[3] Among the oldest southern hairy-nosed wombats ever documented were a male and a female from Brookfield Zoo just outside Chicago.

[7] There are three synonyms: The southern hairy-nosed wombat is adapted to digging; it has a stocky and robust build, flattened claws, and five digits.

[13] Much of the southern hairy-nosed wombat's diet is Austrostipa nitida, which grows around its warren complex and is trimmed as it grazes.

[13] This creates an area with a higher density of new green shoots, a sign of delayed growth of individual grass.

[9] The teeth of the wombat are more effective in grinding food into small particles than the western grey kangaroo.

[13] Wombats are also host to a diverse gut microbiome, which is thought to help them derive energy and essential nutrients from their relatively poor diets, as well as assist with nitrogen recycling.

[15] It has been estimated that the microbial fermentation of fibre in the wombat gut accounts for >60% of the host's daily energy requirements.

In captivity, their standard metabolic rate was found to be 130 kl/kg^0.75 per day, which is very low compared to most placental animals and other marsupials.

The males also mark their territory with anal scent secretions by rubbing their backs and rumps on objects.

[9] Fights between males over territories or mates do occur and involve bites to the ears, flanks, or rumps.

[23] Warrens can make surface conditions in habitats of low humidity and high temperatures better for the wombat.

[24] The breeding of the southern hairy-nosed wombat occurs when their favoured food is at its peak growth rates.

[9] Between August and October, when rainfall is sufficient, females enter ovulation and the males' testosterone levels and prostate gland sizes increase.

[25] This study found that the diversity and composition of microbes in the pouch correlated to the reproductive status of the host.

The diversity of microbes dropped drastically when pouch young were present, or when the mother was reproductively active.

One interpretation of this result is that the wombat can filter which microbes are able to live in the pouch through the use of antimicrobial peptides and/or other means.

This could be important for the health of the joey, as marsupials are born very early compared to placental mammals and thus lack an adaptive immune system.

It was previously listed as Least Concern because "While there are sporadic outbreaks of sarcoptic mange, competition with introduced herbivores, susceptibility to drought, and severe fragmentation in parts of its range, the species has a wide distribution, large population, occurs in a number of protected areas, and it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category".

[29] Their digging can destroy crops and can increase the risk of livestock breaking their legs by falling through their burrow systems.