Original subtitles

Really kind of interesting, and a little gross, I guess.

They have a bone in their backs here,

that when they actually poop, it's

kind of like one of those play-doh fun factory machines.

Their poop is square.

What?

Square poop.

Australia is home to a plethora of unique animal species,

and whether they are dangerous and potentially deadly,

like the Eastern Brown Snake, or absolutely adorable

like the Brush-Tail Possum, we were excited to be

getting the cameras up close.

In this episode, we are back at the Billabong Sanctuary.

Located in Nome, a small town just south of Townsville

in north Queensland, this family owned

and operated establishment is home to over 50 native species.

Proudly listed as one of Queensland's top ecotourism

attractions, for nearly 35 years they

have been contributing to conservation efforts

while also providing the public with a hands

on education about wildlife.

Today we'll be getting to know one

of their permanent residents, a unique marsupial

known as Wanda the wombat.

All right, guys, now the next animal we're going to meet

is just over here off to the side,

and this is one of the most bizarre

looking mammals I think I have ever seen.

Have you guys ever heard of a wombat?

No, you haven't?

Maybe you have?

Well, get ready, because we're about to meet Wanda.

All right, bring her in.

Oh, this is going to be wild.

Oh, look at you.

Oh my goodness.

Oh.

You sure that's not an oversized koala, Coyote?

It kind of looks like a giant gerbil meets a guinea pig,

but this is in fact a marsupial.

And look, this is her rump right here.

Let me see if I can kind of get her to turn this direction.

Can I turn her around?

You can push her--

Push her up like this.

Oh, she's heavy.

Oh, there you go.

Oh.

Let's put you right here.

What do you think?

Want to lie down right there?

There we go.

Whoa.

Look at that creature.

Like a big bump on a log.

All right, I'm going to actually come behind her here.

I think that may be easier.

Look at that.

That is a wombat.

Have you ever seen a wombat before?

Never.

This is my first time ever being in contact with a wombat.

Look at that adorable face.

Hi.

How are you doing?

Well, if she play bites, they do have rodent-like teeth,

and they use those teeth to gnaw through bark,

grasses, and roots.

And how do you get to those roots?

You use those incredible claws, right?

Can we take a look at your claws?

Because that is one of the most impressive

things about the wombat is their ability to dig.

I know.

We're just starting to get to know each other, though, right?

Whoa, those claws are oppressive.

Now, they have these big paws, right?

They spread out like this, almost like the claws

of a badger, and they dig, dig, dig, dig,

dig down deep into a burrow, and that's where they will get

down to the good roots, right?

Are the roots better a little deeper down?

Now, this is a marsupial related to koalas,

and this is like the koala of the ground, right?

They don't actually climb up into trees,

but believe it or not, this stout little animal,

if it needs to, can move at speeds of close

to 25 miles an hour.

So short little legs, plump body, and incredible speed.

You almost look like a groundhog, did you know that?

We have groundhogs in Ohio, and very similar coloration,

but you are not related to a groundhog, are you?

No, not at all.

Wanda looks kind of sleepy.

She definitely looks sleepy right now, doesn't she?

Now, they're primarily nocturnal, so--

You're boring the wombat, Coyote.

Yeah.

Is this-- this is not interesting enough for you?

You know, you're, you're on camera right now.

You're going to be on YouTube.

You're going to be a star.

I really want to see those paws.

The paws are so impressive.

There we go.

Whoa.

Yes.

I saw that.

I saw that.

There we go.

Well, at least it got you up and standing, huh?

OK, now we can see the paws.

All right, guys, zoom in on the paws

there and look at those claws.

Oh, they're serious.

Super impressive, right?

Now look at the size of her body.

I know.

I'm not going to make any sudden movements, I promise.

Now, if they're chased by a predator

and they start to go into the ground,

come around the backside.

Let's take a look at the wombat's rump.

Come back here.

You stay put.

All of the backside of the wombat

is a solid mass of cartilage, and, all right,

come up slowly here.

See if you can feel the backside of this creature.

