Don't Be Alarmed But Wombats Can Run 25 Mph (and 9 Other Wombat Facts You Won't Know Unless You Happen To Be An Actual Wombat Expert)

And I raaaannnnnnn.

Look at this cute 'lil guy.

Eeqmcc / Getty Images

Nice little womby.

Waddle, waddle, waddle.

Lukewaitphotography / Getty Images

Don't mind me, just eating some grass!

Robertdowner / Getty Images

Nom.

Well I don't want to alarm you, really, but did you know these babies can run 25 mph!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!

Mlharing / Getty Images

That's 40 km/h for my international folk.

Seriously, look at it go!

youtube.com

Wild, right? Now you're probably thinking "What else don't I know about wombats?" Wellllllllllll:

1. You will only find wombats in Australia. So, sorry, everybody else.

Marco3t / Getty Images

2. Wombats live in elaborate burrow systems.

Cherrymnitan / Getty Images

Most wombats live alone but sometimes four or five wombats will live in one large burrow, which may be as deep as 65 feet (about 20 meters).

3. In fact, wombats are the largest burrowing mammal on Earth.

Marco3t / Getty Images

Wombats can weigh up to 80 pounds (or about 36 kilograms).

4. A group of wombats is called a mob or a colony.

Jonaseriksson / Getty Images

Though, they are generally solitary animals.

5. Okay but how about this fact: wombats are marsupials (but that's not the really interesting part) and they have their pouches in the back!

Boyshots / Getty Images

This is so they can dig without disturbing their pouch.

6. But, perhaps most importantly, wombats poops are shaped like cubes. They have flat sides.

Keiichihiki / Getty Images

Wombats use their cubed poops to mark their territory, so it helps that they don't roll away.

That's crazy!

NBC

7. It takes a wombat two weeks to fully digest its food.

Craigrjd / Getty Images

Their extremely slow metabolism helps wombats survive in arid climates.

8. Wombats are nocturnal, and are actually rarely seen, which is weird since all these photos show them out and about during the day.

Keiichihiki / Getty Images

Here's a picture of my coworker Elaina with a real live wombat.

Elaina Wahl / BuzzFeed

Elaina says wombats will come up for sun on cold days, and that this was a cold day. I don't know if she's an expert but she did work at the zoo. I told her it looks like she's making fun of the wombat but she assured me "I was just overcome with emotion."

9. Wombats are herbivores. They mostly eat grass but sometimes eat roots, shrubs and bark.

Jillypops / Getty Images

That's all folks!

Bennymarty / Getty Images