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The always excellent Oatmeal: We need to have a conversation about wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats Possib

by lemming 3mo ago

The always excellent Oatmeal: We need to have a conversation about wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats Possibly NSFW, depending on your W.

3eb7988a1663 3mo ago
Well, Mr. Oatmeal is apparently repeating an urban legend. I look at a wombat, and no way do I believe that thing can move at 25 mph (40 kph). I found a piece[0] which indicates this might have been some confusion as to metric vs imperial decades ago that was then retransmited through the ages. [0] https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-04-13/how-fast-can-a-womat-actually-run-faster-than-usain-bolt/103648118 https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-04-13/how-fast-can-...
- itchingsphynx 3mo ago
  And yet the very article that you refer to confirms that anecdotal reports by the biologists studying these very animals report that during breeding seasons that the male Southern Hairy-Nose Wombat can reach these speeds in bursts: >South Australian wildlife biologist [A/Prof] David Taggart has studied the southern hairy-nosed wombat since 1993. In the 2008 and 2024 editions of Strahan's mammal book, he writes that the southern hairy-nosed species can run at 40 kph. "I can confirm that I have clocked this species running at just over 40 kph, although they can't maintain that for long." More non-peer reviewed information here from the Australian national science agency: https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/3758/Turns-out-wombats-can-run-at-40km-h https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/3758/Turns-out-wombat...
- seriocomic 3mo ago
  We have four on the boundaries of our property. My 'Goldidor' (Labrador/retriever cross) has given chase a few times and has struggled to keep up. When they run they RUN. Maybe not pushing 40kph, not not far from it...
  - lostlogin 3mo ago
    I got our dog up to 35-40kmh when he chased me on a bike one day, and he maintained it for quite a while. If it’s outrunning a dog, it’s moving quick.
thih9 3mo ago
> The Northern Hairy-nosed wombat is considered one of the rarest mammals in the world -- there are only 80 of them left. If you can, please donate or follow any of these organizations. I personally donated $10,000 to help kick things off.
- epihelix 3mo ago
  Thank you :) All wombats are in some trouble right now (even the bare-nosed or "common" wombat), but the Northern Hairy-nosed is right on the edge of extinction. Wombats never get much attention, so it's awesome to see this article and the response it's got.
femto 3mo ago
A problem with metric-imperial conversion in the article? Based on having seen them in the bush, wombat poo is a 4 centimetre cube not a 4 inch cube. That would be a Diprotodon sized wombat. Lucky we're only talking about wombat poo, and not something important like a space craft...
- SoMomentary 3mo ago
  I think the 4 inches is in relation to the size of a human poo and not about the size of wombat poo.
  - cindyllm 3mo ago
    [dead]
- ErroneousBosh 3mo ago
  Or a very very uncomfortable normal-sized wombat.
financetechbro 3mo ago
I now have a new perspective of what nature is capable of creating

by lemming 3mo ago

The always excellent Oatmeal: We need to have a conversation about wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats https://theoatmeal.com/comics/wombats Possibly NSFW, depending on your W.

3eb7988a1663 3mo ago

Well, Mr. Oatmeal is apparently repeating an urban legend. I look at a wombat, and no way do I believe that thing can move at 25 mph (40 kph). I found a piece[0] which indicates this might have been some confusion as to metric vs imperial decades ago that was then retransmited through the ages. [0] https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-04-13/how-fast-can-a-womat-actually-run-faster-than-usain-bolt/103648118 https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-04-13/how-fast-can-...

itchingsphynx 3mo ago
And yet the very article that you refer to confirms that anecdotal reports by the biologists studying these very animals report that during breeding seasons that the male Southern Hairy-Nose Wombat can reach these speeds in bursts: >South Australian wildlife biologist [A/Prof] David Taggart has studied the southern hairy-nosed wombat since 1993. In the 2008 and 2024 editions of Strahan's mammal book, he writes that the southern hairy-nosed species can run at 40 kph. "I can confirm that I have clocked this species running at just over 40 kph, although they can't maintain that for long." More non-peer reviewed information here from the Australian national science agency: https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/3758/Turns-out-wombats-can-run-at-40km-h https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/3758/Turns-out-wombat...
seriocomic 3mo ago
We have four on the boundaries of our property. My 'Goldidor' (Labrador/retriever cross) has given chase a few times and has struggled to keep up. When they run they RUN. Maybe not pushing 40kph, not not far from it...
- lostlogin 3mo ago
  I got our dog up to 35-40kmh when he chased me on a bike one day, and he maintained it for quite a while. If it’s outrunning a dog, it’s moving quick.

thih9 3mo ago

> The Northern Hairy-nosed wombat is considered one of the rarest mammals in the world -- there are only 80 of them left. If you can, please donate or follow any of these organizations. I personally donated $10,000 to help kick things off.

epihelix 3mo ago
Thank you :) All wombats are in some trouble right now (even the bare-nosed or "common" wombat), but the Northern Hairy-nosed is right on the edge of extinction. Wombats never get much attention, so it's awesome to see this article and the response it's got.

femto 3mo ago

A problem with metric-imperial conversion in the article? Based on having seen them in the bush, wombat poo is a 4 centimetre cube not a 4 inch cube. That would be a Diprotodon sized wombat. Lucky we're only talking about wombat poo, and not something important like a space craft...

SoMomentary 3mo ago
I think the 4 inches is in relation to the size of a human poo and not about the size of wombat poo.
- cindyllm 3mo ago
  [dead]
ErroneousBosh 3mo ago
Or a very very uncomfortable normal-sized wombat.

financetechbro 3mo ago

I now have a new perspective of what nature is capable of creating