Not only is the fur incredibly coarse,

but this is solid right there.

So what they will do is just kind of push their rump up out

of the back of the hole, and a predator

can't actually get to them.

Want to know something that's really kind of interesting

and a little gross, I guess?

See I'm right here by the back end of the wombat.

They have a bone in their backs here that when they actually

poop, it's kind of like one of those play-doh fun

factory machines.

Their poop is square.

What?

- Square poop. - Why?

Now, why?

Good question.

Now, they only poop about every 14 days, right?

It takes that long for all the bark and roots and grasses

to process through their system.

Then when they drop out that square poop,

they actually use their poop to mark their territories.

So scientists think that they're square so that they don't roll

away, or I'm guessing in many instances

so that dung beetles don't come in and roll them away.

There are many species of dung beetle here in Australia,

and those beetles will push the turds away.

However, if they're square, they will stay put

and then the territory is marked.

Pretty cool, huh?

- I guess. - Yeah, I know.

That's kind of weird.

I'm kind of on the business end of the wombat here,

so let's come back around to the front.

It's amazing.

She is so solid.

The mass of this creature's body is very impressive.

Now, here's one thing that's also really interesting.

Now, this is a female, right?

Because they are marsupials, they have pouches, right?

And because they're diggers, you wouldn't

want to be throwing all of that dirt into your pouch, right?

So kangaroos and koalas have pouches that face forward.

The female wombat has a pouch that faces backwards,

so I don't think she's going to let us kind of hold her

up and see that pouch, but the pouch

does face backwards so that when they're digging,

that dirt doesn't go inside and get on the joey.

Right?

You don't want to get dirt on your joey, do you?

So can I do a question?

Is this wombat fully grown?

It is fully grown, right?

She will get a little bit bigger than this.

- A little bit bigger? - Yes.

- Bigger? - Yes.

Oh, wow.

This is actually a small wombat.

This is a small wombat.

This is a small wombat.

So what's the heaviest--

25 kilograms.

They can get as big as 30 to 40 kilograms.

30 to 40 kilograms.

Wow, that's a big creature.

Oh, we got some food.

All right, well, let's see if Wanda wants to eat.

Carrot, yes.

Let's try that.

Wanda.

Let me try it first.

Not very

That's actually a really good carrot.

Wanda, carrot?

OK.

Now we're friends.

All right.

Well, I found a way to bond with the wombat.

It's called a carrot.

You know, carrot is one of my favorite snacks.

It's a healthy snack, Wanda, just so you know.

I'm very proud of you.

There you go.

Yeah, now let me see if I can kind

of like hold it up like this.

Let me see if you can see those teeth.

Oh!

Crushers right there.

And I see why she's able to chew through bark.

Yeah.

That's good, huh?

Are we buddies now?

She had to think about it there. Did you see that?

She stopped for a second.

What else do wombats eat besides carrots, Coyote?

Well, out in the wild, wombats would be eating

grasses and bark and roots.

Pretty much a real high fiber kind of diet.

What would be a predator to a wombat?

What are they looking out for?

Well, obviously, if a wombat wandered down

near the edge of the water, it could be eaten

by something like a crocodile.

But primarily the dingo is the only real threat

to a wombat of this size.

A smaller one I imagine would be taken by something

like an eagle or a large hawk, but definitely

not going to be able to pick up a creature of this size

if you're a bird of prey.

I can't imagine the talons would be

able to even pierce through that thick fur and skin.

Whoa.

OK.

Got down-- got down to the nub of the carrot there.

That's about as far as you go.

Don't want to lose the tips of your fingers to a wombat.

I've been bitten by many creatures,

and I don't think the wombat is one

that I want to add to the list.

There you go.

A little more fiber for that diet.

Well, she didn't like the jokes,

but she likes the treats.

You know, whatever you got to do

to make friends with a wombat.

This definitely worked.

I oftentimes find that it is food that gets the animal

to liven up a little bit.

There you go.

This is a little different than the carrot, huh?

You're going to chomp away at that.

Now you're waking up, huh?

Hi, Wanda.

