A wombat is a sturdy, burrowing marsupial about the size of a medium dog that lives in Australia. Wombats have thick, muscular bodies, short, powerful legs, and small, bear-like faces. They're built for digging: their strong claws can excavate elaborate underground tunnels called burrows, where they sleep during the day and retreat when threatened.

Like kangaroos and koalas, wombats are marsupials, meaning mothers carry their tiny babies in pouches. But unlike kangaroos, a wombat's pouch opens backward so dirt doesn't fly into it while the mother digs.

Wombats are herbivores who come out at night to graze on grasses, roots, and bark. They're surprisingly fast runners despite their stocky build, reaching speeds up to 25 miles per hour in short bursts. One famous fact about wombats: they produce cube-shaped droppings, which scientists believe helps the droppings stay in place as scent markers rather than rolling away.

Though they look cuddly, wild wombats can be aggressive when cornered. Their rumps are mostly made of tough cartilage, which they use as shields to block their burrow entrances and crush predators against the tunnel roof.