Animal Bytes: Got Questions?
I'm
very interest in wombats and I've heard there is a display
of hairy-nosed wombats in the Children's Zoo. Is this true?
I'd like to see a real wombat.—Jay B.
It's true! We have two hairy-nosed wombats Lasiorhinus latifrons. The male's name is Kambera, which means "father" in the Aboriginal language of Australia; the female is Kindyerra, which means "grass," a wombat's main food.
Hairy-nosed wombats are marsupials native to Australia that are known as "bulldozers of the bush." They live in elaborate underground burrows that they dig with their powerful legs and strong claws, moving up to three feet of earth in a single night. Although they sometimes share burrows, they are mostly solitary, and they are largely nocturnal, sleeping by day and foraging for grasses, roots, and lichens by night. They can weigh up to 70 pounds (32 kilograms), and despite their slow, waddling walk, they can actually run at up to 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour). They are also strong swimmers, good climbers, and aggressive defenders of their territory. With their comical faces and roly-poly appearance, they seem to charm everyone who meets them.
