Wombats!

I’ve fallen in love with wombats! It wasn’t hard to do. They are cute, full of rolly-polly impishness and seem to get along with humans. At least some of the humans who play and even live with them (according to videos in my FaceBook newsfeed, anyway).

When I made this little wombat pendant, I smiled the whole time. I always feel like I’m on the right track when a design I’m creating especially amuses me.

Adorably wacky wombat facts:

• Their rear end is their primary defense – They dig burrows then seal them off with their butts, which are made of cartilage (and pretty resistant to attack)
• Their closest living relative is the Koala – This one doesn’t surprise me, ‘cause I find both of them similarly adorable
• They can run as fast as a human! Actually, up to 25 miles an hour, which is a lot faster than THIS human has ever run…

And this crazy one…

• They poop in cubes! Really! I looked it up on images in google, and this is actually true, even though to me it sounds like something out of a Donald Duck comic strip

Since they are marsupials, they give birth to a tiny, undeveloped little one. The little baby crawls into her (backwards) pouch where it eats and grows, protected. Why is the pouch facing backwards? Since wombats are diggers, this prevents dirt from entering the pouch.

Long, long ago (during the ice age) there were giant wombats the size of rhinoceroses. It’s thought that Aborigines hunted them.

The largest wombats today weigh from 44-77 pounds, and are about 3.3 feet long. Little muscular guys I don’t think I’d want to tussle with.

Are you a marsupial fan, too? Which one do you find the most fascinating?

I like to think I’m not alone!