Among other Aussie animals forgotten or unknown, is the Wombat. Possibly my favourite animal in our land.
These stumpy legged, waddling cutesy-pies are just the same as every other damn animal we have. Get in its way and it will not hesitate in taking you down. A fully grown wombat can weigh up to 35 kilograms (77 lbs) and can hit a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). So essentially a shin splitting muscle missile.
Found on the south-eastern parts of Australia, the wombat numbers mostly are steady as they are a protected species. They dig huge burrows and spend their days foraging for food or just sitting about.
Spot the Wombat
My father never hesitates to tell me the story of when he went to the zoo as a kid. Back in the 60's, zookeepers happily let wombats among other animals wander freely around the zoo. When my dad visited as a ten year old, he locked eyes with a big male just outside the reptile enclosure. The wombat decided this was the kid he needed to take down and charged... my dad ran at full speed with the wombats nose flicking his calves, hot on his tale as the fellow zoo-goers broke into heavy laughter. The wombat chased him through the reptile enclosure until my dad could get up on top of a bin and wait for salvation. The angry wombat, denied his target, waddled off calmly once the zookeeper shoe'd him down the hill, presumably off to terrorize another unsuspecting school kid.
Anyway, I have a soft spot for these furry marsupials, its impossible to not. Especially in a place like Tasmania, where they are prolific. If you ever want to know they are near, look for the cubic droppings they leave. Why they are cubes... probably because they are animals of many faces.
DanedeBeau
If you want to read more about Tasmania and its inhabitants, check out my previous posts below, and feel free to subscribe to my blog
Mismatched Travel Diaries - Tasmania - Part 2 - The Tassie Devil.
Mismatched Travel Diaries - Tasmania - Part 1 - Some Textures From The Land Down Under The Land Down Under.