Editing Wombat

{{Short description|Species of marsupials}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Wombat<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Diprotodontia|pages=43–44|id=11000006}}</ref>
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Late Oligocene | Recent}}
| image = Vombatus ursinus -Maria Island National Park.jpg
| image_caption = Common wombat (Bass Strait)<br />[[Maria Island]], Tasmania
| taxon = Vombatidae
| authority = [[Gilbert Thomas Burnett|Burnett]], 1830
| type_genus = ''[[Vombatus]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy]], 1803
| subdivision_ranks = Genera and species
| subdivision = * ''[[Vombatus]]''
** ''[[Vombatus ursinus]]''
** †''[[Vombatus hacketti]]''
* ''[[Lasiorhinus]]''
** ''[[Lasiorhinus latifrons]]''
** ''[[Lasiorhinus krefftii]]''
* †''[[Rhizophascolonus]]''
* †''[[Phascolonus]]''
* †''[[Warendja]]''
* †''[[Ramasayia]]''
* †''[[Sedophascolomys]]''
}}

'''Wombats''' are short-legged, muscular [[quadruped]]al [[marsupial]]s of the family '''Vombatidae''' that are native to [[Australia]]. Living species are about {{convert|1|m|in|-1|abbr=on}} in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between {{convert|20|and|35|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are found in forested, mountainous, and [[heath]]land areas of southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as an isolated patch of about {{convert|300|ha|abbr=on}} in [[Epping Forest National Park]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/northern-hairynosed.html | title = Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat |work=Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities|publisher=Australian Government| access-date = 2 July 2011}}</ref> in central Queensland.

==Etymology==
The name "wombat" comes from the now nearly extinct [[Sydney language|Dharug language]] spoken by the aboriginal [[Dharug people]], who originally inhabited the Sydney area.<ref name="Butler">{{cite book|title=The Dinkum Dictionary: The Origins of Australian Words|first=Susan|last=Butler|isbn =978-1-921799-10-5|page=266|publisher=Text Publishing|year=2009}}</ref> It was first recorded in January 1798, when John Price and James Wilson, Europeans who had adopted aboriginal ways, visited the area of what is now [[Bargo, New South Wales]]. Price wrote: "We saw several sorts of dung of different animals, one of which Wilson called a 'Whom-batt', which is an animal about {{Convert|20|in|cm|disp=sqbr}} high, with short legs and a thick body with a large head, round ears, and very small eyes; is very fat, and has much the appearance of a badger."<ref>{{cite book|title=Place-names of New South Wales, their origins and meanings|first=Alexander Wyclif|last=Reed|page=152|publisher=Reed|year=1969}}</ref> Wombats were often called [[badgers]] by early settlers because of their size and habits. Because of this, localities such as [[Badger Creek, Victoria]], and Badger Corner, Tasmania, were named after the wombat.<ref name = "b">{{cite web| publisher = Lady Wild Life| title = Common Wombat| url = http://ladywildlife.com/animals/commonwombat.html| access-date = 1 September 2008| archive-date = 25 July 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044308/http://ladywildlife.com/animals/commonwombat.html| url-status = dead}}</ref> The spelling went through many variants over the years, including "wambat", "whombat", "womat", "wombach", and "womback", possibly reflecting dialectal differences in the Darug language.<ref name="Butler" />

==Evolution and taxonomy==
Though genetic studies of the Vombatidae have been undertaken, evolution of the family is not well understood. Wombats are estimated to have diverged from other Australian marsupials relatively early, as long as 40 million years ago, while some estimates place divergence at around 25&nbsp;million years.<ref name="Triggs2009">{{cite book|author=Barbara Triggs|title=Wombats|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_yxSd03pQdsC&pg=PA10|date=13 July 2009|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-09986-9}}</ref>{{rp|10–}} Some prehistoric wombat genera greatly exceeded modern wombats in size. The largest known wombat, ''[[Phascolonus]]'', which went extinct approximately 40,000 years ago,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hocknull |first1=Scott A. |last2=Lewis |first2=Richard |last3=Arnold |first3=Lee J. |last4=Pietsch |first4=Tim |last5=Joannes-Boyau |first5=Renaud |last6=Price |first6=Gilbert J. |last7=Moss |first7=Patrick |last8=Wood |first8=Rachel |last9=Dosseto |first9=Anthony |last10=Louys |first10=Julien |last11=Olley |first11=Jon |last12=Lawrence |first12=Rochelle A. |date=2020-05-18 |title=Extinction of eastern Sahul megafauna coincides with sustained environmental deterioration |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=2250 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-15785-w |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7231803 |pmid=32418985|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.2250H }}</ref> is estimated to have had a body mass of up to {{Convert|360|kg|lb}}.<ref name="Louys">{{Cite journal |last1=Louys |first1=Julien |last2=Duval |first2=Mathieu |last3=Beck |first3=Robin M. D. |last4=Pease |first4=Eleanor |last5=Sobbe |first5=Ian |last6=Sands |first6=Noel |last7=Price |first7=Gilbert J. |date=November 2022 |editor-last=Hautier |editor-first=Lionel |title=Cranial remains of ''Ramsayia magna'' from the Late Pleistocene of Australia and the evolution of gigantism in wombats (Marsupialia, Vombatidae) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1475 |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |language=en |volume=8 |issue=6 |doi=10.1002/spp2.1475 |bibcode=2022PPal....8E1475L |hdl=10072/420259 |s2cid=254622473 |issn=2056-2799|hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Characteristics==
[[File:Wombat-Narawntapu.jpg|thumb|[[Tasmanian wombat]] in [[Narawntapu National Park]], Tasmania]]
Wombats dig extensive burrow systems with their rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. One distinctive adaptation of wombats is their backward pouch. The advantage of a backward-facing pouch is that when digging, the wombat does not gather soil in its pouch over its young. Although mainly [[crepuscular]] and [[nocturnal]], wombats may also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. They are not commonly seen, but leave ample evidence of their passage, treating fences as minor inconveniences to be gone through or under.

