Oi, Coelho. Over here, mate.
Phew. Thanks, Wombat.
Good thing you have this great big burrow.
Otherwise, I'd have been a goner.
Oh, I see I'm not the only one hiding out in here.
There's a platypus in Icedina.
G'day. A dingo. A wallaby.
And...a trusty narrator.
Psst. Hey, smarty pants.
In July 2019, in February 2020, catastrophic brush fires burned approximately 46 million acres of southeastern Australia, about the size of Washington State.
It was the driest year on record, so the fires just kept burning, endangering homes of both people and animals.
While the RFS, or Rural Fire Service, made up primarily of volunteers, worked bravely and tirelessly to rescue as many people and animals as possible, it was actually the Wombats who saved a lot of critters, selflessly sheltering them in their extensive underground burrows, where the fire couldn't get
them. Aw, shucks, guys.
But I'm being given too much credit.
I was scared, too. Luckily, I had safe space to share.
It was an emergency, after all.
But what exactly is a Wombat?
Have you ever heard of them before, smarty pants?
Hmm, sounds like some of you have, and some haven't.
Well, since I'm hanging out with one, I'm gonna let Wanda Wombat here describe herself.
Well, Wombats are one of the largest burrowing animals in the world.
We look a little like brown bears who got shrunk in the dryer.
We're cute, round and chubby, with big noses, large paws, short stubby tails and little ears.
Weighing in between 44 and 77 pounds, Wombats weigh about the same as a golden retriever.
So, if Wombat burrows are big enough for them, they're big enough for lots of other critters.
And narrators. Care for some eucalyptus leaves?
I'm good, thanks. Besides being nice, wide tunnels, Wombat burrows are extensive.
One study of the southern hairy -nosed Wombat, like Wanda here, found their underground homes, called warrens, can have up to 28 different entrances and super long tunnels.
Smarty pants, guess how long a Wombat warren might be?
Is it, A, 98 yards, as long as an American football field?
B, 350 yards, as long as an aircraft carrier?
C, 31 yards, as long as a basketball court?
Or, 9 yards, as long as the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile?
If you said, A, you're right.
Wombats can burrow tunnels that cover as much ground as a football field.
Although not usually in a straight line, but a big warren with lots of entrances is a great refuge for other critters to hide in.
Whether it's escaping a brush fire or a dingo.
No offence, dingo. Yeah, no worries.
I'll get it. Again, it's not like I hadn't built those tunnels already.
Really, it was nothing, guys.
Hey, even accidental heroes deserve a pat on the back, Wanda.
Besides, this gives us a chance to learn more about the cute, funny, mysterious Wombat.
What animals are Wombats related to?
Are Wombats dangerous to humans?
What do Wombats eat?
And what makes them such excellent broers?
It's time for another whiff of science on...
Who's smarted? Who's smart?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science? Or history?
Listen up! Everyone, we make smarted lots of fun on who's smarted!
Hey, Wanda. Are you digging as we speak?
Yep, it's kind of my thing.
Each burrow I dig is a series of tunnels connected to my warren.
A warren is kind of like my cozy living room.
But I don't just build one burrow.
I've actually built 14 of them, covering about 425 acres.
The size of a big farm.
Wow. Why does one Wombat need so much space?
We don't. I got a little carried away with tunneling.
Can you blame me? I'm practically built for it.
I use my powerful front claws to dig.
Then, as I back out of my burrow, I push the loose soil out using my back feet and my butt.
Wombats have impressive rumps, using them to burrow and to block the entrance of their burrow to stop predators.
Since my butt is hot as a rock and mostly cartilage, it's pretty resistant to scratches and bites.
When threatened, Wombats even use their big behinds to crush a predator's skull.
Gonna remember that, make sure you're never the butt of any jokes.
Wombats may only spend a few nights sleeping in a burrow before moving to another, leaving lots of vacant burrows behind.
What can I say? I'm a marsupial on the move.
You sure are. Marsupials, like all mammals, give birth to live young and nurse them.
But unlike other mammals, all marsupials have an extra special feature.
I know. I know. We know you know, Koala.
But let's see if the smarty pants know.
Do marsupials have A, a long tail, B, a prehensile tongue, C, a PlayStation, or D, a pouch?
I wish I had a PlayStation.
I'm pretty good with my thumbs.
Smarty pants, if you said D, a pouch, you got it.
Us wombats have pouches to carry our young, just like kangaroos, koalas, or opossums do.
And just like those animals, all baby marsupials are called joeys.
But why? Joey comes from an aboriginal term meaning small animal.
And since almost all marsupials live in Australia, or nearby New Guinea, the word is used for all our little ones.
Wait. Which marsupials don't live around here?
Opossums. Opossums are the only marsupial living in America.
And even though wombats and koalas live in Australia, they're also outliers.
How so? We're the only two marsupials with our pouches on our backs.
Oh, big deal. You had me nervous for a sec.
Koalas are the closest relatives to wombats.
But why do you have your pouch on your back instead of in front, like a kangaroo?
Having my pouch on my back makes it easier for me to climb.
And having my pouch on my back makes it easier for me to dig and prevents my pouch from filling with dirt.
I don't think my joeys would like that.
Wombats only give birth to one joey every two years, except sometimes we have twins.
