Dispersal and social organization of the northern hairy‐nosed wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii

Abstract

Burrows of the northern hairy‐nosed wombat were arranged in loose clusters, each of which was used in common by a group of up to 10 wombats. However, individual wombats rarely used the same burrows on the same days and feeding ranges tended to be separate within each sex. The incidence of breeding dispersal among females was quite high (at least 50%); dispersal distances ranged up to almost the full extent of the population's range. Dispersal by adult males was rare, and no juvenile males were observed to disperse.