White wombats

Check out this picture in the Sydney Morning Herald of two very rare white wombats rescued in South Australia.

Wombats are pretty neat. Known as the "bulldozers of the bush," they are really stout and squat and they make prolific burrows. They are herbivorous marsupials, about the size of a small dog. They're pretty chill, unless you surprise or corner one, and then they can mess you up. They have backwards-facing pouches, which prevents dirt from getting in and suffocating the young while they are digging. And despite having fat little legs, they can run at up to 25 mph and maintain that speed for up to 90 seconds. The only time I can do that is when riding a bike downhill, and my legs are considerably longer.

But you know what makes the wombat really cool? Two things. First, their method of defense. They have an armored ass that is basically impenetrable. When attacked, they dive into their burrow head-first and let predators flail away back there. Second, and more to the point, they have square poo. Seriously.

Update: More great pics here.