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Author Topic: Australia by Tibrogargan January 2007 - present and 155216+ views later!  (Read 657699 times)
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #60 on: January 21, 2007, 11:21:01 PM »

KOALAS

The early European explorers and settlers thought they looked like bears or monkeys!  So they were called Koala Bears and some people still call their favourite food trees "Monkey Gums", but Koalas are tree dwelling marsupials which mean they carry their young in a pouch like Wombats and Kangaroos.
Koala is Aboriginal for "no drink" for they rarely come down out of their trees to drink as they get enough moisture from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.  These gum leaves are 50% water and 5% sugar/starches which is a low energy diet so the koalas sleep about 19 hours a day to conserve strength.
The adults are called bucks or does and the young are called joeys.  They have a 35 days gestation and the joey resembles a small pink jellybean when born.  The males have their own territory and grunt and bellow to defend it from other males.  The southern Koala is larger and has thicker and browner coloured fur believed to be because of the colder climate.  They would weigh almost double the weight of their northern cousins.  A full grown southern male would weigh up to 24 lbs.  Koalas have long strong limbs for climbing trees and scientists say they are the only other animal besides humans that have individual fingerprints.

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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #61 on: January 22, 2007, 12:17:00 AM »

KANGAROOS

There are over 45 species of kangaroo and wallaby, ranging from the big red kangaroo to the rat kangaroo.  They are marsupial macropods and live in all habitats ranging from desert, woodland and rainforests.  Large males are called boomers and the young are called joeys.  Joeys remain in their mother's pouches until they are around 9 months old.  The largest are the Red Kangaroos which can weigh up to 180 lbs and be nearly 6 feet tall.  They spend most of their day lying in the shade and are only active early morning and after sundown, when they graze on green grasses.  

Their forepaws are hand like and used for fighting, grooming and holding food.  The powerful hind limbs and large feet enable them to bound over open ground at great speed and the long muscular tail moves up and down like a pump handle to counter balance the body.  When grooming the tail is used as a prop and may be the only limb touching the ground when they are fighting.  We do not have kangaroos in Tasmania but have wallabies.

A kangaroo and an emu appear on the Australian coat of arms.  They were chosen because they are two animals that cannot move backwards.

..............................................Red Kangaroo........

Grey Kangaroo

Wallaby..................................................
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« Reply #62 on: January 22, 2007, 12:47:13 AM »

I love this thread, thank you for sharing tibrogragan !!!!!!!
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« Reply #63 on: January 22, 2007, 01:17:13 AM »

Quote from: "Sleuth"
Quote from: "Sleuth"
Kukaburra sits on an old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh Kukaburra, laugh Kukaburra.  Wink

Growing up we would sing it as:
Kukaburra sits on an old gum tree. Eating all the gumdrops he could see. Laugh Kukaburra, laugh Kukaburra.


The third verse goes like this (no kidding)

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop Kookaburra, stop Kookaburra
That's no monkey, that's ME!!!



KOOKABURRA
When one thinks of Australian birds, the kookaburra is usually the first that comes to mind. They make loud noises resembling human laughter, often prior to the sun rise. The morning ``laughter'' is to identify territorial boundaries. Kookaburras are powerful, brave, and love to eat meat. It is not unusual to hand feed them.

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« Reply #64 on: January 22, 2007, 01:19:19 AM »

and love to eat meat. It is not unusual to hand feed them.

Eeeek - does that mean they eat hands?  Shocked  Laughing
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« Reply #65 on: January 22, 2007, 01:38:33 AM »

RAINBOW LORIKEET

The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a parrot common to the eastern seaboard of Australia, ranging from Queensland to South Australia. It is also found around northwest Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas.

The larger lorikeets are highly intelligent and make excellent pets for those seeking a playful and energetic bird. All species are strikingly beautiful with their varied colours and stunning glossy plumage. As with any lorikeet species, they have special dietary requirements, and must be provided with nectar and wet/dry mix. The larger lorikeets make excellent talkers but can become extremely noisy and require a committed owner who is willing to provide continuing obedience training. With a very curious nature, the larger lorikeets have a tremendous mimicking ability and will often be heard imitating household appliances such as the telephone or microwave.


We would hand-feed these every day, loved jam and nectar.  They loved green grapes but would actually get angry if we fed them the red ones.    Two (named 'Lori' and 'Keet') were very friendly and accustomed to us.  They even mated right in front of us.  Keet would mimic whistle patterns.  Lori would peek in the windows between the slight crack in the curtain. Both would follow us around constantly when outdoors or would travel from window to window when we were inside.

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« Reply #66 on: January 22, 2007, 01:40:26 AM »

Quote from: "klaasend"
and love to eat meat. It is not unusual to hand feed them.