Wombats leave distinctive [[Cube|cubic]] [[faeces]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/18/scientists-unravel-secret-of-cube-shaped-wombat-faeces|last=Sample|first=Ian|title=Scientists unravel secret of cube-shaped wombat faeces|work=The Guardian|date=19 November 2018|access-date=19 November 2018}}</ref> As wombats arrange these feces to mark territories and attract mates, it is believed that the cubic shape makes them more stackable and less likely to roll, which gives this shape a biological advantage. The method by which the wombat produces them is not well understood, but it is believed that the wombat intestine stretches preferentially at the walls, with two flexible and two stiff areas around its intestines.<ref>{{Cite news|last=May|first=Natasha|date=2021-01-29|title=Box seat: scientists solve the mystery of why wombats have cube-shaped poo|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/29/box-seat-scientists-solve-the-mystery-of-why-wombats-have-cube-shaped-poo|access-date=2021-01-31|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The adult wombat produces between 80 and 100, {{convert|2|cm|in|1|adj=on|abbr=on}} pieces of feces in a single night, and four to eight pieces each bowel movement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dvorsky |first=George |url=https://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-how-wombats-produce-their-distinctly-cu-1830414749 |title=We Finally Know How Wombats Produce Their Distinctly Cube-Shaped Poop |work=[[Gizmodo]] |date=2018-11-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119000124/https://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-how-wombats-produce-their-distinctly-cu-1830414749 |archive-date=2018-11-19 |access-date=2018-11-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=Australian Geographic|title=Mystery solved: this is how wombats do cube-shaped poo|date=28 November 2018|url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2018/11/mystery-solved-this-is-how-wombats-do-cubic-shaped-poo/}}</ref> In 2019 the production of cube-shaped wombat feces was the subject of the [[Ig Nobel Prize]] for Physics, won by Patricia Yang and [[David Hu (scientist)|David Hu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/winners/#ig2019 |title=The Ig Nobel Prize Winners |website=improbable.com |date=August 2006 |publisher=Improbable Research |access-date=20 April 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1039/D0SM01230K | title=Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces | date=2021 | last1=Yang | first1=Patricia J. | last2=Lee | first2=Alexander B. | last3=Chan | first3=Miles | last4=Kowalski | first4=Michael | last5=Qiu | first5=Kelly | last6=Waid | first6=Christopher | last7=Cervantes | first7=Gabriel | last8=Magondu | first8=Benjamin | last9=Biagioni | first9=Morgan | last10=Vogelnest | first10=Larry | last11=Martin | first11=Alynn | last12=Edwards | first12=Ashley | last13=Carver | first13=Scott | last14=Hu | first14=David L. | journal=Soft Matter | volume=17 | issue=3 | pages=475–488 | pmid=33289747 | bibcode=2021SMat...17..475Y }}</ref>
[[File:Certified Wombat Faeces.jpg|thumb|Wombat cubic scat, found near [[Cradle Mountain]] in Tasmania]]
All wombat teeth lack roots and are ever-growing, like the incisors of rodents.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fraser |first1=Rebecca A. |last2=Grün |first2=Rainer |last3=Privat |first3=Karen |last4=Gagan |first4=Michael K. |date=November 2008|title=Stable-isotope microprofiling of wombat tooth enamel records seasonal changes in vegetation and environmental conditions in eastern Australia |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031018208004677 |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |language=en |volume=269 |issue=1–2 |pages=66–77 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.08.004|bibcode=2008PPP...269...66F }}</ref> Wombats are [[herbivore]]s;<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Old |first1=Julie M. |last2=Vallin |first2=Blaire L. |last3=Thorley |first3=Rowan K. |last4=Casey |first4=Fiona |last5=Stannard |first5=Hayley J. |date=2024|title=DNA metabarcoding analysis of the bare-nosed wombat (''Vombatus ursinus'') diet |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=14 |issue=5 |pages=e11432 |doi=10.1002/ece3.11432 |pmid=38770127 |pmc=11103767 |bibcode=2024EcoEv..1411432O }} </ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last4=Old |first4=Julie M. |last2=Vallin |first2=Blaire L. |last3=Wolfenden |first3=Jack |last1=Casey |first1=Fiona |last5=Stannard |first5=Hayley J. |date=2024|title=Nutritional composition of plants and preliminary assessment of nutrition in free-ranging bare-nosed wombats (''Vombatus ursinus'') |journal=Australian Mammalogy |language=en |volume=46 |issue=2 |doi=10.1071/AM23013 }} </ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last2=Old |first2=Julie M. |last1=Casey |first1=Fiona |last3=Stannard |first3=Hayley J. |date=2023|title=Assessment of the diet of the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (''Lasiorhinus krefftii'') using DNA metabarcoding |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=13 |issue=9 |pages=e10469 |doi=10.1002/ece3.10469 |pmid=37693933 |pmc=10485309 |bibcode=2023EcoEv..1310469C }} </ref> their [[diet (nutrition)|diets]] consist mostly of [[Poaceae|grasses]], [[Cyperaceae|sedges]], [[Herb#Botanical definitions|herbs]], [[Bark (botany)|bark]], and [[root]]s. Their [[incisor]] teeth somewhat resemble those of [[rodent]]s ([[rat]]s, mice, etc.), being adapted for gnawing tough vegetation. Like many other herbivorous mammals, they have a large [[diastema]] between their incisors and the cheek teeth, which are relatively simple. The [[dental formula]] of wombats is {{DentalFormula|upper=1.0.1.4|lower=1.0.1.4|total=24}}.

