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Wombats are herbivores whose staple food is fibrous native vegetation, especially grasses, sedges and rushes. Their menu changes with local conditions and species: bare-nosed wombats may add dry leaves, stalks, roots and small amounts of bark, while grass makes up more than 90% of the documented diet of the northern hairy-nosed wombat. Wombats also reshape habitat by excavating large burrows. Those tunnels move soil and can become resources for other animals, although a 2024 camera-trap study found that some species used burrow sites more often while others avoided them. The evidence supports a context-dependent ecosystem effect, not a universal benefit or a story that wombats intentionally rescue wildlife.
What do wombats eat?
All wombats are herbivores, but “wombat diet” is not one fixed menu. Food depends on the species, habitat and plants available at a particular time. The Australian Museum describes the bare-nosed wombat’s main food as “fibrous native grasses, sedges and rushes, and the choice of food depends on what is available at the time.” That wording captures the important point: wombats are selective within the vegetation they can find, rather than tied to one plant species everywhere.
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Bare-nosed wombats eat fibrous grasses and wet-ground plants
Bare-nosed, also called common, wombats mainly graze native grasses, sedges and rushes. The Australian Museum identifies tussock grass as a preference in forest areas. In more open pastoral country, it names kangaroo grass and wallaby grass. The same account notes that dry leaves and stalks, plus small amounts of bark, can supplement the main forage.
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Food availability changes the menu
A wombat in a forested area may encounter tussock grasses and rushes, while one in open country may rely more on kangaroo or wallaby grasses. The difference is an example of habitat-driven choice, not evidence that one population has a fundamentally different digestive strategy. Seasonal growth, grazing pressure and local plant communities determine what is actually available, so a list of favored plants should not be read as a promise that every wombat eats each item every night.
They graze for hours, mostly at night
NSW Environment and Heritage reports that wombats graze for about three to eight hours each night. That range describes feeding time, not a fixed schedule for every individual or location. A long grazing period is consistent with a diet built around fibrous vegetation: the animal must locate and crop enough plant material to meet its needs, and the time spent feeding can vary with forage density and conditions.
Northern hairy-nosed wombats are especially grass-dependent
Do not apply the bare-nosed wombat food list indiscriminately to every species. Queensland Government information on the northern hairy-nosed wombat states that grass makes up more than 90% of that species’ diet. The figure is species-specific; it should not be presented as a percentage for wombats generally.
| Wombat type | Documented main foods | What the evidence says |
|---|---|---|
| Bare-nosed (common) wombat | Native grasses, sedges and rushes; locally available tussock, kangaroo, wallaby and snow grasses; some dry leaves, stalks, roots and small amounts of bark | Food choice varies with availability. NSW Environment and Heritage reports three to eight hours of grazing each night. |
| Northern hairy-nosed wombat | Grass | Queensland Government information says grass accounts for more than 90% of the diet. The percentage is not a figure for all wombat species. |
How does feeding affect the wider habitat?
Wombats’ direct effect through feeding is best understood as grazing on the plant community they occupy. They crop grasses and other ground vegetation while moving through their range. The available evidence in the cited sources is strongest, however, for a second and more physically obvious effect: wombats excavate substantial burrow systems.
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How wombat burrows change the ecosystem
Excavation moves soil and creates structure
Burrowing is a form of animal-driven soil disturbance. As a wombat digs, it removes and relocates soil, opening entrances, tunnels and chambers that did not exist before. NSW Environment and Heritage says wombat burrows can reach up to 30 metres in length and several metres in depth. “Up to” is an upper dimension reported for burrows, not a claim that every burrow reaches that size.
Those tunnels alter the physical arrangement of the ground. An entrance can expose a new opening at the surface, while the tunnel network creates sheltered space below it. The result is an ecological structure produced by a wombat’s normal behavior rather than by a deliberate attempt to provide habitat for another species.
Other animals may investigate or use the tunnels
Once a burrow exists, other animals can encounter it as a potential shelter, pathway or place to investigate. Use is not automatic: species differ in size, behavior and tolerance of a wombat-occupied site. A burrow can therefore function as a resource for some wildlife and as an unattractive or risky location for others.
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What did the 2024 camera-trap study find?
Study setting and approach
A peer-reviewed study published in 2024, titled “Wombat burrows are hotspots for small vertebrates in a landscape subject to gigafire,” used camera traps in forests of southeastern Australia. Researchers compared wildlife activity at locations with common wombat burrows and at locations without those burrows. The study included sites affected by the 2019–20 Black Summer fires, so its findings come from a landscape with a major recent fire history rather than from every Australian habitat.
