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Turtles, Snakes and Crocs |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:37 |
 Some of Australia's smaller lizards are among the world's most unusual creatures, such as the bearded dragon, the frilled lizard, and the skink. The goanna, which grows up to six feet/two m long, resembles a monitor lizard – and Australia has this giant species as well.
Australia also has around 110 species of snakes – about half of which can kill you with one bite. If you're up in the rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula or Arnhemland, also know that several species of non-poisonous vine snakes and strangle-happy pythons lurk in the trees. |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:41 |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:30 |
 Among the most intriguing creatures of the Australian Outback are the cathedral termites, which build slender, 5.8-foot/1.8-m-high pillars clustered throughout the bare earth. These towers, often called "magnetic mounds," are always structured facing north-to-south, possibly to help the insects regulate the temperature inside them. Wichetty grubs, a plump white species found throughout the wilderness, are a staple food of the Aboriginal tribes. Interestingly, Australia is also home to about 10% of all the ants on the globe, which are found here in approximately 1,500 different species. The largest is the bulldog ant, which grows to more than 3 cm long.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:35 |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:05 |
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 Australia's birdlife is among the world's richest, with around 740 different species, 60% of which are endemic to the continent and its islands.
Flashes of color in the bush, accompanied by a cacaphony of raucous squawking, signal the presence of tightly-packed flocks of one or more of Australia's 55 parrot species.
Among the world's most unusual ayes is the famous Australian lyrebird, with its lyre-shaped plumes and mimicking calls that can perfectly copy even such sounds as chainsaws and ambulence sirens. Equally beautiful are the many birds of paradise, which show off their striking plumage in tropical northern Queensland and Arnhemland in the Northern Territory. A more familiar creature is the brown-and-grey emu, which stands six feet/two m high and is only second in stature to its distant cousin the ostrich. While the females of this tall, flightless species do the work of egg-laying, it's the males who take over the nest for the two-month incubation period and primarily raise the chicks for six months after they hatch. Australia's other flightless species, the cassowary, is almost as tall, lives in the rainforests of tropical Queensland, and can be identified by its bright blue crest and red wattle.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 September 2011 00:26 |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 01 July 2011 19:24 |
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 The koala would be considered the most known wildlife animal known to Australia. The koala bear is a mammal, not really a bear, as the name might lead you to believe. It is really more related to the Australian wombat and kangaroo. Tourists come from all over the world to see and have a chance to hold one of these heart-melting little teddy bear-like animals in one of Australia’s several nature parks.
An open Koala Conservation Centre, sunny eucalyptus forest is part of the Phillip Island Nature park, and it provides treetop canopy nests for around 25 furry creatures. The park's unique feature is that YOU get to walk a boardwalk path through the trees to see them, as well as along 1 km (213 mi) of forest trails. The animals are pretty visible even by day, although they're most active about an hour before sunset, when they wake up to feed. The Centre is open daily 10 to 7 in summer, and until 6 in winter. Admission is A$9 adults, A$4.50 children, A$22.50 families. |
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Last Updated on Sunday, 03 July 2011 07:46 |
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