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Images of Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat is one of the three living Wombat species found in Australia. The animal is also known as “yaminon”. It belongs to the Marsupialia or Marsupial infraclass. This species was once very widespread in different parts of Australia including Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. But, at present the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat populations are declining alarmingly, making it critically endangered.

Scientific Name

The scientific name for this mammal is Lasiorhinus krefftii.

Description

Here is a general description of this species:

Size: These mammals grow up to 35 cm in height and around 1 meter in length. The females are larger than the males due to their extra fat layer. Female Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats also have backward facing pouches to keep their newborn babies.

Weight: Their weight ranges between 30 kg and 40 kg.

Color: The animals are mainly brown in color with grey, black and fawn blotches.

Fur: They are covered in soft and silky fur coats.

Head: The Wombats have large heads with long, pointed ears and small eyes. They have long, wide and flattened muzzles. Their eyes are circled with dark patches. They have whiskers growing from the sides of their noses.

Legs: The legs of these animals are short and powerful. The large forepaws have strong claws that are 5 cm long.

Distribution

They are mainly found in a 300 ha range in the Epping Forest National Park, central Queensland. Another colony of this species has recently been established at the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge, Yarran Downs in southern Queensland.

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat Picture

Picture 1 – Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Habitat

The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat prefers to live in sandy and dry areas with water bodies. Their habitation area includes grasslands where there are scattered acacias and eucalyptus trees and scrub patches.east inflatables australia warehouse

Diet

This herbivorous mammal generally feed on grass and the roots of various trees.

Behavior

They have a very interesting behavior pattern:

  • These animals are nocturnal in nature, being active mainly during nighttime.
  • Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats are solitary animals.
  • They often share burrows.
  • Their burrows are marked by urination.
  • The grazing animals spend a large part of their time looking for food.
  • They dig deep and complex burrows with their short legs.
  • During the winter, the Wombats of this species can be seen basking in the sun.
  • Young Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats tend to hide behind their mothers when threatened.

Predators

Dingoes are the main predators of this species.

Adaptations

Their adaptive features help them to survive in their wild habitat:

  • Their noses are the most important adaptive feature and help them to find food. The noses compensate for their poor eyesight.
  • They have sharp claws to dig burrows. They remain in their burrows during daytime in the summer to avoid the extreme heat and sunlight.
  • The pouches of the females are another adaptive feature that helps to keep the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat babies safe until they learn to protect themselveseast inflatables warehouse.

Baby Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat Image

Picture 2 – Baby Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Mating Season

Their mating takes place during the rainy season between the months of October and March.

Reproduction

Female Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats become reproductively mature at 3 years of age while the males attain sexual maturity when they are 2 to 3 years old. The females generally give birth to a single offspring at a time. But, in some rare cases twins are born. The gestation period for this species lasts between 20 and 22 days.

Life Cycle

The babies are born very small and underdeveloped. They weigh around 2 gm and are 2 cm long at birth. Their eyes and ears are closed after birth and their bodies are not covered with fur. But, they have a strong sense of smell. The babies climb into the pouches of their mothers immediately after they are born. They remain in the pouches for 6 to 9 months and leave their mother once they become 1 year old. The young Wombats start eating solid foods after coming out of the pouch. Their weaning takes 1 year to complete.????

Pictures of Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Picture 3 – Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat Picture

Lifespan

The lifespan of this species ranges between 12 years and 20 years in the wild.

Conservation Status

They are included in the “Critically Endangered” category by the IUCN. The Australian Species Profile and Threats Database or SPRAT has listed this species as “endangered”. Their habitation areas in Epping Forest National Park and Richard Underwood Nature Refuge have been protected by a special predator proof fence to keep the remaining Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat population safe.????

Interesting Facts

Find out some fascinating facts about these mammals:

  • They are counted among the rarest large mammal species found all over the world.
  • The baby Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat is known as “Joey”.
  • They are the largest burrowing herbivorous mammals in existence.
  • The pouches of the females are backwards facing to prevent the soil from entering the pouch while the Wombats dig burrows.
  • The growth of their teeth never stops, which allows them to grind their food easily even when the animals grow oldLicensed Inflatables.

Pictures

Here are some pictures of these mammals.

Photos of Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Picture 4 – Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat Photo

Images of Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

Picture 5 – Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat Image

References:

http://www.arkive.org/northern-hairy-nosed-wombat/lasiorhinus-krefftii/#text=Biology

http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/11343/0

http://www.wildlife.org.au/wildlife/speciesprofile/mammals/northern_hairy_nosed_wombat.html

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/northern-hairynosed.html

http://www.wombania.com/wombats/northern-hairy-nosed-wombat.htm


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    Azen

    This is an amazing website for my project!

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