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Common Wombat
Vombatus ursinus
Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderDiprotodontia (Kangaroos, Possums, Wombats, and Allies)
- FamilyVombatidae (Wombats)
- GenusVombatus (Bare-nosed Wombats)
- SpeciesVombatus ursinus (Common Wombat)
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
75 Verified sightings at Melbourne
1,920 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Common Wombat
The common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), also known as the bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the sole extant member of the genus Vombatus. It has three subspecies: Vombatus ursinus hirsutus, found on the Australian mainland;
Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis (Tasmanian wombat), found in Tasmania; and Vombatus ursinus ursinus (Bass Strait wombat), found on Flinders Island and Maria Island in the Bass Strait. The mainland subspecies is the largest of the three, with its largest specimens measuring up to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) and 35 kg (77 lb). The common wombat is herbivorous, mainly nocturnal, and lives in burrows. Being a marsupial, its joeys inhabit a pouch on the mother for around five months after birth.
The common wombat was first described by George Shaw in 1800. Wikipedia →
Sounds
Call0:04
Australia · 2020
© Marc Anderson · XC959819 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:26
Australia · 2025
© katyw · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:15
Australia · 2024
© Julie K · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Common Wombat in Melbourne
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Melbourne
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Common Wombat in Melbourne?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wombat sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Common Wombat in Melbourne?
January–February, April–May and July–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wombat in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in March, June and December, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Common Wombat?
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Wombat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Where else can you see a Common Wombat?
Only Melbourne, in our data
Melbourne is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Common Wombat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Which relatives of the Common Wombat live in Melbourne?
Same order: Diprotodontia
The closest relatives of the Common Wombat that you can see in Melbourne (order Diprotodontia, Kangaroos, Possums, Wombats, and Allies) are Common Ringtail Possum (about 40%), Common Brushtail (about 30%) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Common Wombat sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Wombat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Melbourne (75 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