So Wanda is a rescued wombat, and sadly her mother

was hit by a car, and they found her as a little joey

inside of her pouch.

And she was saved, and she was actually hand raised and is now

here at the sanctuary and is part

of a wombat breeding program.

That's right, you've got a boyfriend, don't you?

I think she's done eating leaves.

She doesn't really like these grasses

as much as she did the carrot.

Looks like she's looking for an escape route.

Yeah.

Getting ready to jump off of there, huh?

Well, that was pretty cool, man.

Yeah.

You notice the sun is starting to get low in the sky,

and once it gets dark out, Wanda is going to become very active.

As a nocturnal creature, she's going to be out and about

searching for food.

But we did have a carrot, and we had some grasses,

and I think at this point, it's time to call it a day.

But that's pretty cool hanging out

with the one and only wombat.

Everybody's having dinner.

And right now, because it is feeding time,

they're all gathered around.

We've got some delicious kangaroo pellets.

Oh, you're eating it?

Oh, no.

Oh, Coyote.

No.

Australia hails claim to many iconic animal species,

and I am sure that if I asked you to name a few,

it wouldn't be hard to shout out creatures such as crocodiles,

koalas, and arguably the Outback's most

recognizable, the kangaroo.

Hi, bud.

How are you?

These powerful marsupials are endemic to Australia, which

means this great continent is the only place

in the world they can be found.

And while it's not uncommon to see them hopping

across the countryside, to get up close with a troop of them,

we needed to visit a location where they were acclimated

to humans, and the best place to do that was the one and only

Billabong Sanctuary.

Located in Nome, a small town just south of Townsville

in north Queensland, the Billabong Sanctuary

is considered to be one of Australia's

top ecotourism attractions.

There it is.

That is the Billabong, and this is where the Billabong

Sanctuary gets its name.

For over 35 years, they have been contributing

to conservation efforts while also

providing the public with a hands

on education about wildlife.

And while some of their species are considered

too dangerous to interact with, like feeding a saltwater

crocodile by hand, feeding kangaroos

is an experience the crew and I simply couldn't pass up on.

So if you're ready, grab your snacks, because it's

kangaroo feeding time.

OK, well, this is cool.

Now, there are multiple different kangaroos that

live on the grounds here at the Billabong Sanctuary,

and that right there is the red kangaroo.

Now, this is the largest land mammal here

in the continent of Australia.

I have some kangaroo feed me right here.

Let me see if I can get this kangaroo to have a [inaudible]...

How are you?

He's like, mm, I don't know.

Now, the red kangaroo I'm told is shyer than the eastern greys

that are here.

Oh, we're bringing in the whistling ducks.

The whistling ducks also love this food.

Look at that.

Ow, ow.

Oh, those little beaks are sharp.

Really?

Yeah.

Trying to get a little attention there.

Never hand-fed a duck.

Oh, look, they're fighting with each other now.

Ow, ow, ow.

Ow!

Jeez, that one really going good.

Look at these.

Oh, that's a goose!

It's like a vulture goose right there.

Yeah, that'll give you a wallop.

Look at that.

I could probably catch one of these guys.

He's like, nope.

All right.

So--

The red kangaroo's gone.

And the red kangaroo just like that disappeared.

All right, let's go find the eastern greys.

Right there. You see one?

I see one.

Look right through there.

Oh, yeah.

You see it?

Let's see if the whole group is here.

What's going on, guys?

Yes.

Everybody's having dinner.

It's amazing that we can just come right in and get

up close with the kangaroo.

And these kangaroos are not in enclosures.

They just roam freely.

They roam freely here at the sanctuary,

and they decide when and where they want to go,

and right now because it is feeding time,

they're all gathered around.

We've got some delicious kangaroo pellets.

Oh, you're eating it.

Oh, no.

Oh, Coyote.

No.

Really dry.

Kind of tastes like bran meal.

Look at this one here.

Hey, bud.

How are you?

How are these grasses?

Oh, look at this.

This is a mama.

You've got a joey sticking out on this backside here.