Wombats' fur can vary from a sandy colour to brown, or from grey to black. All three known extant species average around {{convert|1|metre}} in length and weigh between {{convert|20|and|35|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

Male wombats have [[penile spines]], a non-pendulous [[scrotum]], and three pairs of [[bulbourethral gland]]s. The [[Testicle|testes]], [[prostate]], and bulbourethral glands enlarge during the [[breeding season]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Vogelnest |first1=Larry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p8cDEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA331 |title=Medicine of Australian Mammals |last2=Woods |first2=Rupert |date=2008-08-18 |publisher=Csiro Publishing |isbn=978-0-643-09797-1 |language=en}}</ref> Female wombats give birth to a single young after a [[gestation]] period of roughly 20–30 days, which varies between species.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lasiorhinus latifrons|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lasiorhinus_latifrons.html|work=Animal Diversity Web|publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology|access-date=13 August 2010|author=Green, E|author2=Myers, P |year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Watson, A|title=Vombatus ursinus|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vombatus_ursinus.html|work=Animal Diversity Web|publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology|access-date=13 August 2010|year=1999}}</ref> All species have well-developed [[pouch (marsupial)|pouches]], which the young leave after about six to seven months. Wombats are [[weaning|weaned]] after 15 months, and are sexually mature at 18 months.<ref name=EoM>{{Cite book|editor= Macdonald, D.|author= McIlroy, John|year= 1984|title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher= Facts on File|location= New York|pages= [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/876 876–877]|isbn= 978-0-87196-871-5|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/876}}</ref>

A group of wombats is known as a wisdom,<ref>{{cite news |url = https://geographyscout.com/animals/facts-you-may-not-know-about-the-wombat/ |title = Wombat |magazine = Animal Encounters |first = Ben |last = Britton |publisher = NatGeo Wild}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author1=Woop Studios|author2=Jay Sacher|title=A Compendium of Collective Nouns: From an Armory of Aardvarks to a Zeal of Zebras|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aHhP_7zOG8wC|year=2013|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1-4521-2952-5|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aHhP_7zOG8wC&pg=PA213 213]}}</ref> a mob, or a colony.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-04-11|title=Common wombat|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/common-wombat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309171002/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/common-wombat|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 March 2021|access-date=2023-02-07|website=National Geographic|url-access= registration}}</ref>

Wombats typically live up to 15 years in the wild, but can live past 20 and even 30 years in captivity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wombat |url=https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/wombat|access-date=2023-02-07|website=animals.sandiegozoo.org}}</ref><ref name=ballarat>{{Cite web|title=Common Wombat|url=https://wildlifepark.com.au/wildlife_animals/common-wombat/|access-date=2023-02-07|website=Ballarat Wildlife Park|language=en-AU}}</ref> The longest-lived captive wombat lived to 34 years of age.<ref name=ballarat/>

