To see the post written by Mrs. Yollis and her class once a surprise package arrived...
Meet Walter the Wombat
Wombats, Marsupials and Joeys
Following the arrival of a friendly wombat to Mrs. Yollis and her class in California, I wanted to share a couple extra photos.
Wombat
There are three species of wombat still to be found in Australia.
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Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
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Northern hairy-nosed wombat or yaminon (Lasiorhinus krefftii)
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Southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
In my area, we see the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus). They are herbivores and live in burrows. Normally, they aren't see during the day but can be seen venturing out at dusk. I have seen them in the daytime but this is unusual. Unfortunately, wombats are sometimes killed when crossing roads but groups such as WIRES plus the staff at Potoroo Palace care for joeys if their mother is killed. The fathers don't take part in raising young. The photo below is of an orphaned wombat joey. It was in the care of Potoroo Palace staff. Potoroo Palace seeks to return injured and orphaned animals to the wild if at all possible.
One of Potoroo Palace's greatest wildlife heroes, and a friend, is Alexandra Seddon. She has devoted her life to wildife and the environment. A documentary of her life and care for the environment was just released. Click here to see the short about Alexandra and someof what she has achieved.
Alexandra Seddon
Wombats live in burrows.
Seems a little yucky but below is a photo of wombat droppings. They are easy to identify because they have a cubic shape.
I realised I hadn't added a video clip of wombats to my You Tube channel so I have added a brief one showing Bert the Wombat taken at Potoroo Palace back in 2011.
Kangaroos and Wallabies
Most people know of kangaroos and the smaller wallabies. Not only are some species native to my area, they sometimes feed on my front lawn and are an extra obstacle for golfers at a local golf course. Also marsupials, the females have pouches. They are not all the large kangaroos we see on TV. Here are just a few species.
Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma) Taken at National Zoo in Camberra, Australia's capital city.