Wombat joeys stay in the pouch an average of eight months.
Then they'll leave the pouch for short periods, climbing back if they get scared.
Joeys will stay with their moms about two years, while wombat dads are off building new burrows for themselves.
Wombats are pretty solitary.
After two years, grown wombats will strike out on their own.
We don't even see family on holidays.
Too many burrows to dig.
Good thing I have long claws and rodent -like teeth that never stop growing.
Even as I grind down and munch on tough grasses, shrubs and roots, my teeth stay long and strong.
Because you eat so many tough plants, it can take up to six days for you to digest a meal.
But your gut can hold food for 70 hours while you dig and digest.
You also have weird poop.
Gee, thanks Koiela.
But yes. Smarty Pants, guess what shape a wombat's poop is?
Is it a round like a ball?
Swirly like a poop emoji?
Square like a building block?
Or long like a log?
Believe it or not, our poop is square.
We poop little square cubes so that when we mark our territory by pooping on it, our poops won't roll off rocks or tree stumps.
Glad we got to the bottom of that.
You know what's even more impressive than my poop?
We're the second largest of all living marsupials, after the red kangaroo.
And, our ancestors, Deproton, who lived during the Pleistocene Epoch about 2 .6 million years ago, were giant, wombat -like creatures, practically as big as a jeep.
Yikes! Even the heaviest wombat in recent memory wasn't nearly that big.
He was 84 pounds. As big as Foucouas.
His name was Patrick, and he lived at Ballarat Wildlife Park in Australia.
He passed away at the ripe old age of 31.
Most wombats live about 15 years in the wild.
Wombats don't have many natural predators and were reasonably safe underground.
But we can be eaten by foxes, dengoes, wild dogs, Tasmanian devils, or eagles.
Wombats mostly hang out alone, but not always.
When some University of Melbourne zoology students set up cameras in a wombat burrow, they caught a rabbit, koala, and wombat all using the same burrow entrance.
Predators, though, are not welcome.
Sorry, dingo. Yeah, get it mate.
In 2015, burrow cams caught rock wallabies, which look like small kangaroos, bettongs, who resemble rats, skink lizards, even birds, including penguins.
All borrowing wombat's subterranean or underground burrows.
Oh, and if a bunch of wombats bumped into each other, that group of wombats would be called a wisdom of wombats.
Really? Really? There are three subspecies of wombat, the southern hairy -nosed wombat, like Wanda here, the bear -nosed wombat, and the northern hairy -nosed wombat, all marking their territory with roll -resistant square poop in different regions of Australia.
I do enjoy my territory, and I'll chase off any wombat who gets too close.
But wombats almost never fight.
First, I'll hiss and rush.
Then, if the other wombat doesn't scram, I'll turn it into a growling dispute.
I might even sway my head and bare my teeth.
That usually does the trick.
After all, there's plenty of roots and grasses to go around.
I'd much prefer to make happy noises, like during mating season.
But what about when it comes to humans?
Are wombats dangerous?
Now you ask? It's a fair question.
And the answer, right after this quick break.
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And now back to Who Smarted.
As we've learned, wombat are pretty heroic.
But are they dangerous to humans?
Look, wombats might look cute and cuddly, but we can be aggressive when we feel threatened.
But for the most part, I'm a pretty chill critter with a big booty who sleeps 16 hours a day and spends my waking hours munching and digging.
Who knew all that digging would be so helpful?
Not only can you dig, you can run!
While wombats are usually seen sauntering about in no big hurry, if they need to, they can sprint nearly 25 miles per hour.
That's nearly as fast as the world's fastest human, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, whose top speed is just over 27 miles per hour.
You sure I'm that fast?
I have tiny little legs, and I've never timed myself.
Oh, you're fast. Koalas are a little bit slower.
We're lucky we can sprint because when danger is near, we can run for cover in a nice climate -controlled wombat burr.
Temperatures within a burr are comfortable, especially compared to surface temperatures, which can go from way too hot during the day to so cold at night.
And of course, it's the place to be during all these wildfires.
Happy to help. The question is, what can people do to stop these brush fires?
For one thing, use less plastic and avoid too much food waste.
Decomposing food in landfills emits large amounts of the dangerous greenhouse gas, methane.
Instead, try composting at home.
Ooh, I know, I know.
Planting native trees provides food, shelter, and oxygen for us critters while absorbing CO2.
More native trees also means better climate regulation, so less extra dry seasons.
Ahh. Smarty Pants, you could look up Australian Bush Regeneration Groups to find more ways to learn, donate, or volunteer.
Or maybe look for a local group in your community and discover how to best protect and enjoy the ecosystem closest to home.
Yes, to all that. Ugh.
Also, it's snap time.
Everyone feel free to stay and chill as long as you'd like.
Just don't eat all my grasses.
Today's shout -out goes to smarty fan Anaya in Brookfield, Wisconsin, who loves Who Smarted because it's funny and has cool sound effects.
Thanks for smarting with us, Anaya.
We promise to keep the jokes, funny noises, and lots of learning coming your way.
This episode, Wombats, was written by Libby Ward and voiced by Kierna Conner, Taya Garland, Max Kamaski, and Jerry Colbert, technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Text Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Text Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
