An ecologist captured rare footage of a wombat emerging from its burrow. These extremely rare mammals are some of Australia’s hardest to find, as only 400 are left in the world, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy shared in a news release.
Ecologist Andy Howe found the video of the creature as he scrolled through over 100 hours of footage captured by wildlife cameras stationed around the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge. The northern hairy-nosed wombat is also the largest burrowing marsupial found worldwide. These mammals can reach up to three feet in length and can weigh up to 60 pounds.
The rare video of the wombat shows the creature’s signature features—its broad nodes and pointy ears. The conservancy says that they typically have grey-colored fur and faint black patches around their eyes. However, you can’t really see that in the video showcased here, as it was captured using night vision techniques.
Ecologists believe the wombat captured in the video is likely around two years old, making it the first juvenile that humans have spotted in the last few years. The video, the conservancy says, shows that the state of the nature reserve provides the right conditions for the wombats to thrive, especially if they are coming out like they are.
Because of how close the wombats have come to dying out, creating the perfect breeding ground for these animals is important for helping conserve them. The conservancy captured a rare video of the wombat on two different nights in June. The group behind the reserve says it will continue to work on its wombat recovery program, and continue to monitor the population to ensure it doesn’t shrink any further.
For now, you can check out the video above to see the cute little wombat as it wanders around outside of its burrow. Scientists have captured footage of other rare creatures, too, over the past year.
