The Common Wombat (and Poo) DSC_3402
As promised a close up of the Wombat. I was hoping it would look up from eating and waited as long as I could but it was too busy grazing to notice me.
Wombats are marsupials and native to Australia. We have three species, one of which is endangered. They are about 1 m in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between 20 and 35 kg.
I will give you two interesting facts about wombats
-Wombats produce cube shaped poo that they leave as a marker often on wood or rocks. How and why the poo is that shape has always puzzled scientists. Just recently research has shown that the cube shape is formed within the intestines – not at the point of exit, as previously thought (square shaped sphincter ?!). They found this out by investigation of the muscles inside the intestine and using mathematical modelling. The team discovered big changes in the thickness of muscles inside the intestine, varying between two stiffer regions and two more flexible regions. The changes in muscle thickness, in addition to the drying out of the faecal material in the distal colon, produced the distinctive shape.
-Wombats are most closely related to Koalas. I think when you see the face of a wombat you can see the resemblance.
The Common Wombat (and Poo) DSC_3402
As promised a close up of the Wombat. I was hoping it would look up from eating and waited as long as I could but it was too busy grazing to notice me.
Wombats are marsupials and native to Australia. We have three species, one of which is endangered. They are about 1 m in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between 20 and 35 kg.
I will give you two interesting facts about wombats
-Wombats produce cube shaped poo that they leave as a marker often on wood or rocks. How and why the poo is that shape has always puzzled scientists. Just recently research has shown that the cube shape is formed within the intestines – not at the point of exit, as previously thought (square shaped sphincter ?!). They found this out by investigation of the muscles inside the intestine and using mathematical modelling. The team discovered big changes in the thickness of muscles inside the intestine, varying between two stiffer regions and two more flexible regions. The changes in muscle thickness, in addition to the drying out of the faecal material in the distal colon, produced the distinctive shape.
-Wombats are most closely related to Koalas. I think when you see the face of a wombat you can see the resemblance.