In 2020, biologists discovered that wombats, like many other Australian marsupials, display bio-fluorescence under ultraviolet light.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/19/tasmanian-devils-glow-in-the-dark-australian-animals-glowing-platypus-wombat-echidna-bandicoot-scientists-investigate-australia-marsupials-light |title='The platypuses were glowing': The secret light of Australia's marsupials |website=www.theguardian.com |date= 18 December 2020|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-accidentally-discover-australian-marsupials-glow-in-the-dark/ |title=Scientists accidentally discover Australian marsupials glow in the dark |website=www.cnet.com |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/science/glowing-mammals-australia.html |title=More Mammals Are Hiding Their Secret Glow |newspaper=The New York Times |date= 18 December 2020|access-date=29 December 2020|last1= Giaimo|first1= Cara}}</ref>
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
File:Animaldentition vombatusursinus.png|Dentition, as illustrated in Knight's ''Sketches in Natural History''
File:Wombatskelett brehm.png|Wombat skeleton
File:Image_from_page_504_of_"Biology_of_the_vertebrates_-_a_comparative_study_of_man_and_his_animal_allies"_(1949)_(19763119883).jpg|Female reproductive tract
</gallery>

==Ecology and behaviour==
[[File:Wombat burrow-Narawntapu.JPG|thumb|Wombat burrow and scat, [[Narawntapu National Park]], Tasmania]]

Wombats have an extraordinarily slow [[metabolism]], taking around 8 to 14 days to complete [[digestion]], which aids their survival in arid conditions.<ref name=EoM/> They generally move slowly.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marinacci |first1=Peter |title=Wombat Behavior |url=https://www.wombania.com/wombats/wombat-behavior.htm |website=Wombania's Wombat Information Center |access-date=24 September 2020 |quote=Wombats walk with a somewhat awkward, shuffling or waddling gait.}}</ref> Wombats defend home territories centred on their burrows, and they react aggressively to intruders. The common wombat occupies a range of up to {{convert|23|ha|acre|abbr=on}}, while the hairy-nosed species have much smaller ranges, of no more than {{convert|4|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=EoM/>

[[Dingo]]s and [[Tasmanian devil]]s prey on wombats. Extinct predators were likely to have included ''[[Thylacoleo]]'' and possibly the [[thylacine]] (Tasmanian tiger). Their primary defence is their toughened rear hide, with most of the [[Posterior (anatomy)|posterior]] made of [[cartilage]]. This, combined with its lack of a meaningful tail, makes it difficult for any predator that follows the wombat into its tunnel to bite and injure its target. When attacked, wombats dive into a nearby tunnel, using their rumps to block a pursuing attacker.<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Wombat|url=http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/webpages/bhan-53f7kj?open|work=Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment|publisher=[[Government of Tasmania|Tasmanian Government]]|access-date=13 August 2010}}</ref> According to an [[Urban legends and myths|urban legend]], wombats sometimes allow an intruder to force its head over the wombat's back, and then use its powerful legs to crush the skull of the predator against the roof of the tunnel. However, there is no evidence to support this.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boseley |first=Matilda |date=2020-11-04 |title=Wombats' deadly bums: how they use their 'skull-crushing' rumps to fight, play and flirt |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/nov/04/wombats-deadly-bums-how-they-use-their-skull-crushing-rumps-to-fight-play-and-flirt |access-date=2023-09-30 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Wombats are generally quiet animals. Bare-nosed wombats can make a number of different sounds, more than the hairy-nosed wombats. Wombats tend to be more vocal during mating season. When angered, they can make hissing sounds. Their call sounds somewhat like a pig's squeal. They can also make grunting noises, a low growl, a hoarse cough, and a clicking noise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marinacci |first1=Peter |title=Wombat Vocalizations |url=https://www.wombania.com/wombats/wombat-vocalizations.htm |website=Wombania's Wombat Information Center |access-date=24 September 2020}}</ref>

==Species==
The three [[Neontology|extant]] species of wombat<ref name=msw3/> are all [[endemism|endemic]] to Australia and a few offshore islands. They are protected under Australian law.<ref name="gum">{{cite web |last=Humble |first=Gary |date=1 June 2006 |title=The Uncommon Wombat |url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/june2006/ |access-date=13 August 2010 |work=Scribbly Gum |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref>

* [[Common wombat]] (''Vombatus ursinus''), which has three [[subspecies]]:<ref>{{cite web | title=Common Wombat | website=[[Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania]] | date=3 April 2024 | url=https://nre.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/possums-kangaroos-and-wombats/wombat | access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref>
** ''Vombatus ursinus hirsutus'', found on the [[Australian mainland]]
** ''Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis'', found in [[Tasmania]]
** ''Vombatus ursinus ursinus'', found on [[Flinders Island]] and [[Maria Island]] in the [[Bass Strait]]
* [[Northern hairy-nosed wombat]] or ''yaminon'' (''Lasiorhinus krefftii''), which is [[Critically Endangered|critically endangered]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Lasiorhinus krefftii – Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Yaminon |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=198|work=[[Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts]]|publisher=[[Government of Australia|Australian Government]]|access-date=13 August 2010|date=12 February 2010}}</ref>
* [[Southern hairy-nosed wombat]] (''Lasiorhinus latifrons''), the smallest of the three species

