Are wombats friendly? Fun facts!

A lot of people ask us here at Symbio Wildlife Park if Wombats are friendly? Well that all depends on if they have they have their favourite breakfast of Sweet Potato.

Milly our resident Wombat, may look all cute and cuddly, but get her on the wrong side of the burrow in the morning, and without an offering of fresh sweet potato, she turns into a Diva.

And despite Millie being a Common Wombat, she is anything but a common girl.

Some fun facts about wombats:
- They can run at speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour which are just under retired sprinter Usain Bolt's fastest recorded speed

- They dig burrows using their strong claws

- Wombat bottoms are their main form of defence. When a predator is near, they dive down into their burrows and block off the entrance with their big butts. As their booties mainly consist of cartilage, they are very resistant to scratches and bites and will crush predators' skulls against the roof of their burrows by driving up with their powerful hind legs.

- Wombats have square poo! Seriously their poop is cubed in shape, and no they don't have square bum holes. The muscles in their digestive system contract to make their poo come out square. This is believed to be an adaptation to stop poo from rolling down into their burrow, and also for marking their territory, so it doesn't roll away! Is anyone up for a game of dice?

- If you have ever seen a Koala walking on the ground you will see the uncanny resemblance to a wombat. That is because Koalas are the wombat's closest relative.

- Wombats have pouches that face backwards! As a marsupial, wombats like Millie, have a backwards-facing pouch where the young develop. The direction of the pouch means the joey is protected from dirt if the mother is digging.

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