Do You Know Where My Parents Are?

Echidna woke to a red smoky sky. "Where are my parents?"

"No, and we're in a hurry! Sorry Echidna."

Echidna felt hopeless. "I'll try the wombats," Echidna sighed.

Dirt was flying everywhere as they worked together to dig a burrow.

"Do you know where my parents are? The fire is coming!"

"Wait I'll help you!" exclaimed Baby Wombat.

"No, and burrows are only for wombats!"

By Diahna, Saria and Tess

"They're not up here, trees are only for koalas!" they yelled back to Echidna.

Wombats are marsupials, they are in the Vombatidae family and are closely related to koalas and kangaroos. Scientists believe &nbsp;that Wombats resemble a bear, pig and a groper. Their brown fluffy coat and sturdy &nbsp;body makes the recognizable. There are three similar species of wombats, northern hairy-nosed wombats, southern hairy-nosed wombats and common wombats.

Echidnas like to burrow underground into cool soil when a bushfire comes. Sometimes if their long spikes stick out, the echidna will survive but the spikes will be burnt. Once underground the echidna will go into a hibernating-like state where they lower their blood pressure and sleep.

Did you know that Koalas are their closest relative? Wombats normally breed between September and December. Their pouch is backwards so it protects the joey while it's digging. Young wombats stay in the pouch from 7 - 10 months. Most wombats mainly live in wet, partly forested areas, woodlands and grasslands. All wombat species are located in Australia. The southern hairy-nosed wombat prefers dry, open country. Both species live in burrows, preferring well-drained soils that are easy to dig in, the burrows can reach 200 meters. Wombats usually stay in their burrows during the day, and come out at night to feed although they can be seen early in the morning or near dusk.&nbsp;

Echidna walked across the road to the kangaroos.

"Do you know where my parents are?" asked Echidna. "The fire is coming!"

The fire passed, leaving the land dry and burnt.

"Thank you for helping me, but I still don't know where my parents are," said Baby Echidna sadly.

" Have you checked underground?"

"SHELTER IN THE BURROWS!"

"What are you doing" asked Echidna, "You look funny." " I'm blocking the heat from getting in the burrow." replied Baby Wombat.

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