==Human relations==

===History===
Depictions of the animals in [[rock art]] are exceptionally rare, though examples estimated to be up to 4,000 years old have been discovered in [[Wollemi National Park]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/01/1056825399651.html |first=Paola |last=Totaro |title= Rock art find makes Stonehenge seem recent |work= Sydney Morning Herald |date= 2 July 2003}}</ref> The wombat is depicted in aboriginal [[Dreamtime]] as an animal of little worth. The mainland stories tell of the wombat as originating from a person named Warreen whose head had been flattened by a stone and tail amputated as punishment for selfishness. In contrast, the Tasmanian aboriginal story first recorded in 1830 tells of the wombat (known as the ''drogedy'' or ''publedina'') the great spirit Moihernee had asked hunters to leave alone. In both cases, the wombat is regarded as having been banished to its burrowing habitat.<ref name="Woodford2012">{{cite book|author=James Woodford|title=The Secret Life of Wombats|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fg_KIKj7fXsC&pg=PA52|date=30 January 2012|publisher=Text Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-921834-90-5|page=7}}</ref> Estimates of wombat distribution prior to European settlement are that numbers of all three surviving species were prolific and that they covered a range more than ten times greater than that of today.<ref name="Triggs2009"/>

[[File:A235, Ballarat Wildlife Park, Ballarat, Australia, wombats, 2007.JPG|thumb|right|[[Common wombat]] and joey eating from a bowl at a zoo]]
After the ship [[Sydney Cove (1796 ship)|''Sydney Cove'']] ran aground on [[Clarke Island, Tasmania|Clarke Island]] in February 1797, the crew of the salvage ship ''[[Francis (1793)|Francis]]'' discovered wombats on the island.<ref name=vombatidae>{{cite book |title=Vombatidae |last1=Wells |first1=R.T. |editor1-first=D.W. |editor1-last=Walton |others=Richardson, B.J. |year=1989 |publisher=AGPS Canberra/Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts – Commonwealth of Australia |isbn=978-0-644-06056-1 |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/ |access-date=30 December 2009 |page=4 |chapter=Volume 1B Mammalia |chapter-url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/pubs/volume1b/32-ind.pdf }}</ref> A live animal was taken back to [[Port Jackson]].<ref name=vombatidae/> [[Matthew Flinders]], who was travelling on board the ''Francis'' on its third and final salvage trip, also decided to take a wombat specimen from the island to Port Jackson. [[John Hunter (Royal Navy officer)|Governor John Hunter]] later sent the animal's corpse to [[Joseph Banks]] at the [[Literary and Philosophical Society]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/elac/2009/01/the_wombat_trail_1.html |title=The 'wombat' trail – David Nash |author=Simpson, J. |date=16 January 2009 |work=Transient Languages & Cultures |publisher=The University of Sydney |access-date=30 December 2009 |archive-date=6 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106085636/http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/elac/2009/01/the_wombat_trail_1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> to verify that it was a new species. The island was named Clarke Island after William Clark.<ref name=monograph>Nash, M. "[http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/archaeology/department/publications/MAMARS/MAMARS_PDF/Mike_Nash_Thesis.pdf Maritime Archaeology Monograph and Reports Series No.2 – Investigation of a Survivors Camp from the Sydney Cove Shipwreck] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180536/http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/archaeology/department/publications/MAMARS/MAMARS_PDF/Mike_Nash_Thesis.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}." Master of Maritime Archaeology Thesis. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, South Australia. 2004. Accessed 30 December 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=A Record of Tasmanian nomenclature, with dates and origins |last=Moore-Robinson |first=J. |year=1911 |publisher=The Mercury Printing Office – Hobart, Tasmania |page=28 |url=http://ia351419.us.archive.org/attachpdf.php?file=%2F1%2Fitems%2Frecordoftasmania00mooriala%2Frecordoftasmania00mooriala.pdf |access-date=30 December 2009}}</ref>

