Wombats (Vombatus and Lasiorhinus spp.) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

All 3 living species of wombats

• Endemic to Australia

Common Wombat, Vombatus ursinus (Taggart, Martin & Menkhorst 2008; Triggs 1996)

• Widespread in southeastern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania)
• Historical range
• Southeastern Queensland through New South Wales
• Most of Victoria
• Southeast South Australia
• Tasmania
• Many of the larger Bass Strait Islands

Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii (Taggart, Martin & Horsup 2008; Triggs 1996; Williams 2012)

• One remnant colony in Epping Forest National Park, central Queensland
• Second colony (introduced) established in 2009 at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge, southern Queensland (DEHP 2012)
• Historical range: 3 sites in Queensland and New South Wales at time of European settlement (Epping Forest, Deniliquin, Moonie River)
• Fossil records indicate previously more widespread with range extending as far south as Victoria

Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus latifrons (Taggart & Robinson 2008; Taggart & Temple-Smith 2008; Triggs 1996)

• Fragmented populations
• Southern South Australia
• Southeastern Western Australia
• Southwest corner of New South Wales
• Historical range: widespread across current range, from eastern corner of Western Australia across South Australia to the Murray River
  

Common Wombat, Vombatus ursinus (McIlroy 2008; Menkorst & Knight 2011)

• Temperature forests and grasslands
• In north: wet sclerophyll forests above 600 m (2000 ft); individuals may venture above snowline
• In south: also in more open lands extending to lower elevations (dry sclerophyll forests, coastal scrub, heath)

Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii (Horsup 2004; Horsup & Johnson 2008; Menkorst & Knight 2011)

• Semi-arid grasslands
• Open eucalypt woodlands
• Preference for alluvial soils, deep sands

 Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus latifrons (Menkorst & Knight 2011)

• Semi-arid and arid grasslands and woodlands

Wombats are endemic to Australia.

Click below for each species' detailed distribution (from IUCN):

Red box: common wombat distribution
Black, dotted box: southern hairy-nosed wombat distribution
Black dot: northern hairy-nosed wombat distribution

Adapted from www.d-maps.com according to each species' IUCN fact sheet.

DEHP (2012)
Horsup & Johnson (2008)
Jackson (2003)
McIlroy (2008)
Menkorst & Knight (2011)
Triggs (1996)