How Fast Can a Wombat Run? Speed of a Burrowing Marsupial

How fast is a wombat compared with other animals?

Speed figures for wild wombats come mostly from field observations rather than careful measurements, so the 40 km/h (25 mph) figure should be read as an approximate top speed. Even so, it puts the common wombat in surprising company.

A wombat at full speed can briefly keep pace with a fast human sprinter and easily outrun most people. What it cannot do is keep going: wombats have a low metabolic rate and are built for short dashes, not long chases. For other record-holders, see the fastest animals.

How can such a stocky animal run so fast?

Wombats look slow because they usually walk at a gentle amble while grazing. Under that bulky shape, however, is a very muscular body weighing about 20–35 kg (44–77 lb), with short, thick legs and broad feet.

Three features help explain the speed:

• Powerful legs. The muscles that drive digging also give strong pushes against the ground, so wombats accelerate quickly from a standstill.
• A low, compact body. A short body close to the ground is stable and can turn sharply, useful when dodging between shrubs and logs.
• A bounding gallop. When a wombat runs, it switches from a rolling waddle to a fast, bouncing gallop.

Wombats also move easily through thick vegetation. They follow regular paths between burrows and feeding areas, and they often push straight under or through wire fences rather than going around them.

Digging power: the wombat’s real strength

Running is a backup skill. A wombat’s real talent is digging. It loosens soil with strong front claws, then pushes the dirt backward with its body and hind feet. A common wombat’s burrow is usually 2–20 m (7–65 ft) long and can have several entrances, side tunnels and sleeping chambers.

Each wombat uses several burrows across its home range. That network matters for speed, because a frightened wombat rarely needs to run far: it simply sprints to the nearest entrance. Short, explosive bursts are exactly what that life requires.

The digging lifestyle also explains another unusual feature, the female’s rear-opening pouch, which keeps soil away from the joey. You can read more about it in why wombats have backward pouches.

The tough rump: a door with armor

Once a wombat reaches its burrow, it uses a second defense. The rump is covered by thick, tough skin over a hard plate of cartilage, and the tail is just a stub. When a predator such as a dingo follows it into a tunnel, the wombat can turn its back, wedge itself into the passage and present this hard shield.

It is very difficult for a predator to get a grip on the smooth, armored rear, and the wombat can kick backward with its strong hind legs. A popular story claims that wombats crush attackers’ heads against the burrow roof, but this has not been well documented and should be treated with caution.

Do wombats share their burrows?

Wombats are mostly solitary, but their burrows are used by many other animals. Echidnas, lizards, snakes, rabbits, small marsupials and birds have all been recorded sheltering in wombat tunnels, and wombats are generally tolerant of harmless visitors.

During the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, viral posts claimed that wombats were “herding” other animals into their burrows to save them. Ecologists explained that wombats do not deliberately rescue other species. The real story is still remarkable: burrows stay cooler and safer than the surface during a fire, and other animals do use them as refuges.

When are wombats most likely to run?

Wombats usually break into a run when they are startled by a predator, a dog, a person or a vehicle, and when males chase each other during disputes over territory or mates. Courtship can also involve a male chasing a female in circles for several minutes.

The speed of a wombat is one reason they are often hit by cars. A wombat feeding beside a road may suddenly dash across in front of headlights. Drivers in wombat country are advised to slow down at dusk and at night.

If a wombat runs toward you on a trail, step aside and let it pass. A startled adult can knock a person over, and like any wild animal it may bite if it feels cornered. Watching wombats from a respectful distance is the best way to enjoy them.