Wombats were classified as vermin in 1906, and a bounty was introduced in 1925.<ref name="Triggs2009"/>{{rp|103}} This and the removal of a substantial amount of habitat have greatly reduced their numbers and range.<ref> {{Cite journal |last1=Thorley |first1=Rowan |last2=Old |first2=Julie M.| date=2020 |title=Distribution, abundance and threats to bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) |journal=Australian Mammalogy |volume=42 |issue=3 |page=249 |language=en |doi=10.1071/AM19035|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Attacks on humans===
In addition to being bitten, humans can receive puncture wounds from wombat claws. Startled wombats can also charge humans and bowl them over,<ref>{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=Georgina|title=Wombat combat: danger is their middle name|url=http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/general/wombat-combat-danger-is-their-middle-name/1796899.aspx|access-date=13 August 2010|publisher=[[The Examiner (Tasmania)|The Examiner]]|date=7 April 2010}}</ref> with the attendant risks of broken bones from the fall. One naturalist, [[Harry Frauca]], once received a bite {{convert|2|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} deep into the flesh of his leg—through a rubber boot, trousers and thick woollen socks.<ref name="Underhill">{{cite book | author=Underhill, David | year=1993 | title=Australia's dangerous creatures |edition=4th rev. | location=Sydney |publisher=Reader's Digest Services | page=368 | isbn=978-0864380180}}</ref> A UK newspaper, ''[[The Independent]]'', reported that on 6 April 2010, a 59-year-old man from rural Victoria state was mauled by a wombat (thought to have been angered by [[mange]]),<ref>{{cite news | title = Wombat bites Australian bush fire survivor | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8604360.stm |access-date = 9 April 2010 |date = 6 April 2010 | publisher = [[BBC News]] }}</ref> causing a number of cuts and bite marks requiring hospital treatment. He resorted to killing it with an axe.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Australian Man Mauled in Rare Attack|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australian-man-mauled-in-rare-attack-by-wombat-1937850.html|access-date=7 April 2010|date=7 April 2010|work=[[The Independent]]|agency=Reuters}}</ref>

===Cultural significance===
Some farmers consider common wombats to be a nuisance due primarily to their burrowing behaviour. "[[Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat]]" was the tongue-in-cheek "unofficial" mascot of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since 2005, an unofficial holiday called Wombat Day has been observed on 22 October.<ref>{{cite web|last=Middleton|first=Amy|title=The day of the wombat|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/society/happy-wombat-day.htm|work=Australian Geographic|access-date=13 August 2010|date=22 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930090651/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/society/happy-wombat-day.htm|archive-date=30 September 2013 }}</ref>

Wombat meat has been a source of bush food from the arrival of Aboriginal Australians to the arrival of Europeans. Due to the protection of the species, wombat meat as food is no longer part of mainstream Australian cuisine, but wombat stew was once one of the few truly Australian dishes.<ref>'International Recipes from Balmain'. The Canberra Times. Monday 19 December 1977. pg 10</ref> In the 20th century, the more easily found rabbit meat was more commonly used. (Rabbits are now considered an [[Rabbits in Australia|invasive pest in Australia]].) The name of the dish is also used by a popular children's book and musical.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.scholastic.com.au/schools/bookclub/pdf/toolkit_downloads/wombat_stew_TN.pdf |title= Wombat Stew by Marcia K Vaughan: Teaching Notes |first= Rita |last= Bishop |access-date= 20 November 2014 |archive-date= 2 March 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140302061657/http://scholastic.com.au/schools/bookclub/pdf/toolkit_downloads/wombat_stew_TN.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>

Wombats have featured in Australian postage stamps and coins. The hairy-nosed wombats have featured mainly to highlight their elevated conservation status. The northern hairy-nosed wombat featured on an Australian 1974 20-cent stamp and also an Australian 1981 five-cent stamp. The common wombat has appeared on a 1987 37-cent stamp and an Australian 1996 95-cent stamp. The 2006 Australian Bush Babies stamp series features an AU$1.75-stamp of a baby common wombat, and the 2010 Rescue to Release series features a 60-cent stamp of a common wombat being treated by a veterinarian. Wombats are rarely seen on circulated Australian coins, an exception is a 50-cent coin which also shows a [[koala]] and [[Lories and lorikeets|lorikeet]]. The common wombat appeared on a 2005 commemorative $1 coin and the northern hairy-nosed wombat on a 1998 Australia Silver Proof $10 coin.<ref name="BlueSheet">{{cite web | url=http://www.bluesheet.com.au/Australia/Decimal_Coinage/Ten_Dollar/Endangered_Species/Hairy_Nosed_Wombat/ | title = Ten Dollar | publisher = Blue Sheet Coin Values | access-date = 19 March 2017}}</ref>

Many places in Australia have been named after the wombat, including a large number of places where they are now locally extinct in the wild. References to the locally extinct common wombat can be found in parts of the Central Highlands of Victoria, for example the [[Wombat State Forest]] and Wombat Hill in [[Daylesford, Victoria|Daylesford]]. Other significant places named after the wombat includes the town of [[Wombat, New South Wales]] and the suburb of [[Quoiba, Tasmania]]. Numerous less significant Australian places, including hotels, are named after the animals. Prominent sculptures of wombats include in South Australia: "The Big Wombat" at Scotdesco Aboriginal Community (Tjilkaba) and [[Wudinna]] visitor information centre, [[Adelaide Zoo]] and [[Norwood, South Australia|Norwood]]; New South Wales: [[Wombat, New South Wales]]; Victoria: [[Daylesford, Victoria|Daylesford]], [[Trentham, Victoria]] and [[Kinglake, Victoria|Kinglake]]; Tasmania: [[Steppes State Reserve]].

