LENGTH:

Wombats resemble small bears in general appearance. They have a thick, heavy body and their fur is short and coarse with a bare muzzle. The general color is yellowish buff, sliver gray, light gray, dark brown, or black.

Their eyes are small and their limbs are short and extremely strong. Wombats are marsupials so they have a pouch. The wombat's open to the rear unlike a kangaroos which opens towards the head. This adaptation is to keep dirt and debris from entering the pouch while the wombat burrows. The wombats head is also very large and flattened.

Wombats are similar to rodents as there front teeth never stop growing. They are the only living marsupial who have two rootless incisors in each jaw.

The wombat makes it's own burrows that can often be quite complex in design. Some burrows may be as long as 30 meters. They have one enterance but may branch out into several tunnels. The nesting chamber is usually lined with grass and bark, is normally about two to four meters from the enterance.

The wombat is nocturnal but can be found basking in the sun from time to time. Though it has short legs and a lumbering appearance, it can move very quickly and can run rapidly over short distances.

Wombats are generally quite shy but they have been kept as pets in Australia. They are said to become playful and affectionate. Unfortunatly, they have suffered from the attempts to rid Australia of introduced rabbits. Rabbits often seek shelter in wombat burrows and when the burrows are gassed to kill the rabbits, the wombat inside is killed as well.