Adorable Wombat Turns One and Gets His Own ‘Smash’ Cake at Australian Reptile Park
If you follow Australian Reptile Park on TikTok, you know they have some really cute baby animals they care for. There are koalas, kangaroos, and especially Wilbur the wombat. We've all been watching Wilbur and his friends grow for many months and enjoy seeing their adorable antics. So I was excited earlier this week when I stumbled across a video they had posted celebrating Wilbur's first birthday!
Wilbur and his surrogate mom (keeper Seleena) celebrated the big day the way we all celebrate a child's first birthday - he got his very own smash cake! The cake was made out of 'wombat friendly' treats like carrots, corn, and plant leaves. He wasn't sure about it at first and it looks like he might've even stopped for a rest, but he eventually chowed down! Watch and wait for Wilbur's adorable smile about halfway through the video!
It looks like he enjoyed his 'cake'! His smile melted my heart, and I am jealous of Seleena's cool job! After enjoying his treat, he got to meet up with his koala friends...I wonder if one of them was his bestie, Albert! Commenters enjoyed Australian Reptile Park's video as much as I did. There were several birthday messages and comments about how cute the baby wombat is. I couldn't agree more!
Related: Australian Reptile Park Shares Sweetest Update on Baby Wilbur the Wombat
Cute Baby Wombat Facts
When Wilbur was born, he was tiny...literally. He was about the size of a jellybean. Now he's a big boy and becoming much more independent, he even enjoys occasional zoomies. Wilbur was rescued as a baby and has been raised by Seleena for months. She gets up with him for nightly feedings and he lives with her; he's with her 24/7. It's really like having a baby!
Baby wombats are similar to kangaroos; they both are called joeys and live in their mother's pouch for the first six months of their lives because they are helpless and completely dependent on her for everything. They stay with mom for up to three years, although I don't know if Seleena will care for Wilbur that long.
Baby wombats are extremely social and love to play and play-fight, which helps them practice defending themselves as well as expend energy...they've got a lot of it! One of Wilbur's favorite things to do is chase his mama Seleena around as we got to see in the video.
Here's a cool fact that blew my mind: wombats can glow in the dark! According to a-z-animals.com, they have a have a unique biofluorescent quality to their fur, which makes them glow green in the dark. Scientists think this might be for one of two reasons. It could be a way they communicate with each other in the dark, or it may be a camouflage technique to help them blend in, making it harder for predators (like dingoes, foxes, and Tasmanian devils) to find them.
Happy birthday to Wilbur! I hope they keep sharing videos of Wilbur and Albert the koala and all of the other babies at the park because they always brighten my day!
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