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wombat
wombat shy marsupial of Australia and Tasmania, related to the koala. The wombat is a thick-set animal with a large head, short legs (giving it a shuffling gait), and a very short tail. It is about 3 ft (91.5 cm) long. Its snout is either naked, as in the species Vombatus ursinus, or furred, as in Lasiorhinus latifrons. Its incisors, the only teeth, grow continually, like those of rodents. Wombats are native to savanna forests and grasslands. They are solitary, nocturnal animals that feed chiefly on grass, roots, and bark and have been known to gnaw down large trees. They are powerful burrowers, digging tunnels by lying on their sides and pushing out soil with their feet. Their burrows, which may be 100 ft (31.5 m) long, terminate in grassy nests. A single infant is carried by its mother in a marsupial pouch for a period of 6 to 12 months. Extinct wombats as large as hippopotamuses are known from fossil evidence. Wombats are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Marsupialia, family Vombatidae. |
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"wombat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wombat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-wombat.html "wombat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-wombat.html |
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Vombatidae
Vombatidae (Phascolomyidae; wombats; order Marsupialia (or Diprotodontia), superfamily Vombatoidea) A family of large, burrowing, largely nocturnal marsupials in which the incisors and cheek teeth grow continually. The body is broad and flattened, the head large and flat, and the limbs pentadactyl, short and stout, with broad, naked soles to the feet. The tail is vestigial. Wombats occur in southern and south-eastern Australia, Flinders Island, and Tasmania. There are three species, Vombatus ursinus (common wombat), Lasiorhinus latifrons (hairy-nosed wombat), and L. barnardi (Queensland hairy-nosed wombat), of which only 60 individuals are known to be surviving at present.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Vombatidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Vombatidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Vombatidae.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Vombatidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Vombatidae.html |
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wombat
wombat Either of two species of large, rodent-like marsupial mammals of se Australia and Tasmania. Both species are herbivorous, primarily nocturnal, and live in extensive burrows. The common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) has coarse black hair and small ears. The hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) has finer, grey fur and large ears. Length: to 1.2m (3.9ft). Family Vombatidae.
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"wombat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wombat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-wombat.html "wombat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-wombat.html |
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wombat
wom·bat / ˈwämˌbat/ • n. a burrowing plant-eating Australian marsupial (family Vombatidae) that resembles a small bear with short legs. Two genera and three species include the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus). |
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"wombat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wombat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-wombat.html "wombat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-wombat.html |
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wombat
wombat burrowing marsupial. XVIII. Austral. aboriginal word.
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T. F. HOAD. "wombat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "wombat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wombat.html T. F. HOAD. "wombat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-wombat.html |
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wombat
wombat See VOMBATIDAE.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "wombat." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "wombat." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-wombat.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "wombat." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-wombat.html |
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wombat
wombat
•at, bat, brat, cat, chat, cravat, drat, expat, fat, flat, frat, gat, gnat, hat, hereat, high-hat, howzat, lat, mat, matt, matte, Montserrat, Nat, outsat, pat, pit-a-pat, plait, plat, prat, Rabat, rat, rat-tat, Sadat, sat, scat, Sebat, shabbat, shat, skat, slat, spat, splat, sprat, stat, Surat, tat, that, thereat, tit-for-tat, vat, whereat
•fiat • floreat • exeat • caveat
•Croat, Serbo-Croat
•Nanga Parbat • brickbat • dingbat
•combat, wombat
•fruitbat • numbat • acrobat • backchat
•whinchat • chitchat • samizdat
•concordat • Arafat • Jehoshaphat
•butterfat • Kattegat • hard hat
•sun hat • fat cat • hellcat • requiescat
•scaredy-cat • Magnificat • copycat
•pussycat • wildcat • bobcat • tomcat
•Sno-Cat • polecat • muscat • meerkat
•mudflat • cervelat
•doormat, format
•diplomat • laundromat • Zermatt
•Donat • cowpat
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"wombat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "wombat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-wombat.html "wombat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-wombat.html |
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