Hey.

You know it's dinnertime, right?

Maybe it's still small enough to be drinking milk.

And here's something maybe you didn't know.

All baby marsupials are called joeys,

so whether it's a possum, a kangaroo, a wombat, or koala,

they're all considered joeys.

Look at this.

He's getting ready to come out.

Yeah.

Look at that, right there.

Oh, I see it.

Little joey coming out.

Look how cute it is.

You know, it's kind of interesting

is that I didn't know that joeys could turn around

inside the pouch like that.

So you actually have the hind legs hanging out here,

and the hand, and the little face.

Hi, bud. How are you?

Coming out for some dinner?

Now, how much longer till that joey's out of the pouch?

Well, that's what's cool is that the joeys

can go in and out of the pouch.

You know, when they're really little,

they stay inside of the pouch, not only

to nourish off of the mother's milk,

but they also use it as protection

and as a place to sleep.

Now, until that kangaroo is big enough to not fit in the pouch,

it will continue to go into the pouch

until it can sort of take care of itself.

I love the design of the kangaroo's head.

Almost looks like the head of a deer,

and what's similar to deer is that they can actually

individually move their ears.

So they can listen in one direction

and turn another year like 180 degrees

and hear what's behind them.

They don't actually even have to move their heads

to be able to listen.

Now, what is that kangaroo eating?

Some sort of--

almost looks like razor grass, but it's just

some sort of a sweet grass.

That's good.

I can see why you guys like that.

I got an idea. Yeah?

Why don't we go feed some of those kangaroos over there

on the hill? - OK.

I'm going to steal some of this.

Let's see.

You want some?

Here you go.

We're going to see if these kangaroos over here

want to have some food.

Hi, bud.

Look, I got some treats for you.

Look at this little guy.

Hopped right up.

Their little noses are so soft.

This is a little juvenile, and this is a great example

of a kangaroo that is now big enough to be

outside of its mother's pouch.

But even though they look docile and gentle,

if you were to ever come across a kangaroo in the wild,

you have to remember that they can be very territorial,

especially the males, and the last thing you want to happen

is to be kicked by one of those hind legs.

Now, the hind legs are incredibly powerful.

Let's take a look at that with this little joey that's

just hanging out with us here.

They are powerful, powerful parts to this animal,

and there's a lot of muscle right in here,

and then in the back is where they

have their Achilles tendon.

Oh, you see that jump right there?

And it's like this creature is spring loaded, almost like when

you stretch a rubber band.

When they bend down and then leap off,

that hop can project them forward at incredible speeds.

Now, when the kangaroo reaches top speeds,

it's capable of bouncing a single leap that's as far as 30

feet, and if it needs to, it can jump at a height

of close to 10 feet.

And for reference, that's as tall as an NBA basketball room.

And it's interesting, kangaroos have

teeth that are very similar to the teeth

of the wombat and the koala.

Seems like all marsupials have a very similar dental structure.

And it is, again, this animal is a combination

of multiple things from the United States,

like the head and ears look like that of a deer,

the legs are like that of a rabbit,

and then the tail, well, I guess I've never seen

a tail quite like that before.

Have you?

No.

Now, I would say that their fur is almost like under fur.

It's not very wiry.

Very soft.

No, it is really, really soft.

Well, I can imagine that with how hot it is in Australia,

they need to keep cool, and during the heat of the day,

kangaroos will actually curl up in the shade.

And here's something kind of interesting.

They will lick their paws, their forearms, and their legs

to stay cool.

So you know like a dog will pant to sweat,

the kangaroos cool themselves down by licking

their arms and hands.

- We'll see this-- - Carrot.

Eat anything.

Have a carrot.

You like the carrot?

No?

No more carrots.

Carrot?

I was told they like carrots.

Guess not.

They must have a very high in fiber

diet with all these little bran pellets that they're eating.

Oh, there's a hop away.

Look at that.

Well, I think dinnertime might be over.

Yeah.

Well, the sun is starting to get low in the sky,

and at this point they're probably

getting ready to hunker down for the night.

