Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Wombat scat

Someone told us not long after we arrived in Franklin that you can identify wombat droppings or scat because it is square, and typically deposited on top of a log or rock or similar. Well, it is true. And at the risk of offending someone, here are some pictures taken on my weekend walk. Want to know why wombats do cube-shaped poop? You can read all about it here.

2 comments:

  1. I've been fascinated by the cube shaped scats since I first saw them on a trail up at Cradle Mountain. The ones I've seen up there aren't as dark as the ones in your pic - different vegetation I'm guessing.

    I understand the theory behind why they are shaped this way, but how they manage to produce them this way still has me stumped (not even close to being curious enough to study the inner workings of a wombat).

    For a great read, check out James Woodford's Secret Life of Wombats.

    I'm going to file this under blog comments I never thought I'd be making...

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  2. I am so pleased it's not just me who is fascinated :-) We've also been spotting Devil droppings which are easy to identify as they normally contain crunched up bones and fur. What a topic to discuss eh. Thanks for the book tip - I've read one of James Woodford's books (Real Dirt: How I Solved My Grid-Life Crisis) so I'll definitely try the wombat one.

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