Before we talk about their most well-known and unique skill, wombats are quite an interesting species for many reasons.Â
Firstly, wombats have a rather unique way of escaping predators. Their rump is as hard as rock! So when they are threatened, they dive into its burrow and plugs the entrance up with its rump! Their rump is so hard, that no matter what the predator tries to do to get the wombat out, like clawing and biting its backside it will not get past.
Wombat bottoms are made up of 4 plates fused together and surrounded by cartilage, fat, skin and fur. A bite from a dingo or a fox might hurt a bit, but it wouldn’t kill the wombat.
Why? Well there are a few reasons. Wombats don’t have great eyesight so they use their dropping to communicate with each other. By putting them up high on a rock or log, there is a greater chance their message will be seen by a potential mate.
And because they stack them up on top of each other, the cube shape makes it less likely that they will roll away.Â
The unique shape with six sides is around 2 cm (0.8 inches), which also means more surface area to increase the dispersal of their scent. Â
Stacked droppings convey messages to other wombats like their location or if they are looking for a mate.
