Wombat Poop: The Cube-Shaped Mystery! (Wombat Facts for Kids)
Have you ever heard of square poop? Most animal droppings are round or oval. But in the world of amazing animals, one creature leaves behind something totally different: cube-shaped poop! That’s right—wombats are the only animals that make little poop cubes. Let’s find out how—and why.
Kiley:
“Daddy, Daddy! Guess what I learned today?! There’s an animal whose poop is shaped like… cubes! Little square blocks!”
Dad:
“Cubes? Like in Minecraft, Kiley? Are you building a poop block castle? I hope it comes with a ‘wash your hands’ button!”
Kiley:
“Oh, Daddy, you’re just being silly. It’s not from Minecraft! I knew you were joking.”
Mom:
“You two are something else. But Kiley’s right—wombats really do have square poop!”
Dad:
“You two have been playing and watching too much Minecraft lately!”
Why Is Wombat Poop Square? (The Real Mystery)
Wombats are expert diggers from Australia, with big claws and strong legs. But the real surprise is what they leave behind. Wombat poop is cube-shaped—not round, not oval, but little brown cubes!
Why do they do it?
Wombats use their poop to mark their territory. They climb rocks, logs, and even termite mounds to leave their “calling cards.” A round dropping would roll away, but a cube stays put, like a tiny brown sign: “A wombat lives here!”
How do wombats make square poop?
Their digestive system is super slow—sometimes it takes two weeks for food to travel through! Inside, their intestines have stretchy and stiff parts. As food moves along, it gets squeezed and pressed until the poop forms little blocks. Scientists actually studied this to figure it out!
Fun Wombat Facts for Kids
Wombats are marsupials, just like kangaroos and koalas.
Baby wombats are called joeys. They grow in a pouch—just like a kangaroo, but the pouch opens backward. That keeps dirt out when Mom digs her tunnels!
A group of wombats is called a “wisdom.” (Pretty smart, right?)
Wombats run fast—up to 25 miles per hour, for short bursts!
If a predator tries to get inside a burrow, the wombat blocks the entrance with its tough, bony backside. Sometimes it even crushes intruders against the tunnel wall!
Wombat Families
Wombats might look like living teddy bears, but they’re some of the best diggers in the animal kingdom! Just like other marsupials, a mother wombat keeps her baby—called a joey—safe in a special pouch. What’s really neat is that a wombat’s pouch opens backward instead of forward, so when Mom digs her long tunnels, the dirt goes away from her joey.
Wombat joeys spend about five months getting cozy in the pouch before they peek out to explore the world. Even after they leave the pouch, young wombats stick close to their moms as they learn to dig, find food, and build burrows together.
Wombat families create some of the coziest homes in the animal world—deep, winding burrows that keep them cool and safe all year round!
Kiley:
“I want to see a real wombat family! Do you think we could ever spot one in the wild? Maybe they’d let me help dig a tunnel—or at least peek inside!”
Mom:
“We’d have to take a big trip to Australia to see wild wombats, Kiley! That’s where they live—way across the ocean.”
Dad:
“A boat to Australia? Sure, as long as I don’t have to fly! But I hope wombats like visitors who get a little seasick…”
Kiley:
“Sure, Dad! I’ll build you a boat out of wombat Minecraft poop blocks. It might smell a little funny, but it’ll float—probably!”
Wombatcraft! Kiley and her friend the Wombat create a house out of Poop Bricks? Where is Jack Black, is that even legal?
Love learning wild animal facts with Kiley? There’s a whole world of critter mysteries waiting for you! Browse our other Kritters Big & Small blogs for more brain-bending discoveries, check out our animal storybooks and coloring pages, or follow Kiley’s Kritters on social media so you never miss a single adventure. Ready to become a true Kritter Detective? Let’s explore together!