Eeeek - does that mean they eat hands?  Shocked  Laughing


They like mice, etc. Needless to say, I was not hand-feeding these    Laughing
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« Reply #67 on: January 22, 2007, 05:18:58 AM »

This map shows the states and territories with capitals and some main towns.  Canberra is our Federal Capital :


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« Reply #68 on: January 22, 2007, 03:00:35 PM »

I asked Tibro If I could share Pictures Of my trip to Austrailia in 2004
I am  putting together Slide shows here are a few to start,
The First 2 contain pictures from the Sydney Zoo and Featherdale a wildlife reserve
Taronga Zoo is the nation's leading zoological garden, featuring Australia's finest collection of native animals and a diverse collection of exotic species. What makes Taronga something special is its location. It is situated on elevated land along the waterfront, in one of the most beautiful vantage points on Sydney Harbour overlooking Sydney Cove, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

As you zigzag your way along the paths among the animal enclosures, you are able to enjoy magnificent harbour views. The Taronga Zoo has its own jetty and you are able step off the boat and walk directly into the zoo.

It is always best to start your tour of the Zoo from the top entrance. That way you'll be walking downhill facing the harbour. You'll then be continually surprised as you turn a corner and catch a different vista of the horizon. Then, when you reach the bottom you can catch the Zoo Sky Safari chair lift to take you to the top again and begin your downhill trek along a different path.

If you would like to get up close to the animals and have your picture taken, then try the Animal Encounters experience. For a small fee, with the assistance of the rangers, you can enter the enclosures of some of the animals on display and have your picture taken by a professional. Note: You are not allowed in touch or hold Koalas in NSW.

Want to see Australia's unique wildlife in a natural bush setting? At Featherdale, we've gone out of our way to create a unique wildlife experience… within the Sydney metropolitan area!
You can hand feed a kangaroo, wallaby or emu - or enjoy a face-to-face encounter with one of our friendly koalas - amongst one of Australia's largest private collections of Australian native animals and bird life.

http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h82/BigMouse1925/Australia%20Trip/?action=view&current=1169494168.pbw

http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h82/BigMouse1925/Australia%20Trip/?action=view&current=1169493728.pbw

you will have to copy the links into search engine to view the slides shows

Once I upload more photos of my trip to this beautiful country I will share them with you

[/b]
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« Reply #69 on: January 22, 2007, 04:05:58 PM »

Why does Australia have a patent on marsupials?  What is it about Australia and pouches?  Evolution, creation, either way, what's with the pouches?  Koalas seem to have been named like Pandas--neither are bears.  Beautiful pictures.   Steve Irwin's final show was on Animal Planet yesterday.  They showed sea snakes, box jelly fish, blue-ringed octupus and rock fish, among other things.  Oh yea, great whites.   Shocked
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« Reply #70 on: January 22, 2007, 04:17:11 PM »

Quote from: "LilPuma"
Why does Australia have a patent on marsupials?  What is it about Australia and pouches?  Evolution, creation, either way, what's with the pouches?  Koalas seem to have been named like Pandas--neither are bears.  Beautiful pictures.   Steve Irwin's final show was on Animal Planet yesterday.  They showed sea snakes, box jelly fish, blue-ringed octupus and rock fish, among other things.  Oh yea, great whites.   Shocked


America has a marsupial too, you know. It's those ugly old possums.  Laughing

Man, I sure wish we could trade those possums for some koalas. Confused
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« Reply #71 on: January 22, 2007, 04:38:19 PM »

Quote from: "BTgirl"
Quote from: "LilPuma"
Why does Australia have a patent on marsupials?  What is it about Australia and pouches?  Evolution, creation, either way, what's with the pouches?  Koalas seem to have been named like Pandas--neither are bears.  Beautiful pictures.   Steve Irwin's final show was on Animal Planet yesterday.  They showed sea snakes, box jelly fish, blue-ringed octupus and rock fish, among other things.  Oh yea, great whites.   Shocked


America has a marsupial too, you know. It's those ugly old possums.  Laughing

Man, I sure wish we could trade those possums for some koalas. Confused


We have possums too, so more pouches  Wink   That is an interesting question.  I will see what I can find out.  I know because the continent has been isolated for millions of years that our wildlife is so different and has evolved the way it has.  This isolation has been a good thing as we do not have rabies and there is a lengthy quarantine for any animals brought here even domestic pets.  Heavy fines and goal terms for anyone trying to smuggle in animals or plants and the same for wildlife trying to be smuggled out.
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« Reply #72 on: January 22, 2007, 05:33:33 PM »

This story is about Harriet the Galapagos Turtle who lived many years at Australia Zoo.  I have seen Harriet several times and although she is an unusual animal there was something very endearing about her.  She would come out to be fed hibiscus flowers and other treats by the keepers and it was very sad news to hear of her passing, only weeks before Steve was killed.

REMEMBERING HARRIET

Tuesday, 27 June  2006


Sad news that Harriet, the much loved tortoise at Australia Zoo, died of a heart attack at the incredible age of 175! Harriet, who held the World Record for the oldest living animal in captivity, is rumoured to have been Sir Charles Darwin’s pet, after he picked her up in 1835 from the Galapagos Islands.

Harriet lived at Fleay's Fauna Reserve at West Burleigh on the Gold Coast for more than 30 years before making the move to Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast. Rosemary Thomson from Natural Bridge helped look after Harriet for more than 30 years.

