When most people think of a wombat, they picture cute little furballs that live in Australia. Some people might know that they poop cubes. Others might have heard that the little diggers have an armor-plated bum (it’s actually a strong cartilage plate). Whatever weird fact you may know about wombats, most people don’t realize how giant they are. @lexiejojex pretty BIG baby #wombat #australia #melbourne #wombatfam #ballarat ♬ original sound – highschool simulator The average size of an adult wombat is 3.3 feet long. The plump marsupials range in weight from 55 to 88 pounds. No, that is not a super-tiny woman in the video. The wombat she is hugging is a juvenile, so it isn’t done growing yet. Wombats are the largest burrowing animals in the world. These cuddly critters are the second-largest marsupial. Their greatest defense attribute is their rump, so if they face a predator, they turn the other cheek. If attacked underground, they use the cartilage plate as a door to block their burrow. Image from TikTok here and here. Surprisingly, these plump, short little animals are fast. If faced with a predator in an open area, they can run up to 25 miles an hour. There is even a reason they have square poop. They leave dung to mark their territory. The shape ensures that it stays where they plop it and doesn’t roll away. They may look like cute little balls of fur on stumpy legs, but every attribute of a wombat serves a giant purpose in keeping it alive. The Giant Wombat Is Extinct Although the wombat of today may seem giant-sized, they are a pipsqueak when compared to the Diprotodon. The Diprotodon was called the giant wombat, although it was not a true wombat. The large creature roamed Australia 80,000 years ago. Back then, all the marsupials were giant. Image from Wikimedia Commons. The size of the extinct giant wombat is between that of a cow and a bison. The body style of the current wombats resembles that of their ancestors. The Diprotodon had a huge nose that resembled a manatee’s nose. Evolution has smiled on the wombat, and the current model has a much cuter face. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post You Might Have Seen A Wombat Before, But You’d Never Guess Just How Big They Are! appeared first on InspireMore.