Crimson Rosella
The Crimson Rosella inhabits much of the coastal Zone of south eastern and eastern Australia. It favours coastal and highland forests at altitudes that range from sea level to just above the snow line. Increasingly, the crimson rosella may be found in suburban gardens within its range.
The crimson rosella feeding habits are typical of a member of the parrot family. Its diet is dominated by seeds, fruits, blossoms, insects and their larvae. This bird feeds on the forest floor, picking seeds from grasses and plucking flowers from eucalypts and other native plants. It also takes fruits and berries from bushes and the undergrowth.When male and female crimson rosellas meet, they quickly establish whether they are going to form a pair. As nesting time approaches, the male displays by drooping his wings, squaring his shoulders and fluffing up his breast feathers. He fans his tail from side to side and either holds his head high and tilts it back or bows slightly forward. Chattering, he feeds the female, who is rather coy and frightened at first.
Koala
The koala lives almost exclusively in the highest branches of the eucalyptus tree. It has powerful legs that help it maintain its balance in the trees. As is walks along the branches its hind leg and foreleg toes, with their long , sharp claws wrap around the branches to give it a firm grim. A night active animal, the koala spends the day sleeping curled up in the fork of the eucalyptus tree.
Out of a couple of hundred species of eucalyptus tree that grow in Australia, the koala usually feeds on less than twelve. The koala feeds at night, climbing to the top branches of a eucalyptus tree to eat the young shoots and leaves. It eats on average between 500g and 1kg of leaves daily. This means that it can easily exhaust its own supply.
The koala mates from December to march, and only a single offspring - only 2cm long, blind and hairless - is born up to 35 days later. The young forces its way through its mother's fur to reach her pouch. Once inside the pouch, the young koala attaches itself to one of its mothers nipples. After 5 months its mother begins to feed it with food she has already partly digested. At 6 months the young koala leaves the pouch and moves to its mothers back where it clings tightly. 3 months later it is fully grown and can feed itself. It remains with its mother until the next breeding season, When it is driven off by an adult male wanting to mate. The koala then moves to another tree where it lives independently until it finds a mate of its own.
TIGER SNAKE
The common tiger snake is a large, robust ground-dwelling snake found in a variety of habitats from rainforests to sandy, semi-arid areas. However it prefers to live in damp areas sheltering beneath rocks, logs and other surface debris, sometimes resting in the abandoned burrows of other animals including crustaceans and birds. The tiger snake is usually active during the day, but in very hot weather it forages during the night. Tiger snakes have also been seen diving into water when pursuing prey, escaping a predator or if disturbed by a human.
The tiger snake searches under loose ground cover for frogs, lizards and small mammals such as mice and rats. Frogs form the major part of its diet, although it sometimes catches fish and occasionally takes birds from low trees and shrubs. Like other snakes it can eat quite large animals by separating its upper and lower jaws, gripping the animal with its teeth and gradually working it into its throat. A very large animal may take several hours to swallow.
The tiger snake has quite short fangs positioned in the front of the upper jaw, enclosed in a fleshy sheath. It has a forked tongue that flicks in and out of the mouth and detects different odours. Tiger snakes try to avoid humans wherever possible and will usually attempt to flee. However, if you tread on one accidentally it may bite, so it is important to wear shoes and socks when wading through swampy land. Did you know the tiger snake is responsible for more human deaths than all other Australian snakes, but they only resort to biting if trodden on or harassed. Although snake venom is highly poisonous it is used to subdue prey rather than to attack animals which are too large for the snake to eat. An antidote designed to counteract the tiger snake's venom was first produced in Australia in 1928.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
The eastern grey kangaroo is a sociable species that lives in a group known as a mob. A typical mob comprises of a mature male, two or three females with joeys (young) and two or three young males it is common for several mobs to graze together. When grazing or moving slowly the kangaroo walks on all fours using its tail as support. It is capable of bounding away at high speeds, using its tail for balance.
Like all kangaroos the eastern grey species feeds on only plant matter. In hot weather it grazes early in the morning and late at night when it is cooler, so that it does not need to drink much. The kangaroo stops at nothing - not even high fences - to reach its food, and is often seen grazing along side sheep and cattle.
