Wombat combat
 

I saw this line:
In UG's serious post about rememberance day, and I wondered, do wombats actually fight? I've never heard of it. Any help, Ducks? Aliantha (or Mr Antha?)
I'm an outdoorsy Aussie, and I've seen wombats active around dusk when (I'm) coming back from hikes. It was early morning for them, but they never seemed even remotely combative. Docile, rather.

It got me thinking about a new thread: strange animal fights.

Kangaroos definitely fight; theres a great video here (with cameo appearances by Mad Max in a golf cart and the worlds 3rd wost golfer).

It's not easy to fight when you're most notable feature is your super-long neck, but giraffes make good use of them here. LOL at this.

Koalas are notoriously grouchy buggers too.

So what other animals fight in a comic or amusing manner? Please, nothing that has been set up by humans, no dogfights or cockfights. Just natural, preferably non-lethal, humorously clumsy argy-bargy.

And do wombats fight?

you tube is packed with bear vs lion etc.

the best was the monkey with the tiger cubs....i think steve dallas posted that already though

Hippos are ruthless towards each other. I think they are evil.

Edit: I think UG meant to type "womprats" not "wombats." The womp rats of Beggars Canyon are really nasty. Once they clamp down on something, they don't let go.

My boys play fight all the time. No fur ever flies though. Cats are buggers for territorial fights - I've seen some pretty grim injuries in my time, I'm grateful that the worst weren't to any of my cats.

They're racketing up and down the stairs as I'm typing. What makes me laugh is the skidding sound of claws on the laminate flooring downstairs.

Back OT - chimpanzees are pretty brutal too. They will sometimes steal a chimp baby and batter it bloody in the treetops and eat it.

Wombats are known - in most cases - to be particularly aggressive animals and can be highly territorial. Both male and female wombats are known to guard their grazing patches and in times of drought will fight to defend their territory.

Ohhhh....poor little Fuddles! He's so cute. I want a wombat.

They're pretty stinky animals you know Dana. lol

That's the thing with the marsupials. They all look so cuddly and friendly, but they really are wild animals. The only thing they don't do that other wild animals do is kill you. ;)

I wonder if that's why they evolved and thrived in the comparatively isolated and people-free environment of Australia? In Europe they would all have been made into pets and then wiped out when they showed their true colours!

"Wombats" I wrote and wombats I meant. I swiped the line from a science fiction author -- I think it was either Gordon R. Dickson, or somebody who said he and Gordy used to fight like wombats...

The line does not appear in Charles Fort Never Mentioned Wombats.

There was also one of those rurally-humorous books Australia seems to abound with, or else sells more of to tourists than even Army slouch hats, titled Wombat Revenge. I haven't got it around any more, having lent it and then moved away, but I remember it describes being bitten by a wombat -- after a rather improbable chain of circumstances. They have strong jaws and blunt teeth, and the whole thing amounted to a rather severe example of, "Ow. OW! Quit it!!"

Thank you Ali! : doffs cap in your general direction :
Poor Fuddles. It was so sweet that he came back to the humans for help.
I still wonder how wombats fight. I guess "tooth and nail" to judge by Fuddles' injuries.

Slightly related: I was thinking about this last night and I noticed that the only animals to have horns are herbivores. Can anyone think of any counter-examples? Horned carnivores?
I guess the reason being that carnivores already have fearsome teeth and claws and these easily develop into fighting weapons (if they aren't already). Herbivores need to keep their teeth suitable for eating plants and so have to find some other means of fighting: horns, antlers, etc.
Anyone care to shoot down this made up theory?

You could do a phd on that topic Zen.

Nearest thing to a horned carnivore I can think of is the norwhal, and that's more a tusk. There are plenty of protectively clad carnivores, from the croc's scutes to a lion's mane.

Arthropods are a whole 'nother game, and perhaps should be left to another topic. There aren't any vegetarian spiders, if I understand rightly.

Zen, does your theory take into account the dinosaurs? I know next to nothing about them, but it's the only thing that came to mind when I read your question. :) I wouldn't know a T-rex from a pterodactyl (sp?), so it's just an idea. I'm no expert on any animal that doesn't live in my house, so it might be a far-fetched counter.

Good theory, though!

Hell no. I already have one, and that feels like enough.
Besides, then I'd have to do a whole heap of science. You know, facts. Research. Hard work. Sod that.

Besides, academia being what it is, I'm sure somebody has already done it.

Regarding dinosaurs, IIRC the horned spiky ones, triceratops, stegasaurus, were herbivores.

Not sure what to do with Narwhals. It's kind of a giant tooth, but they couldn't use it for eating.

Ooooh...Dr ZenGum. What was your subject for your phd?