Of course, there are no predators for you

here at the sanctuary, are there?

A real nice, safe place to sleep under a tree, maybe?

What do you think?

You want to have a sleepover, have a camp out?

Would that be cool?

That'd be so cool to camp out with a kangaroo.

That's a GoPro camera.

You ever seen one of those?

Heard something off in the distance, huh?

Well, I would say that this is the perfect end to our day,

hanging out for dinner with the eastern gray kangaroo.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Australia's marsupials come in all shapes and sizes.

Some bounce, some dig, some can climb, some have square poops.

Oh yeah, it's true.

But did you know that some fly?

Well, kind of.

More accurately, they can glide.

And today, my good friend and fellow YouTuber Miller Wilson

invited me to join him at Australia's Wildlife HQ

to have a look and hold one of the cutest crusaders of

the treetops, the sugar glider.

What's going on, everybody?

I'm Mark Vince, and we're here today with our good friend

Miller Wilson, a native Australian naturalist

and adventurer himself.

You have an awesome YouTube channel.

And in fact, here's a cool thing.

We work with Miller every single time we've come to Australia,

and I think these flowers that you have here today

are not for me. - Not for you this time.

- I don't think. - Not this time anyways.

But you have a pretty cool guest

or I think two guests that you want to introduce us to.

Yeah.

So over here we've got the native sugar glider,

and that's what we've got these flowers for.

OK, so this is Willow.

And this is Blossom.

Do they eat the flowers or are they getting the nectar?

They're actually getting the nectar.

So how they get their name sugar glider is by their sweet diet.

So they love feeding on the nectar out of these flowers,

and tree sap even.

So are they herbivores?

They're just eating the sugar?

No, they're actually omnivores.

So apart from these flowers, they will also

feed on small lizards, bird eggs,

and have even been known to eat birds.

Really?

Yeah.

So they'll actually jump a bird

if they get the opportunity to.

So they come out at night, they're a nocturnal species,

and they'll go up into the birds' little hollows,

and they'll actually go in there and attack the birds

and eat them. - Wow.

Yeah.

I would not expect that from a cute and cuddly

animal like the sugar glider.

The tail is curling around my finger here.

Is this a prehensile tail?

It's a semi-prehensile tail.

So what will happen is they won't

be able to hang completely like their whole weight

from their tail, but they will use it to balance when they're

up there in the tree canopy.

How do they pull off the gliding?

Well, they've got a gliding membrane

that connects from their front to their back legs.

Got it.

And what they'll do is they'll--

- Uh-oh. - Oh?

Oh.

Getting a little--

getting a little nervous, a little stage fright over here.

Willow just went to the bathroom all over my arm.

That's OK, Willow.

It happens to the best of us.

Why don't you have some flowers?

I'm kind of glad I gave you that one then.

Yeah.

So you were saying about--

The gliding membrane.

So they've got it.

It connects from its front leg to its back leg,

and they'll climb up to the very top of the tree canopy

and they'll push themselves off, glide through the air

as they stick out their arms and back legs,

and these guys have been known to be able to glide

for over 150 feet.

Wow.

Which is just crazy.

But normally they only jump from tree to tree.

Gliding that far is pretty rare.

And now, these sugar gliders are pretty

robust in population, right?

They're not, like, a species of concern?

Well, this species of sugar glider isn't endangered,

but there are other species like the mahogany

and the yellow bellied glider that are in trouble.

And the reason why they are endangered is because of us.

Things like deforestation, urbanization,

and even our pets like cats and dogs

will really affect these species.

How many offspring can they have?

Well, a female can produce two babies at one given time,

and they raise them in a pouch as they are a marsupial.

Yeah.

So like a kangaroo, it's called a joey, right?

It's called a joey, yeah, and they're

about the size of a jelly bean. - Really?

Yeah.

Willow and Blossom have been doing great for us so far,

but to keep them comfortable, we're going to give

them a little pouch break.

Oops.

Looks like Blossom left a little present on Miller's arm there.

Sure glad that's not my sleeve.