The eastern grey kangaroo mates and gives birth in spring and summer, but may breed in other seasons if the climate and rainfall are favourable. The female leaves her mob just before giving birth, and licks clean her pouch. The single joey is born 33-38 days after mating. Naked and pink, it is 2.5cm long and weighs 1g. The joey hauls itself bodily up it's mothers body from the birth canal opening to the pouch. Once inside the pouch the joey clamps itself tightly to one of the four teats. Which swells in the mouth to ensure the young is fixed firmly in place. After leaving the pouch the joey continues to suckle until eighteen months old from then on it eats grass. As it grows bigger, it can jump nimbly in and out of the pouch at will.
EMU
The emu is a very large, flightless bird second only in size to the ostrich. This odd-looking bird appears on the Australian coat-of-arms, together with the kangaroo.
The emu is a very sociable bird that generally lives in small groups except during the breeding season. Although occasionally you will see several groups band together to form a large herd several thousand strong.
The emu is nomadic travelling long distances around the country in search of food. It is well adapted to a nomadic lifestyle. It will remain in one place only while the male incubates the eggs.
When food supplies are plentiful the emu reserves large supplies of body fat, which it uses when food is harder to find.this means that the emu normally weighing 45kg can still function normally when it's body weight drops as low as 20kg.
BREEDING
The mating season of the emu is during December and January. The male builds a shallow, bowl shaped nest of grass and twigs about 1m across, usually under a bush or small tree.
In April or May the female lays between 9 and 11 large dark green eggs, the male incubates the eggs, while the female moves away and may pair with another male and lay a second clutch of eggs. During this period the male neither eats or drinks, living of his reserves of fat. The chicks hatch after 56 days and leave the nest shortly afterwards. The male becomes very aggressive driving the female away and attacking humans if they venture too close. The male continues to guard the chicks for between five too seven months.
FOOD & FEEDING
The emu is quite fussy, preferring foods that are rich in nutrients, such as seeds, fruit and young shoots. It avoids grass and old leaves even if that is all that is available. It also eats insects, small rodents and lizards when they are plentiful. It also takes in pebbles with it's food to help the stomach grind up the food effectively; these pebbles can be quite large up to 46g in weight. It must also have access to fresh water.
Because the emu's diet is so nutritious it grows quickly and reproduces in large numbers. It is constantly on the move, searching for food as it goes. The emu is capable of travelling as far as 500km in less than 9 months.
AUSTRALIAN FRESHWATER
CROCODILEThe Australian freshwater crocodile is light and agile, Its relatively small size enables it to venture into the shallow flood plains up river in search of prey.
The Australian freshwater crocodile is the only crocodile found nowhere else but Australia. At one time it was hunted intensely for it's skin, but legal protection over the past three decades has meant that the population has now recovered.
Being cold-blooded, all crocodiles need the warmth of the sun to keep them active and so they often spend time basking in the sunshine. However, in the extreme heat of the dry season, the the crocodile is often seen in the middle of a billabong or river cooling off.
When in the water, the eyes, nose and ears are above the water line while the rest of the body is hidden beneath. This strategy is invaluable when hunting prey. Although more comfortable in the water than on land the Australian fresh water crocodile may travel across country to find suitable waters. The crocodiles often congregate together, especially during the dry season, when water ways recede.
The freshwater crocodile eats crustaceans, insects, spiders and fish. It will also take frogs, lizards and small goannas, file snakes and birds, rats and bats. Occasionally it will even attack and kill wallabies, and it is also known to eat the young of its own species. In general however crustaceans and insects form the bulk of it's staple diet.
It uses the element of surprise to catch it's prey. It lays completely still among overhanging vegetation at the edge of the water with only it's eyes showing. When prey comes within range it leaps with startling speed, it's mouth agape. The crocodile then throws its head back to gulp down the prey.
The female freshwater crocodile often nests close to other females. She digs the nest chamber at night with her claws and hind legs. Into this she lays between 4 and 21 eggs. The temperature at which the eggs are incubated determine the sex of the hatchlings. Up to 60% of eggs are lost, either to predators such as the sand goanna or to flooding. There young hatch in November or December, at the beginning of the wet season. Hatchlings are born with an "egg tooth" which they use to cut themselves out of there eggs. When the mother hears her young calling from within the chamber, she digs it out. She then carries her young down to the water in her mouth.
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This Page Was Last Updated 4/8/2005