Wombats have also been a feature of Australian television. While wombats are not generally kept as pets, a notable depiction of a common wombat as a pet is Fatso from the Australian television show ''[[A Country Practice]]''. The Brisbane television show ''[[Wombat (TV series)|Wombat]]'' was also named for the animals.

Australian literature contains many references to the wombat. Examples are Mr. Walter Wombat from the adventures of ''[[Blinky Bill]]'' and one of the main antagonists in ''[[The Magic Pudding]]'' by [[Norman Lindsay]].

<gallery widths="200" heights="140">
File:Fatso at Olympic Park.jpg|Side view of "[[Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat]]", an unofficial mascot for the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] as he appeared on top of a pole outside Sydney's [[Stadium Australia]]
File:Wombat sculpture. Wombat hill daylesford.jpg|Wombat sculpture, [[Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens]], Daylesford, Victoria
File:Wombat sculpture at Wombat, NSW.jpg|Wombat sculpture, Wombat, New South Wales, unveiled April 2002
</gallery>

==Conservation==
All species of wombats are protected in every Australian state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/02/06/wombat-killing-laws-fixed/|title=Wombats now protected all over Victoria after outrage over hunting lodge|date=6 February 2020}}</ref>

The [[northern hairy-nosed wombat]] is a [[Critically Endangered|critically endangered]] species under Queensland's ''[[Nature Conservation Act 1992]]'', the Commonwealth ''[[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]]'', and on the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]]'s [[Red List of Threatened Species]].<ref name="QG">{{cite web | title=About northern hairy-nosed wombats | website=Queensland Government |date=7 October 2021| url=https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/conservation/threatened-species/featured-projects/northern-hairy-nosed-wombat/about-northern-hairy-nosed-wombats | access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref> The biggest threats the species faces are its small population size, predation by wild dogs, competition for food because of [[overgrazing]] by cattle and sheep, and disease.<ref name=QG/> The only known wild populations of this species exist in two locations in [[Queensland]], the Epping Forest National Park, and a smaller colony being established by translocating wombats to the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge at Yarran Downs.<ref name=QG/> This second colony is being created through the Xstrata reintroduction project, which is being funded by [[Xstrata]], a Swiss global mining company.<ref name = "Time ">{{cite magazine | magazine = Time | author= Todd Woody | title = Wombat Love | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1884854,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090316093359/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1884854,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 16 March 2009 | access-date = 22 April 2011 | date=12 March 2009}}</ref> From a low of just 35 wombats across the state when surveyed in the 1980s, the population had increased to a total of around 315 by May 2021.<ref>{{cite web | title=Population milestone for northern hairy nosed wombat as its status is changed in line with international standards | website=[[Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (Queensland)|Department of Environment, Science and Innovation]] (DESI), Queensland | date=4 May 2021 | url=https://www.desi.qld.gov.au/our-department/news-media/mediareleases/2021/population-milestone-for-northern-hairy-nosed-wombat | access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref>

Despite its name, the common wombat is no longer as common as it once was, and is under significant threat.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Thorley |first1=Rowan K. |last2=Old |first2=Julie M. |date=2020 |title=Distribution, abundance and threats to bare-nosed wombats (''Vombatus ursinus'') |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/am/AM19035 |journal=Australian Mammalogy |language=en |volume=42 |pages=249–256 |doi=10.1071/AM19015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Old |first1=Julie M. |last2=Sengupta |first2=Chandni |last3=Wolfenden |first3=Jack |date=2018 |title=Sarcoptic mange in wombats – A review and future research directions |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/am/AM19035 |journal=Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. 65, 399-407|volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=399–407 |language=en|doi=10.1111/tbed.12770|doi-access=free |pmid=29150905 }}</ref> However, in eastern Victoria, they are not protected, and they are considered by some to be pests, especially due to the damage they cause to rabbit-proof fences.<ref name=QG/><ref name="Tas Parks">{{cite web | title = Wombat, Vombatus ursinus | date = 21 May 2012 | work = Parks & Wildlife Service, Tasmania| url = http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=4898 | access-date = 23 January 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130427082023/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=4898 | url-status = live | archive-date= 27 April 2013}}</ref> Opportunistic research studies have been conducted on the immune system of common wombats, which could be used as a tool for future conservation efforts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Old |first1=Julie M. |last2=Hermsen |first2=Eden M. |last3=Young |first3=Lauren J. |date=2019-08-20 |title=MHC Class II variability in bare-nosed wombats (''Vombatus ursinus'') |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/am/AM19015 |journal=Australian Mammalogy |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=135–143 |doi=10.1071/AM19015 |s2cid=202014972 |issn=1836-7402}}</ref> 

