Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Tachyglossus aculeatus
Zaglossus bruijnii

The marsupials are the most unusual animals in Australia. There are over 250 different species that reproduce in a strange way:
"Marsupials give birth to babies that are in a very immature state after a very short time in their mother’s womb. Most are born within a few weeks. A newborn marsupial is very tiny, usually not much bigger than a honeybee, and many are even smaller. It doesn’t look very much like the adult animal because it is not very well developed. The tiny baby must crawl and wriggle its way to the mother’s pouch located on her abdomen. This journey takes place usually within a few minutes. Once safely inside its snug new home, the baby receives the nourishment it needs for development by attaching itself to a nipple. It remains attached to the nipple as it develops. After a few weeks or as long as 6-8 months (depending on the species), it crawls out of the pouch—fully furred and with most of its senses developed—to take its first look at the world."
There is only one marsupial in North America left, the opossum. Scientists believe that there were also marsupials in South-America which did not survive because other mammals were stronger.

Kangaroo:

"The term kangaroo is a common term used for the larger members of the macropod, (big toe) family. There are other names given to the smaller members of the species, but if they are a macropod they are a kangaroo. Fossilized skeletons have been excavated of kangaroos as large as 10 ft. tall and 650 lbs., such as the "Short Faced Kangaroo", which is now extinct and as small as 8 oz. in the "Rat Kangaroo". Many have become extinct through time, but many have reached their demise since the 1900's with man's encroachment. There are over 60 different species of kangaroos confirmed alive in Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and a few surrounding islands. Some have only been seen a few times, but are believed to still exist. Starting with the largest, the kangaroo, weighing up to 160 lbs. to the wallabies weighing in the 20-30 lb. range and descending to the smallest, being the rat kangaroo at one pound. The different species or types of kangaroos, with the possibly extinct ones omitted, are the kangaroos (3 types), wallaroo (3 types), tree kangaroo (8 types), wallaby (26 types), monjon (1 type), dorcopsis (6 types), pademelon (4 types), bettong (5 types), potoroo (3 types), rat kangaroo (1 type). Kangaroos live in groups called "mobs," which usually consist of one adult male and two or three females and their young."
"One can find Kangaroos just outside most heavily urbanised areas at small farming areas or sometimes natural grasslands, larger farming districts etc. It is in these grassy areas that kangaroos can be viewed. Kangaroos should be most definately not be approached, although they might look all cuddly, they do not appreciate hugs, as many a tourist or local has discovered. The especially dangerous specimens are the large males. If you view the males when fighting you may discover why they are so dangerous, the males grasp each other with their upper limbs and kick with their hind legs. What exactly makes this so dangerous is the large middle claw that has been know to severly hurt people."

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Koala:

"The scientific name for a koala is called a Phascaluctus Cenerus. There are three kinds of koalas. The largest koala is the Victoria, it has darker fur to keep it warmer because it's habitat is usually in a cooler region. The New South Wales koala is the middle sized koala. It's ears are shaggier than the Queensland koala. As mentioned, the Queensland koala is the smallest. It is brown with a white chest. A koala sleeps an average of 18 to 22 hours per day!! The koala sleeps in a tree to avoid being attacked by wild dingoes and other harsh animals. You could say that a koala can adapt to any kind of weather. A koala can almost stand any kind of weather. Koalas don't need shelter in bad weather because of their thick fur. Their thick fur keeps them warm in cold and rainy weather. And even in hot weather koalas shed their fur. The mating season for a koala is in between the months of September and June. A koala starts to mate at the age of three and up. The females leave the males when they are pregnant. Females breed once every two years. A koala eats the exact amount of protein by eating one to three pounds each day. A koalas favorite food are the leaves of an eculyptus tree. A koala is nocturnal so it only eats at night. If eculyptus trees are being chopped down a koala might starve to death. Koala, common name for an arboreal marsupial animal, Phascolarctos cinereus, the only member of the family Phascolarctidae. In appearance the animal somewhat resembles the toy teddy bear; in habits it somewhat resembles a sloth. The koala reaches a maximum length of about 76 cm (about 2.5 ft) and has a maximum life span of about 20 years. It has a large, round head with large, round, furry ears and a stout body covered with thick ashy-gray fur. The animal has a vestigial tail. Its legs are short; its feet are large, and each has five toes, two of which are opposable to the other three. Each toe bears a strong claw. The female bears one young at a time. The young koala is then kept in the marsupial pouch for about six months, after which time the female carries it upon her back until it is half grown. Koalas are found only in eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia. The animals frequent high eucalyptus trees, feeding only on the leaves and flowers of certain species of eucalyptus. The animal is lethargic and often remains in the same tree for days. The males are more active than the females and feed during the day; the females sleep all day and feed at night. Koalas sleep curled up on the limbs of trees, firmly grasping the limbs with their feet. The animal does not relax its hold even when it is mortally wounded by gunfire. Koalas were formerly killed for their soft, thick fur, sold in the United States as wombat fur; they are now protected by laws in Australia. They are so sedentary that they will not run off, even when kept in unfenced eucalyptus regions, as they are in several Australian parks."
"The place you are most likely to see koalas are woody bushland areas, places which are a majority eucalypt. This particular animal is unlikely to approach you, and you are unlikely to see this animal at a reasonable height, so out of concern for your personal safety I highly reccommend that you don't attempt to climb trees to find them, not to mention the fact that these animals are more than abaly eqipped with large claws."

