Far more endearing is the gentle common wombat, a stocky animal with a cuddly appearance. Like all marsupials, female wombats have pouches and suckle their young. Yet, unlike their relatives’ pouches, those of the wombat face backward, doubtless to keep baby clean while mother scoops out their burrows. Wombats also have teeth that never stop growing​—a boon for them, since they use their teeth to gnaw through underground obstacles. Despite their ponderous appearance, common wombats are surprisingly dexterous and can delicately pick up vegetation with their front feet and place it in their mouth.

[Picture on page 11]

Common wombat