"It's like a death in the family actually", says Rosemary Thompson, "she was very much loved by generations of Queenslanders. She came to us in 1958 when the Brisbane Botanical Gardens collection was disbanded. She roamed on the hills with the kangaroos, emus and wallabies. She was a vegetarian, that says a lot for vegetarian living, although I'm a beef farmer!"

"When you consider Harriet was hatched from an egg before the reign of Queen Victoria it's just astounding. If only she could have talked, she was never mated with another tortoise because they were pretty rare."

It's never been verified she was actually a pet of Charles Darwin, "unfortunately the records from the Botanical Gardens were swept down the Brisbane River on the 1893 flood. It's very sad really," Rosemary says, "my father met Harriet in 1939 when he was on his way to an expedition to New Guinea. He was told she had come to the gardens in 1860."
 
"There were reputed to be three of them named Tom, Dick and Harry. They were about five years of age judging on their size when they went to England on the Beagle, Charles Darwin's vessel. Lt Wickham was on the expedition and he, I think, from letter people have read, took these three animals back to Australia because the English climate didn't suit them. They reach maturity at about thirty years of age. I think they went to Sydney and up to Newstead house where Wickham settled. From there to the gardens. The body of 'Tom' is preserved at the Qld Museum, he died in the 1920s."

"My daughter Jane visited Harriet a week ago with her family, and they said that Harriet hadn't moved from her little shed, and the food hadn't been touched and they were wondering what was wrong with Harriet because she was very fond of her carrots and celery, and vegetarian matter. Hibiscus flowers were a choice item. So they were a bit worried about her when they reported back to us. She must have been ailing, but she had a good spin at 175 years!"

"I'm hoping her body will be preserved for science. There's a possibility Harriet came from Santa Maria island in the Galapagas group, and she would have been the last of her species", Rosemary Thompson.

..........................................[/b]
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« Reply #73 on: January 22, 2007, 06:38:54 PM »

Quote from: "BTgirl"
Quote from: "LilPuma"
Why does Australia have a patent on marsupials?  What is it about Australia and pouches?  Evolution, creation, either way, what's with the pouches?  Koalas seem to have been named like Pandas--neither are bears.  Beautiful pictures.   Steve Irwin's final show was on Animal Planet yesterday.  They showed sea snakes, box jelly fish, blue-ringed octupus and rock fish, among other things.  Oh yea, great whites.   Shocked


America has a marsupial too, you know. It's those ugly old possums.  Laughing

Man, I sure wish we could trade those possums for some koalas. Confused


I don't know any possums.  Do possums live north of the Mason-Dixon line?  I didn't know they were marsupials!  I wouldn't know a possum if I saw one.  Excuse me, must google.
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« Reply #74 on: January 22, 2007, 06:49:02 PM »

It says that opossums do live north but North American has Opossums, while possums are native to Australia.  

Is a possum and an opossum the same thing?

Yes and no. Throughout America the opossum is often referred to colloquially as a possum (similarly to the way some people refer to a potato as a tater or to a mosquito as a skeeter), but its actual name is opossum. When we refer to it by its colloquial name on this website, we usually add an apostrophe at the beginning to indicate the omission of the initial o: ’possum. But there really is an animal called a possum (without an initial o) that differs significantly from the North American opossum. The true possum is indigenous to Australia and looks quite unlike the American variety. You can see pictures of the Australian possum here, and there are also links to other possum websites on our links page

http://opossum.craton.net/faqs.htm
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« Reply #75 on: January 22, 2007, 07:04:51 PM »

Brushtail possum.   Also found in New Zealand.

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« Reply #76 on: January 22, 2007, 07:31:07 PM »

Correction
In above article I referred to Harriet as a Turtle.  She was of course a Tortoise, a land dwelling animal.
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« Reply #77 on: January 22, 2007, 09:59:42 PM »

[/b]EMU

Now to the second animal on the Australian Coat of Arms.

Emus are a flightless bird which stands up to 6 feet tall.  Emu is not an Aboriginal word but is believed to have derived from an Arabic word 'ema' for large bird.  They are found throughout most of the mainland mainly in forests and woodland.  They eat fruits, seeds, plant shoots, insects and small animals.  Depending on food availability they will move hundred of miles and can travel up to 15 mph.  They are not a sociable bird, except for the young birds which stay with their father.  

The male emu performs all the incubation of about 55 days without leaving the nest to eat or drink after chasing away all the other emus including his mate.  The female takes no part in hatching or raising the chicks after laying the dark green eggs.  Chicks are cream coloured with dark brown stripes, ideal for camouflage.  The stripes gradually fade until replaced by dark brown feathers by about 6 months of age.

Emus do not have the option of flying away when threatenend.  If attacked by a wedge-tailed eagle, our largest bird of prey, they will run in a zig zag pattern.  At closer range they will kick with their strong powerful legs. Their calls consist of booming, drumming and grunting.




/IMG]tp://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q263/Coonowrin/semuchicks.jpg[/IMG]

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« Reply #78 on: January 22, 2007, 10:02:02 PM »

Here are the chicks ........
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« Reply #79 on: January 22, 2007, 11:09:16 PM »

A Tennessee possum. Not nearly as cute as the Australian one. Trust me, I know. I have a yard full of them.  Laughing

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