Koala vs Wombat: What's the Difference?
Its closest living relative, the wombat, lives on the ground in burrows it digs with powerful claws, not up in trees. The koala is the wombat’s closest living relative, but it lives in trees and eats eucalyptus leaves.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: do people eat it.
| Question | Koala | Wombat |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | No, herbivore | No, herbivore |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Night | Night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? differs | No | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Koala | Wombat |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Australia | Australia |
| Habitat differs | Forest | Forest, Grassland, Scrub |
| Size differs | Small | Medium |
| Length differs | 60–85 cm | 70–110 cm (common wombat) |
| Weight differs | 4–15 kg | 20–35 kg (common wombat) |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 13–18 years | 15 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Koala
A tree-dwelling marsupial of eastern and southern Australia, and not a bear. It lives on eucalyptus leaves, a diet so low in energy that koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day.
Wombat
Short-legged, muscular marsupials of Australia that dig large burrows with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. Their pouch faces backwards, so no soil gets in while they dig.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.