American Elephants

This little female joey is an eight-month old Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat who has just begun venturing outside of Mom’s pouch. The Taronga Zoo is Australia is celebrating the arrival of the second joey in three years, a breeding success story that could also help the Critically Endangered  Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Her name is Sydney.

They are notoriously difficult to breed. Compatibility and timing seem to be crucial, for the female in only receptive to the male for a 12-hour window. Other than that, forget about it.

I have read about wombats, but never seen pictures of one. Our only marsupial in the United States is the possum, an unpleasant animal that we see occasionally here. They hiss, and they are definitely not cute.