Underground discovery could help save one of the world's rarest mammals

Scientists in Australia have made an exciting underground discovery that could help save one of the world's rarest animals. New research shows that the northern hairy-nosed wombat can build its burrows in more types of soil than experts previously thought. This finding gives conservationists — people who work to protect animals and nature — more options for finding new places where wombats could live. The study was published in a journal called Australian Mammalogy.

There are only about 450 northern hairy-nosed wombats left in the world. All of them live across three protected areas in the state of Queensland, Australia. That makes the species one of Australia's most critically endangered animals, meaning it is at serious risk of dying out forever. The wombat is the largest of Australia's three wombat species and the world's biggest burrowing marsupial — a pouched mammal that digs tunnels underground.

The situation was even more dangerous in the past. Back in the 1980s, there were only about 35 of these wombats left, all living in Epping Forest National Park near a town called Clermont in central Queensland. Conservation efforts slowly helped the population grow. A second group of wombats was moved to a place called Richard Underwood Nature Refuge, north of St George in southern Queensland, in the mid-2000s. A third site, called Dhuny Yumba National Park, was set up near St George in 2024.

Researchers used a technology called ground-penetrating radar to map the inside of five wombat burrows at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge. This tool sends signals into the ground and creates detailed maps of what is underground, almost like an X-ray of the earth. Ecologist Andy Howe, who worked on the study, said scientists had long based their understanding of wombat burrows on studies done only at Epping Forest. He wanted to find out if wombats at Richard Underwood built their burrows differently.

The study found that burrows at Richard Underwood were generally shallower than those at Epping Forest. Scientists believe this is because the soil at Richard Underwood is a sandy loam, which is firmer and more stable. The deeper, sandier soil at Epping Forest means wombats there have to dig further down to find stable ground. This was an important clue that wombats can adapt to different soil conditions.

Mr. Howe said this discovery is a big deal for conservation planning. 'One of the encouraging signs is that the total depth of the burrows at Richard Underwood was slightly shallower than what they were at the other population at Epping Forest,' he said. Scientists can now use this information to search for other areas where the soil might work for wombat burrows. They hope to find new spots where wombats once lived but have since disappeared, and possibly move wombats there in the future.

There is an official recovery plan for the northern hairy-nosed wombat, led by Queensland's Department of Environment. Groups like the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the Wombat Foundation are also part of the effort to bring the species back from the edge of extinction. Wombat Foundation ambassador Leanne Brosnan said the research made her hopeful. 'It makes me extremely optimistic because finding habitat for the northern hairy-nosed wombat that hasn't been fragmented by development is very challenging,' she said.

There is also some exciting news about baby wombats. Last year, several young wombats called joeys were spotted at Dhuny Yumba National Park, whose name means 'home of the wombat.' Scientists also found signs that a wombat at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge was pregnant this year. AWC ecologist Ben Stepkovitch said the team was thrilled. 'Every new joey adds to the overall population of the species, giving us hope that they'll persist well beyond the near future,' he said. All three wombat sites are protected areas and are not open to the public.