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Marsupial Mice (Dunnart):  

"There are about 10 species of Dunnarts and some are thin-tailed and others fat-tailed. They are often called marsupial mice because they are mouse-sized, being about 10-16 cms.
Dunnarts are found in Australia and New Guinea. They can live in deserts or in rainforests. Dunnarts make grass nests in hollow logs or they burrow underground. When it is cold they huddle together to keep warm.
As with most marsupials Dunnarts are nocturnal. They hunt during the night and feed on insects - especially grasshoppers, spiders, lizards, mice and other small animals.
The Fat-tailed Dunnart is the smallest of all Dunnarts. It's fur is soft, fine and grizzled grey to browny-black. It has dark markings on its forehead and around its eyes. The Fat-tailed Dunnart has large oval ears and its tail is thick covered with short, stiff hairs. The Fat-tailed Dunnart stores fat in it's tail which can become carrot-shaped when there is plenty of food around and when food is scarce it's tail becomes thin.
Dunnarts are fearless and if they are threatened they open their wide mouths and make a hissing noise. Dunnarts breed continuously during the year and the females can have litters up to 10 babies about three - four times a year."

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Tasmanian Devil:  

"Tasmanian Devils have black, or sometimes brown, fur. They usually have a patch of white fur on the throat and on the lower back near the beggining of the tail. The Tasmanian Devil's body is from 20 to 31 inches long and its tail is from 9 to 12 inches long. Females weigh from 9 to15 pounds. Males weigh from 15 to 26 pounds.
Tasmanian Devils usually eat carrion, because they don't move very fast. This is good for the enviroment because they clean up the dead animals that are lying around. Sometimes though, the Tasmanian Devil does kill small animals. Tasmanian Devils are one of the rare kinds of animals that are cannibals.
Tasmanian Devils are very loud. They scream a lot. When something comes near them they sometimes will turn from a side view to a front view so quickly that they appear to be turning in circles when they are really not.
Tasmanian Devils fight a lot. If one was eating and then another came and wanted to eat too, the first one would get really angry. They would probably fight unless they were both the same age and size. If they were equal in age and size they would try not to fight by giving the other a chance to back down. If both of them don't want to back down then they fight.
When the Tasmanian Devil babies are first born they are tiny, only a quarter of an inch long, and they are blind and deaf. There are fifty of them in a litter, but only four of them survive. The four that survive are the first four babies that get to the mother's pouch and get to the four nipples inside. Once they start sucking, the nipples swell up and fill the babies' mouths. The babies are attached to the nipples for about 100 days. Then they can come out of the pouch.
Only one out of ten babies survive to adulthood, because the adults will eat them."

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Wombat: 

A wombat is a hairy marsupial mammal. It can weigh up to 39 kg and be approximately 1 metre long. They have a short 25mm tail and stumpy legs.
A wombat likes to live alone. A Wombat even has its own feeding ground. A Wombat lives in hilly forest country and it likes to burrow underground. A burrow can be as long as 20 metres. Sometimes burrows can interconnect, so whilst Wombats are loners they can show some community spirit.
Wombats are nocturnal animals which eat grasses, roots and herbs after dark. There are three species of Wombats."
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Birds and other interesting animals:

Parrots:  