Camera traps record animals appearing in front of the camera. In this context, “higher activity” means more recorded activity at burrow sites than at comparison sites under the study design. It does not by itself prove that a burrow caused a population increase, supplied food, or guaranteed survival during a fire.
Species that showed higher activity at burrow sites
The study reported increased activity at sites with common wombat burrows for several vertebrates:
- Bush rats
- Agile antechinus
- Lace monitors
- Painted button-quail
- Grey shrike-thrushes
The authors also reported differences in species composition between burrow and non-burrow locations and higher native mammal richness at burrow sites. “Richness” refers to the number of native mammal species detected, not the number of individual animals or a guarantee that every species was more abundant.
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Species that avoided burrow sites
Not every animal responded positively. The researchers found that other species avoided sites with wombat burrows. The result is ecologically important because it prevents a misleading one-sided story: a structure can be valuable to some animals and unsuitable to others at the same time.
| Observed pattern | Examples from the study | Correct interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Higher activity at burrow sites | Bush rats, agile antechinus, lace monitors, painted button-quail and grey shrike-thrushes | These species were recorded more actively where common wombat burrows were present in the southeastern Australian forest study. |
| Higher native mammal richness | Burrow sites had more native mammal species detected | The pattern describes species counts at the sampled sites, not a universal result for every wombat population. |
| Avoidance | Other species in the camera-trap sample | Burrows are not a benefit for all wildlife; responses depend on species and context. |
Do wombats rescue other animals from bushfires?
There is a kernel of truth behind the popular rescue story: wombat burrows are substantial underground structures, and some animals use or investigate them. But the 2024 study does not show wombats herding animals into tunnels, opening burrows for them, or intentionally saving wildlife from fire. It documents activity patterns around burrows in southeastern Australian forests, including fire-affected sites.
A burrow may offer shelter under some conditions, yet the cited evidence does not establish that every burrow remains safe during a fire, that every animal can enter or tolerate it, or that use of a burrow guarantees survival. A careful description is that wombat digging creates structures that some species use and that can be associated with different wildlife activity after or around major disturbances. Calling this deliberate rescue goes beyond the evidence.
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Why the ecological effect is context-dependent
Different species have different responses
The camera-trap results show both attraction and avoidance. An animal that benefits from a dark tunnel or a nearby opening may increase its use of the site; another may avoid the same location because of competition, predators, disturbance or simple habitat preference. The study demonstrates variation among species rather than a single “wombat effect.”
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Burrow presence is not the same as causation
Animals may choose places that already have favorable vegetation, cover or terrain, and those same places may be where wombats choose to dig. A comparison of sites can identify an association even when several environmental factors are involved. The study’s findings support describing burrows as ecological structures linked with wildlife activity, while avoiding the stronger claim that digging alone caused every observed difference.
Location and disturbance history matter
The evidence comes from forests in southeastern Australia and includes areas affected by the 2019–20 Black Summer fires. Wombat diets and burrow use in arid country, agricultural landscapes or other regions may not produce identical patterns. Applying the study’s result elsewhere requires evidence from those settings rather than assumption.
What can be stated with confidence?
- Wombats are herbivores, and fibrous native plants form the core of their diet.
- Bare-nosed wombats eat grasses, sedges and rushes, with locally available leaves, stalks, roots and small amounts of bark as additional foods.
- Queensland information places grass at more than 90% of the northern hairy-nosed wombat’s diet; that percentage is species-specific.
- Wombats excavate burrows that NSW Environment and Heritage describes as reaching up to 30 metres long and several metres deep.
- Burrows move soil and create structures that other animals may use or avoid.
- The 2024 camera-trap study found higher activity for several named vertebrates and higher native mammal richness at common wombat burrow sites, while other species avoided them.
- No cited evidence shows intentional rescue behavior by wombats or proves that burrows universally protect wildlife during fires.
How to describe wombats’ ecosystem role accurately
The most precise summary combines diet, digging and evidence limits. Wombats graze fibrous vegetation, and their excavation physically modifies soil and creates underground structures. Those structures can become hotspots of activity for multiple vertebrates, as observed in one 2024 southeastern Australian forest study, but they can also be avoided. Wombats therefore influence habitat in ways that are real yet uneven: the outcome depends on species, landscape and disturbance history.
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