Endangered: The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Quiz

Answer: Queensland

Since European settlement, the Northern hairy-nosed wombat could be found all around Queensland and in some places of New South Wales. However, fossil records show that their range was once much larger and could also be found in Victoria, as well as a larger area of New South Wales.

Its last remaining habitat is a small, 300 hectare area of the Epping Forrest National Park in Queensland. This area has been fenced off and is regularly attended to by researches and park managers, who are the only ones allowed to enter.

Answer: Herbivorous

The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is herbivorous. It feeds on the leaves of native grasses such as golden beard grass and black speargrass. Compared to other marsupials, it has a low metabolism, which means it doesn't have to eat every day. Its intestines are long and full of helpful digestive microorganisms. Unfortunately, the grasses it feeds on have had to compete for space with the introduced African buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), which the wombat does not feed on, which means it has had less of a food source and this has contributed to their declining population. Fortunately, the area it can now be found in is cleared of this invasive grass and other threats.

Carnivorous animals eat only meat, omnivorous animals eat both meat and plants and insectivorous animals eat, you guessed it, insects.

Answer: Grasslands

Northern hairy-nosed wombats prefer a semi-arid grassland habitat. The area of the Epping Forest National Park in which they now live is grassland situated on an ancient water course. This means the soil is deep, sandy and good for digging! A place near trees is the ideal place for the wombats to place the large groups of burrows in which they live.

They feed in places with patches of scrub and native grasses.

Answer: They face backwards

Like other wombats, the Northern hairy-nosed wombat's pouch faces backwards. This helps them when they're digging, so their babies don't get showered with dirt! Tasmanian devils, bilbies and bandicoots also have this feature.

Northern hairy-nosed wombats are about 1 metre (roughly 3 feet 3/8 inches) long, 35 centimetres (about 14 inches) and weigh in at a maximum 40 kilograms (88 pounds). Females are a bit heavier than males. They have very strong claws to help them dig and search for food and are brownish-grey in colour with silky fur. Compared to other wombats they have more pointed ears, a larger head and a hairy nose (in case you didn't pick that up from its name!) which is larger than the other two.

Answer: Dingo

The dingo has been one of the biggest causes of the decreasing Northern hairy-nosed wombat population. In the space of two weeks in 2000, the Northern hairy-nosed wombat population was decreased from 113 individuals to less than 90 thanks to dingos, which greatly hindered conservational efforts. Because of this event, the Epping Forest National Park fenced off their remaining area to keep dingoes out.

The other animals never even come across the Northern hairy-nosed wombat!

Answer: True

Northern hairy-nosed wombats, along with other wombats, are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. They are particularly active at dusk and dawn. The day time of Epping Forest National Park is typically very hot, so it is likely they are nocturnal to avoid the heat.

In winter, they can occasionally be found during the day. They generally lives in their own burrows, which are located in large groups, but some wombats may share their burrows. The air in them is moist and doesn't vary much in temperature year round.

They mark the burrows they live in with urine and faeces. It takes an adult about one day to dig a burrow.

Answer: Yes

The Southern hairy-nosed wombat is much more stable in population than the Northern hairy-nosed wombat. It is found on the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia, stretching to the New South Wales border, and in some places of Western Australia. It is the state animal of South Australia.

Its biggest physical difference from the Northern hairy-nosed wombat is its size as well as having a shorter muzzle.

Answer: One

November-April during the wet season is the time in which the female will give birth to one young. Gestation lasts for 21 days. The young stay in the female's pouch for up to nine months. After 15 months or so they will leave their mothers. A good breeding season for the wombat would be one in which about 50% to 80% of females give birth. Northern hairy-nosed wombats live to about 23 years of age in the wild.

Answer: Their best sense is sight

Eyesight is, in fact, their weakest sense. Unsurprisingly due to their large nose, their best sense is the sense of smell, which they rely on to find their food in the dark. They also have a strong sense of hearing.

Like rodents, the Northern hairy-nosed wombat's teeth never stop growing. This allows them even in their old age to grind their food.

Northern hairy-nosed wombats rarely have to drink and get most of their water from the grasses they feed on. This feature is similar to the koala, but they don't have to drink at all!

The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is the largest of the three wombats, with the Southern hairy-nosed wombat the smallest and the common wombat in the middle.

Answer: Sold on the illegal pet trade

The IUCN ranks the Northern hairy-nosed wombat as critically endangered, while the Australian Species Profile and Threats Database ranks it as endangered. It is Australia's rarest marsupial. Perhaps the biggest challenge Northern hairy-nosed wombats face today is their already low population, with just over 100 individuals and even less breeding females.

This exposes them to diseases and the possibility of inbreeding. Severe weather events, such as droughts and bushfires, have taken its toll on the population, as droughts have caused the wombats to stop breeding and bushfires have destroyed their habitat. Competition for food and space with introduced species such as rabbits, cattle and sheep has limited their food supply, as well as the introduced African buffel grass, which competes with the grasses the wombat feeds on. Dingoes, which feed on the wombat, have also decreased the population. Thankfully, the Epping Forest National Park has worked tirelessly to prevent these dangers and protect the small remaining population.