# How Long Do Wombats Live?

> Wombat lifespan is typically 5–15 years in the wild; up to 20+ in captivity. What shortens or extends life, life stages, and status (Least Concern).

- **Species:** Wombat (*Vombatus ursinus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore (grasses, roots, bark, sedges)
- **Habitat:** Forest, woodland, heath, and alpine grassland
- **Lifespan:** 5–15 years in the wild; up to 20+ in captivity
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wombat/how-long-do-wombat-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wombat/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is a stocky, short-legged Australian marsupial and one of the world's largest burrowing animals. It is the only animal known to produce cube-shaped faeces — a result of unique gut elasticity that moulds droppings so they do not roll away. Wombats are herbivores, largely nocturnal, and powerful diggers with a backward-facing pouch.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a prognosis for one named animal. This page is a species lifespan range.

## Cube-shaped poop: how and why

The wombat is the only animal in the world known to produce cube-shaped droppings. The approximately 2 cm cubic faeces are deposited on rocks, logs, and raised surfaces to mark territory. Research published in 2021 (Physical Review Fluids) revealed that the cubes form in the last section of the intestine, where varying elasticity in the gut wall squeezes the faecal matter into a cube shape as it passes through. The cubic form means droppings do not roll off marking surfaces, making them more effective territorial markers than round ones would be.

## Help protect the Wombat

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wombat/how-long-do-wombat-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.