I hope you enjoy these fun pages and learn alot about the 'Australian Wildlife', just as I have since I have been here...These are facts that I found on the 'Net' about each of the animals I have listed here on my pages...Many of these animals I have seen in the wild and it never ceases to amaze me, of the beauty of our ever changing world...All we have to do is to look around us and see the glory of our planet...My fav. Australian animal is still the 'ROO' followed really close by the 'KOALA'...Now on with the 'Show' as they say...*lol*... |
Kangaroos - A
marsupial animal found in Australia.
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Typically large kangaroos have sheep-like heads, large, movable ears, slender chests and heavy hind parts. They have short front legs with five unequal digits and long, powerful hind legs with tendons that act like springs for energy-efficient hopping. A large kangaroo can cover a distance of 9m in a single leap. A large kangaroo, although ordinarily timid, is dangerous when at bay, pummeling its attacker with its forepaws and slashing with its powerful hind legs. The long, muscular tail is used as a support when the animal sits or walks and for balance when it leaps.
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The female kangaroo, have special abdominal pouches. the newly born young, known as a joey, finds its way into the pouch unassisted by the mother. The pouch, in which the joey is kept until it is 5-9 months old contains four mammary glands, of which two at a time are functional. |
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The joey emerges
permanently from -10 months and then stays with its mother, continuing to suckle by
placing its head in her pouch, usually until it is 12-18 months old. |
(Koala baby above...) |
Koala - Although
sometimes known as the native bear, the koala is in fact no relation to the bear family. |
The koala is a nocturnal, tree dwelling marsupial mammal, which feeds
almost exclusively on the leaves of a few species of eucalypt. Koala babies are only about 19mm when born, but they can still climb into mother's warm pouch, where they stay for about five to six months, after which time they spend another three to four months clinging to her back with their strong claws while she travels from tree to tree or when she is resting, cuddled up in her arms. Koalas are very
fussy eaters, feeding almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. Koalas seldom drink, as they
obtain enough water from the diet of leaves. The Koala sleeps in the fork of a tree for most of the day and moves about and feeds at night. It is most active just after sunset. The Koala can sleep for up to 20 hours per day, mainly because their diet is so energy poor. Sleeping allows them to conserve their energy. Usually, koalas
produce only a single young, rarely twins are born. At birth, the young is about 19
mm in length and weighs about 0.5 g. At 7 weeks, the young has a head length of about 26
mm. The head is large in proportion to the rest of the body. 13 weeks, the young has
attained a body weight of about 50g and a head length of 50mm. At about 22 weeks of age,
the eyes open and the young begins to poke its head out of the pouch for the first time.
By 24 weeks of age, the cub is fully furred and the first teeth erupt. At 30 weeks, the
cub weighs about 0.5 kg and has a head length of 70 mm. It now spends most of the time out
of the pouch clinging to the mother's belly. Some 6 weeks later, the cub weighs 1kg and no
longer enters the pouch. At 37 weeks, the cub moves from contact with the mother. By 48
weeks, mother and cub are often seen sleeping back to back.
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Kookaburra, a
common name for four species of birds living in Australia. Its raucous call, which inspired its common nickname of "laughing jackass", is often heard on television and motion picture soundtracks to typify 'jungle sounds'. |
Australian possums
are a diverse group of mammals, ranging from tiny gliding possums to large agile climbing
brush-tails. The diet of Brush-tail possums consist mainly of leaves, especially eucalypt leaves and also native fruits, buds and bark in the forests. Even though possums are at the mercy of being killed by foxes, dogs, humans and bushfires, they are still large in numbers and they are amongst the most familiar and popular Australian mammals. |
Pelicans - Pelicans
are the Jumbo Jets of the birds. This huge bird has to build up speed by running over the
water while flapping its wings. It similarly needs a "runway" when it lands. |
The Lyrebird is one of the largest perching birds,named for its lyre-shaped tail. They have a small head, long neck, long legs, large feet with long powerful claws and a long tail. When the tail of the male is raised during courtship and expanded during display, it gives the appearance of a lyre (hence its name) with the gracefully curved outer plumes forming the framework. Although this bird can fly, it seldom does. |
The Common Wombat is a large, heavily built marsupial. t is usually a metre long from nose to tail and about 35cm high. It has short powerful limbs with strong flattened claws for digging and has coarse brown or black fur. |
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