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Australian Animals
| Kangaroo | Dingo | Kookaburra | Platypus | Dugong | Tasmanian Devil | Koala | Emu. |
Australia is home to many of the worlds most amazing and unique animals
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There are 47 species of Kangaroos in Australia but the Grey and Red Kangaroos are most common. Red Kangaroo are the largest. Kangaroos rely on their long, powerful hind legs and feet for hopping and leaping, which is their main mode of transport. They use their long thick tails for balancing themselves. Grey Kangaroos can leap 9 metres in a single bound and can reach speeds of 48 kms an hour. Kangaroos are marsupials which means they carry their developing young in a pouch. The best known feature of a Kangaroo is is its pouch which it uses for child rearing.A baby kangaroo is called a Joey and lives in it's mothers pouch for the first 7-10 months of it's life.
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Dingos are a wild form of the domestic dog. Dingo's have short hair,usually yellowish or reddish brown tinge to it. They have bushy tails and point ears. Dingo's used to hunt for Kangaroo but when the Europeans began to settle in Australia they targeted easier prey like sheep and poultry kept by farmers. These days, dingo's eat insects, rodents and rabbits. Dingo's hunt alone, in pairs or as a family group but seldom in packs. They can be tamed and some Aboriginal people in Australia tame and keep Dingo's as hunting companions.
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Kookaburras are the Australian birds of the Kingfisher family. Their other name is - the laughing jackass!! The name comes from the Kookaburra's unique call. There are two species of Kookaburra in Australia. The laughing Kookaburra which are mainly found in the eastern side of the country and is the largest of the two birds. The Blue Winged Kookaburra lives in Northern Australia and doesn't laugh. They feed on insects, mice and smaller birds and have been known to attack chickens and baby ducks.
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Laughing Kookaburra |
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These animals are semi-aquatic animals that have a bill and webbed feet that make them look like a duck. But there are actually mammals that are covered with thick woolly fur. Platypus bills are more like a long snout covered with leathery skin. These snouts are very sensitive and they are used to detect and dig up prey of insects, worms and shellfish on river bottoms. Even though they are mammals they lay eggs. They are very secretive animals and are seldom seen. They live in rivers and streams in Tasmania, South and Eastern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and divers. They have small eyes and no external ears, but they still have very good sight and hearing.
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Imagine what cows would look like if they lived under water. Now you know have an idea of what a dugong is like. Dugong are aquatic animals and are often referred to as sea cows. This is because they graze on underwater sea grass. In fact they are the only marine mammals that feed almost entirely on plants. They can grow up to 3 metres long and can weigh a 400 KGs. They are slow graceful animals that can live to the ripe old age of 70. Unfortunately these animals are in danger and are becoming extinct.
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The Tasmanian Devil is the largest carnivorous (meat eating) marsupial in Australia. They are nocturnal animals (only come out at night). They are usually black with a white collar or patch around the neck. They are about the size of a small terrier. They have extremely large powerful heads with a wide jaw , sharp teeth, pink ears (that turn red when anger) and piercing eyes. They are only found on the island state of Tasmania. They devour the entire carcass of their prey - meat, fur, and bone leaving no mess behind them. They kill their own prey such as snakes, birds, rodents, lizards and lambs. They bark, growl and scream which when combined with the fierce look gives rise to the name "devil".
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Koalas are found in South Eastern Australia and they have been described as an "ash coloured pouched bear". But they are not bears, they are mammals and they are marsupials. The name Koala comes from a Aboriginal word meaning "no drink". This is because the Koala obtains enough moisture from the Eucalyptus leaves it eats. They spend 80% of the day sleeping and come out just after sunset to feed. It survives almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves. Baby Koalas spend up to 6 months in their mothers pouch after birth.
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The Emu is the world's second largest bird behind the Ostrich. Emus are very mobile quick runners, running with a bouncy, swaying motion. They are covered with a long, thick, dropping feathers that are dark brown to grey brown and which appears shaggy. They have extremely long legs, enabling them to run fast, and only three toes. Male and female Emus look very alike, except the female is usually larger than the male. The Emu feeds mainly on green herbage like grass, flowers, seeds but they also eat insects.
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Click on the signpost to discover more about other Australian animals.
