Sloth Versus Wombat
In the wild, some animals are just delightfully strange, which is the case with sloths and wombats. Sloths, with their slow lifestyles, seeming to live in a world where time barely exists, while wombats, with their chunky bodies and burrowing skills, are underground architects of the wild. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at these quirky critters and see what makes them so fascinating and special.
Meet the Wombat
Wombats are short-legged, stubby-tailed marsupials belonging to the family Vombatidae. They are about 1m (40in) in length and weight about 20-35kg (44-77lbs), with brown, tan, or grey fur. Often described as being stout, sturdy, and powerful as they are expert diggers with short, muscular legs and sharp claws. There are three species of wombat: Bare-Nosed Wombat (which is most common), as well as two subspecies, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, and the Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat.
Endemic to Australia, wombats are among the largest burrowing mammals in the world. They are highly adaptable and live in various habitats, including forests, mountainous regions, heathlands, and coastal shrublands across southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania. They are also found in a small, isolated area of Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. The bare-nosed wombat prefers wetter forested areas, while the southern-hairy nosed wombat lives in more arid regions.
Leaf and Grass Eaters
Although both wombats and sloths are herbivores, their diets reflect their distinct habitats and lifestyles. Wombats primarily feed on grasses, herbs, roots, bushes and trees, fungi, shrubs, bark, mosses, leaves, and marsh plants.
Sloths, on the other hand, have a diet that mainly consists of leaves, flowers, and buds. However, sloths are more selective in their feeding, often preferring specific types of trees and plants in the rainforest canopy.
While both animals have evolved to thrive on plant-based diets, wombats are more ground-oriented grazers, while sloths are specialized leaf-eaters that spend their lives hanging out in trees.
Wombats and Sloths, Masters of Conserving Energy
The wombat’s diet is nutritionally poor, low in protein and high in fiber, so they must conserve as much energy as possible. Their low metabolic rate, or slow metabolism, allows them to efficiently digest their food over extended periods, typically 8-14 days, enabling them to extract the maximum amount of nutrients. This adaptation helps them survive in Australia’s harsh and dry environments, where food can be scarce and long periods without water are common.
Similarly, sloths have one of the slowest metabolisms among mammals, perfectly suited to their low-energy diet of leaves. Their slow pace allows them to conserve energy by moving very little and digesting their food in around 30 days.
Bizarre Defecation
Sloths are known for their unique bathroom habits: they leave the safety of the canopy to climb all the way to the ground to defecate, typically only once a week. Wombats, on the other hand, are especially famous for being the only animals that produce cube-shaped feces.
In both cases, it is hypothesized that these behaviors are related to pheromones and communication with other members of their species. Sloths create distinctive piles on the ground, while wombats can leave their feces on various surfaces without them rolling away, effectively marking their territory.
Sloth Stamina Versus Wombat Speed
Typically, wombats are not characterized as slow in the same way sloths are. However, they do have a slow and deliberate way of moving when they are foraging or walking around. Their heavy walk reflects their stocky, muscular build, which is optimized for digging rather than speed.
When necessary, wombats can move surprisingly fast. Despite their usual slow pace, they are capable of short bursts of speed. They can run up to 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) when they feel threatened or trying to evade predators.
Sloths have a more specialized muscle structure suited for their slow, arboreal lifestyle. Sloths have lower muscle mass compared to many other mammals of their size; however, their muscles are highly adaptable for hanging, gripping, and navigating the forest canopy. They have, what is considered, long, slow-twitch muscle fibers that help them maintain their slow, deliberate movements. Their limb muscles are arranged in a way that allows them to lock into place with minimal energy used. This allows them to hang from branches for extended periods of time without tiring.
Underground Architects
Wombats are excellent diggers and are known for their burrows which range from 3-30 meters (10-100 feet) long and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) deep. The diameter of the burrow is as wide as a wombat, which is about 20 inches wide and almost large enough for a small person to crawl into. Wombats dig with their front claws, pushing the loose soil with their hind feet as they back out of a burrow. They can dig several feet of a tunnel in one night, and some wombats may have up to 12 burrows, with longer ones serving as main burrows for sleep and refuge, while shorter ones are used for hiding or escaping.
While modern sloths are not burrowing mammals, some prehistoric sloths were. Massive underground tunnels, known as “paleoburrows,” have been discovered in southern Brazil, believed to have been dug by ancient giant ground sloths, possibly Catonyx, Glossotherium, or Lestodon.
These tunnels found across several regions in Brazil are extraordinary in size, with some stretching hundreds of feet long and large enough for a human to walk through. Unlike natural geological formations, these tunnels show clear signs of having been dug by large claws, leading scientists to believe that they were created by prehistoric creatures.
Wombat and Sloth Claws Adapted to Their Specific Lifestyle and Environments
Wombat claws are strong, thick, and designed primarily for digging. Since they are excellent burrowers, their claws help them dig extensive underground tunnel systems. Their claws are not particularly long but are robust and well suited for breaking through tough soil, roots, and hard-packed earth.
Sloths however, have long, curved, sharp claws perfectly adapted for hanging and maneuvering through the trees. These claws are essential for their slow, deliberate movement through the forest canopy, allowing them to navigate with ease. The length and curvature of sloth claws also make them effective for defending against predators, if necessary, although sloths rely on their camouflage and slow movements to avoid detection.
Wombat Conservation Challenges
Historically, wombats were declared pests by the Australian government in the early 1900s, leading to the killing of approximately 63,000 wombats for their skins between 1926 and 1965. Today, conservation efforts have gained momentum, with a focus on protecting wombat populations and their habitats. The common wombat and southern hairy-nosed wombat populations are relatively stable compared to the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat, but all three species still face ongoing threats such as land clearing, habitat competition, predation, and disease.
In terms of conservation status, the IUCN lists the southern hairy-nosed wombat as “near threatened,” the northern hairy-nosed wombat as “critically endangered,” (with just over 100 individuals remaining, all confined in Epping Forest National Park), and the common wombat as “least concern.” There are conservation efforts across Australia, with various groups working to protect all three species through raising awareness, conducting research, and safeguarding wombat habitats.
Today, all wombat species are protected across Australia, except in Victoria, where the Bare-nosed Wombat is still regarded as an agricultural pest. Permits are required in these areas to control their numbers. Wombats also face other significant challenges, primarily, habitat loss and competition for food with introduced herbivores such as rabbits, cattle, sheep, and goats. In addition, a disease named sarcoptic mange, which is sometimes spread by foxes and dogs, can devastate entire wombat colonies.
Darlene Buibas
SloCo Collaborator
