I just spotted my first wombats in the wild on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania.

These stocky little marsupials sort of look like a cross between a baby brown bear, koala & pig. They have a pouch like other marsupials, but it’s backwards which prevents dirt from entering as they burrow.

At just over 3 ft long, they’re absolutely charming. But millions of years ago, herds of giant wombats as large as rhinoceros roamed southern #Australia. #wildlife #photography #SharedPlanet

@Sheril Only thousands of years ago, they were called diprotodons and they co existed with aboriginals for a few thousand years.

A guy a while back estimated the aboriginals only ate the small ones but they ate them at a rate larger than their birth rate so they died off after 15k years or so. The buffalo of Australia.

@timyen @Sheril Bet the aboriginals didn’t call them diprotodons!