Rickey Vreeland, age 13, of Wichita, KA., for his question:
What is a wombat?
The original natives of australia were not very exact in their use of words. They used their word wombat, or wombach, to name a badger type burrowing animal. And the sleepy headed, tree dwelling koala.. The strange animals of australia were new to the white settlers, and so they had no names for them. Wombat is one of the names they borrowed from the native language.
This furry fellow is a marsupial, which means he spent his babyhood pocketed in a pouch built into his motherts coat. Along with most of the world's marsupials, we find him inhabiting the large island of australia and some of the smaller islands which surround it. But we are not likely to find him at all unless we hunt outdoors at night.
He is a chubby fellow, anywhere from three to four feet long. He walks close to the ground on four stubby legs. Though short, his legs are very strong and sturdy. His front feet end in long curved claws which are used for digging burrows in the hard ground. The common wombat, has coarse, dark hair, and his shaggy coat is sometimes used as a doormat.
The wcmbat has a rabbit type face with a pair of sleepy eyes and two mousey ears. From a distance, you might mistake him for a pertly grown bear. If you saw him digging his burrow., he would remind you of a badger. But he is unrelated to the bear and the bad,ger. The wombat and his several cousins belong in the family phascolomyidae, mfaning the pouched mouse type animals.
When the sun shines, the wombat is sound asleep. His home is a burrow, maybe 15 feet or maybe 100 feet long and he dug it all with his own bare hands. At the end of his tunnel is a bedroom with a bed of crispy dry leaves which he has gathered and carted downstairs to make himself comfortable. He is a solitary fellow., and no one shares his cozy burrow. Mrs wombat, however, shares her home with junior, but only until he is big enough to face the world alone and build his own burrow.
After the sun sets, the wombat wakes up and gets ready to forage. He cones out to feed on roots and grasses. He is very fond of chewing on stalks of hay, and sometimes he eats the inner bark of a tree trunk. This diet calls for strong teeth, and the wombat has them. His teeth., like those of the rodent, continue to grow throughout his life.
A wombat may live to be 30 years old, and in captivity he makes a splendid pet. He is smart and repays kindness with affection. He is not given to tantrums, and when annoyed, the gentle creature merely utters a few low., husky growls. He can, hawever, be recommended only as a suitable pet for a night watchman for the wombat always sleeps through the day.