Common wombat
The common wombat, or ‘bare-nosed wombat‘, is a marsupial that forms a family with the hairy-nosed wombat, which is also native to Australia. It inhabits the southeastern coast of the continent, Tasmania and two smaller neighboring islands, with the populations being divided into three different subspecies. The animals on the mainland reach a body length of up to 1.2 meters (3 ft 11 in), making them the largest.
Digging activity
Common wombats are known for their extensive digging activity and spend most of their time in their underground tunnel systems. These can be up to 20 meters (65 ft 7 in) long and often have multiple entrances. Unlike all other marsupials, wombats have only one pair of incisors, which they use to cut through obstacles when digging and which grow throughout their lives.
Marsupial offspring
The pouch of female wombats is not open at the top (or front) like that of kangaroos, for example, but at the back. This prevents soil from getting in while digging. Wombats usually give birth to only one young every two years. Infant marsupials are also called „joeys“. After birth, the mother carries the joey in her pouch for the first five months.
Unique dung
A strange peculiarity of wombats is their cube-shaped excrement. The explanation for this unique form in the animal kingdom is still controversial. While many researchers cite the low-water diet as a reason, there is also the theory that the square shape prevents rolling away in sloping terrain, since the droppings also serves as a territorial mark.
Facts
- Binominal name: Vombatus ursinus
- Other names: Bare-nosed wombat
- Infraclass: Marsupialia
- Subspecies: Vombatus ursinus hirsutus (Australia), Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis (Tasmania), Vombatus ursinus ursinus (Bass Strait islands)
- First described: 1800 (George Shaw)
- Distribution: Southeastern coast of Australia, Tasmania, Flinders Island and Maria Island in the Bass Strait
Wombat Folding Card
This special souvenir note from the Australia Series is dedicated to the common wombat. Printed on genuine security paper, it features a lizard as a gold foil patch, motifs in UV color and haptic elements. While the vertically designed obverse depicts a wombat, the reverse shows the famous sandstone formation Uluru or Ayers Rock in Central Australia and Aboriginal art. Uluru is 348 m (1,142 ft) high and is revered as a sacred place by the Aboriginal people of the area. Under UV light, a road sign with a wombat becomes visible. The Australia Series, which comprises a total of eight souvenir notes, is also available in a booklet with lots of information and pictures.
Obverse: Common wombat, stylized lizard, map of Australia
Reverse: Uluru or Ayers Rock, sandstone formation in Central Australia, Aboriginal art, stylized sea turtle
| Dimensions: 145 x 70 mm (5.71 x 2.76 in) Material: Paper |