"Over 20 million years ago, parrots appeared on the earth. It appears that they originated in Australia and the Amazon Basin and spread from there to warm-climate habitats across the globe. Although a few hardy species eventually settled in colder climates, most of the parrot populations of the world today are in Brazil, Australia, New Guinea, The South Pacific, and parts of Africa, India, and Central and South America.
Parrots, parakeets, lories, lorikeets, cockatoos, cockatiels, and lovebirds make up the members of this family. Most of them are very good sound imitators, capable of mimicking everything from whistles and cats howling to the human voice.
In addition to sound imitation, parrots as a group have many other things in common. They generally have large hooked bills with hinged jaws, the top part of the bill hooking over the lower part. This is used to break open seeds and nuts, which is a main part of their diet. The Lorikeets have a longer and more slender beak with a brush-like tongue which they use to remove nectar from flowers and fruits.
Parrots are zygodactylous, which means that they have two toes facing forward and two facing backward. This arrangement allows them to pick up food and other objects for observation and is also useful for preening, or cleaning themselves. They are the only birds that are able to pick up food and bring it to their mouths.
Parrots are intensely social birds, and most feed, travel, roost and socialize in noisy flocks. They often choose a mate for life, a life which can be many decades long in the wild. Except for lovebirds and monk parakeets, parrots generally don't bother to make elaborate nests. Instead, they simply line tree cavities, logs, burrows, or other ready-made cavities with wood chips, twigs, or other simple items.
The bright colors of the parrots actually help to camouflage them in the wild. Their habitat is often a canopy of vivid fruits and flowers, and these birds are able to "disappear" into the dense foliage and shadows of the forest. Parrots are able to see colors, and this helps the birds to distinguish members of their own species."

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Emu:  

"The emu is a large, flightless, native Australian bird in the same family as the African ostrich and the South American rhea. Emus grow to around 2 metres tall and weigh up to 50 kilograms. Since the emu is a native bird in Australia, a major condition for the granting of approval to farm emus is that only captive or farm-bred stock is farmed. The range of products derived from the farmed Emu include low fat gourmet meat, leather, emu eggs and oil. Emu oil is used in cosmetics and in the treatment of muscle and joint pains such as arthritis. Emu are members of the Ratite family of flightless birds, which have small or underdeveloped wings. Emu, the world's second largest living bird have survived 80 million years in their native Australia where they are found in the deserts, forests and on the plains.Emu are curious and docile. They are about 10-inches tall at birth, with black and white stripes. As 3-month-old chicks, they turn nearly solid black and change into a tan, brown and black mixture as adults, some having a bluish neck. The feathers are downy, with no stiff vein running through the center. Emu, when mature, stand 5 to 6 feet tall, weigh up to 150 lbs. and are long-lived (up to 30 yrs. recorded by zoos). Emu are strong runners reaching 60 km/hr. in short bursts taking 9 ft. strides. Emu adapt well from temperature extremes in excess of 100 degrees to below zero. No diseases have yet been diagnosed as common to the species. They can exist on a simple diet and require alot of water, drinking 2 to 4 gallons daily. They also will play in water or mud. Emu are quite prolific, each mature breeding pair producing 20 to 50 eggs per year. The eggs are dark avocado green, about 5 in. long and weigh on average 600 grams. The hen lays an egg every third day during the laying season ( Nov. - May). In the wild, the male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks. The eggs hatch in 52 days, producing a chick which will walk within hours and run within days. The chicks achieve rapid growth, gaining their height by one year of age. After six months, the birds have shed most of their chick feathers for the fluffy, elegant feathers of the adult. For most climate conditions, the birds need shelter during the first few months. The birds are a very hardy and adaptable bird."
"Emus are outside the urban areas of a city, they are more likely to be found when you drive a remotish area between towns, or in farming districts. Again these animals should not be approached, and again this is because of their large centre claw on very powerful legs."

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Dingo:  

"A Dingo is one of the oldest breeds of dogs. It is believed to be introduced to Australia by Aboriginals from New Guinea about 3,000 years ago. The Aboriginals called it Warrigal and it was their only domestic animal. Dingos cannot bark, but, let out a mournful cry.
Usually Dingos are a ginger colour with white points also black and tan, and also in white. Their bodies can grow to one metre with a extra 30 cm bushy tail. They have large and always erect ears.
Dingos live in well-defined groups and roam all of Australia except in Tasmania. Dingos prey on Wombats, Wallabies, Kangaroos and Rabbits.
They also prey on sheep and have been considered pests. To exclude Dingos from the eastern states of Australia a fence was erected which came to be known as 'the longest fence in the world'. Dingos breed once a year and on average have 3-4 pups."
"Dingos are found mainly in outback areas. An easy place to view dingos is Fraser Island. Dingo are very curious creatures, but in most places where these animals frequent it is best not to go to close, and it is highly reccommended that you do not feed them, as this has led to several attacks in the past."

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Links to other 'animal' pages:

Australian A to Z Animal Archive:

• http://www.aaa.com.au/A_Z/

Australian Animals and Plants:

• http://home.augsburg.baynet.de/christoph.schmidt/links5.htm

Aus. Biological Research NetworkVirtual Library:

• http://abren.csu.edu.au/abren/library/Organisation.html

Endangered Species Tasmanian Devil:

• http://www.schoolworld.asn.au/species/tazdev2.html

Kangaroo Sites:

• http://www.ftlvn.k12.ks.us/links/kangaroo.html

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