WomSAT, a citizen science project, was established in 2016 to record sightings of wombats across the country.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.womsat.org.au/womsat/default.aspx | title= WomSAT | publisher= FeralScan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/mangy-marsupials-wombats-are-catching-a-deadly-disease-and-we-urgently-need-a-plan-to-help-them-46755 |date=2015|  title= Mangy marsupials: wombats are catching a deadly disease, and we urgently need a plan to help them|publisher=The Conversation}}</ref><ref> {{Cite journal |last1=Skelton |first1=Candice |last2=Cook |first2=Amelia |last3=West |first3=Peter|last4=Old |first4=Julie M.| date=2018 |title=Building an army of wombat warriors: developing and sustaining a citizen science project |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/AM/AM18018 |journal=Australian Mammalogy |language=en |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=186–195 |doi=10.1071/AM18018}}</ref> The website and mobile phone app can be used to log sightings of live or deceased wombats and wombat burrows. Since its establishment the project has recorded over 23,000 sightings across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.womsat.org.au/womsat/default.aspx | title= WomSAT | publisher= FeralScan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theconversation.com/2-biggest-threats-to-wombats-revealed-in-new-data-gathered-by-citizen-scientists-215713 | date=2023| title=2 biggest threats to wombats revealed in new data gathered by citizen scientists|publisher=The Conversation}}</ref> More recently, the citizen science project has published findings on wombat roadkill<ref> {{Cite journal |last1=Mayadunnage |first1=Sujatha |last2=Stannard |first2=Hayley J. |last3=West |first3=Peter|last4=Old |first4=Julie M.| date=2022 |title=Identification of roadkill hotspots and the factors affecting wombat vehicle collisions using the citizen science tool, WomSAT |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/AM/AM22001 |journal=Australian Mammalogy |language=en |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=53–61 |doi=10.1071/AM22001}}</ref> and sarcoptic mange incidence<ref> {{Cite journal |last1=Mayadunnage |first1=Sujatha |last2=Stannard |first2=Hayley J. |last3=West |first3=Peter|last4=Old |first4=Julie M.| date=2023 |title=Spatial and temporal patterns of sarcoptic mange in wombats using the citizen science tool, WomSAT |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=387–399 |language=en |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12776|pmid=37865949 |doi-access=free }}</ref> across Australia.

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Will Cuppy, ''How to Attract the Wombat'', with illustrations by Ed Nofziger, David R. Godiine, 2002, {{ISBN|1-56792-156-6}} (Originally published 1949, Rhinehart).
* Jackie French, ''The Secret World of Wombats'', with illustrations by Bruce Whatley, Harper Collins Publishers, 2005, {{ISBN|0-207-20031-9}}.
* Jackie French, ''Christmas Wombat'', with illustrations by Bruce Whatley, Clarion Books, 2012, {{ISBN|978-0547868721}}.
* Barbara Triggs, ''Wombats'', Houghton Mifflin Australia Pty, 1990, {{ISBN|0-86770-114-5}}. Facts and photographs of wombats for children.
* Barbara Triggs, ''The Wombat: Common Wombats in Australia'', University of New South Wales Press, 1996, {{ISBN|0-86840-263-X}}.
* James Woodford, ''The Secret Life of Wombats'', Text Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|1-877008-43-5}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Vombatidae}}
{{Wiktionary|wombat}}
* [https://www.dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/state-protocols-acknowledgements/using-the-state-insignia-and-emblems South Australian Government Faunal Emblem] (official website)
* [https://www.nla.gov.au/angus-trumble/rossettis-wombat-a-pre-raphaelite-obsession-in-victorian-england Rossetti's Wombat: A Pre-Raphaelite Obsession in Victorian England] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605174602/https://www.nla.gov.au/angus-trumble/rossettis-wombat-a-pre-raphaelite-obsession-in-victorian-england |date=5 June 2022 }})
* [https://www.smh.com.au/national/wombat-combat-danger-is-their-middle-name-20100407-rr4d.html Man attacked by wombat]—''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''
* [https://www.theage.com.au/national/secret-sex-life-of-wombats-20051212-ge1ew2.html Secret sex life of wombat]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HurgI7RN_YM Video of the most long-lived known captive wombat, Patrick]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxIcuV-kWac Video of Christmas Wombat]
* [https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats We need to have a conversation about wombats] (''[[The Oatmeal]]'')

{{Diprotodontia|V.}}
{{Vombatiformes|state=autocollapse}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q23175}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Endemic fauna of Australia]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Marsupials of Australia]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Gilbert Thomas Burnett]]
[[Category:Vombatiforms]]