An Act of Love
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
For the month of February, this animal was chosen for its act of love during the latest Australian bushfires. This small animal lives in a series of underground tunnels and chambers. It can only be found in Australia and the islands surrounding it. During the recent fires, they allowed other animals to stay in their homes until the fire was put out and it was safe for them to come out. They have saved the lives of wallabies, enchidnas, rabbits, skinks, and lizards. Any guess at what animal this might be?
It’s a Wombat! Wombats are marsupials, (pouched animals), that are mammals. They are herbivores that can weigh up to 80 lbs. Most of them like living by themselves but some do like living in colonies or mobs with up to a dozen members sharing the underground lair.
Wombats look like small bears and can be grayish-black or sandy brown in color. They have very strong jaws and continual growing teeth like rodents. Their legs are so powerful that they can run up to 25mph. Their hindquarters have extra thick skin that protects them. When a predator chases them, they will run into their tunnels, blocking the only entrance with their rear. A bite on the rear-end is not very threatening to them thanks to their thick skin. They also have a tiny tail and bad eyesight.
Wombats are known as master diggers thanks to their wide strong feet and huge claws. They are nocturnal animals that can move up to 3 feet of dirt each night, making their living complex as much as 650 feet long.
Wombats, when not digging, spend most of their nights grazing on food such as grass, bark, and roots. They have a special gland in their stomach that helps them digest these tough foods. They do not need much water because they get most of the moisture, they need from what they eat. It takes wombats a week to digest their food. Their poop is square-shaped and is the driest of all the mammals. They poop as much as 80-100 squares an evening.
Baby wombats, called joeys, are the size of a jellybean when they are born. They live solitary in their momma’s pouch for up to 5 months before coming out. The pouch, unlike a kangaroo’s, opens towards the rear. This allows the pouch to stay free from dirt when the mom is busy digging.
Wombats get mad easily if they feel threatened. They have been known to crush uninvited animals that intrude in their homes by mashing them against the walls and ceilings of the tunnels. That is why it is so amazing that these animals that like to live alone, and who don’t like intruders in their home, willingly let other animals live with them to escape the harsh Australian fires. This is a perfect example of how God wants us to show love and be Christ-like. These wombats have saved countless other animals by just opening their homes up to them even though they more than likely didn’t want to. How can you demonstrate God’s love to others around you? Especially to the people that you really don’t like or want to hang out with? Let God use you to pour out His love to others!
Dear Lord, please let us be open to letting You use us to show Your love to others. Let us look past ourselves to help others in need and most of all help us include and be nice to the people we necessarily don’t like. Help us love one another as you love us! In Jesus’ name Amen.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
Bibliography
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/common-wombat/
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/wombat
https://unrealfacts.com/wombat-poo-really-is-square/
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Faceook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
or christyssoaps@yahoo.com
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