N is for Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat

Liz Brownlee ♦ April 16, 2012 ♦ 2 Comments

I really love these rare Australian marsupials.

Their hairy noses are very sensitive and help them to smell their food in the dark as they have very poor eyesight. As well as the unusual claim to fame of having a hairy nose, they are known for being one of the largest herbivorous animals to live in a burrow.

Wombat mothers have a pouch like other marsupials, but it faces backwards – this handy adaptation stops her baby from being covered in soil every time she digs a burrow.

Unfortunately they are one of the rarest mammals in the world, there are only about 115 left in the wild, all in one place.  Their territory is being invaded by exotic grasses which are replacing the vegetation they need to survive.

They are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species.

If you’d like to read more about the hairy wombat, click here: Wikipedia.

 If you’d like to read more about the IUCN Red List, please click here: IUCN Red List.

If you’d like to Blog Hop to another A-Z Challenge blog, click here: A-Z Challenge.

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