it is a great way for people to know of our beautiful Australian animals.
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Echidna |
(Spiny ant eaters) are found throughout Australia and New Guinea.
Their bodies are covered with coarse hairy spines. They have
small ears and have snouts that are long and tubular. They use this long snout for poking into holes and turning over rocks to search for termites and ants. They use their long and sticky tongues to gather up their prey. Like the platypus, an echidna is an egg laying mammal. The female lays a single egg which is deposited into a pouch on the mothers belly. The egg hatchs within ten days and for the next six weeks, the newborn is fed on the mother's milk. Shortly after, the young echidna leaves the pouch, but the mother watches over it, until it can look after itself. |
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The
Common Wombat Information obtained from Taronga Park Zoo Site |
is a large, heavily built marsupial.
An adult can weight from 26kg to 40kg. It is usually a metre
long from nose to tail and about 35cm high. It has short, powerful limbs with strong flattened claws for digging and has coarse brown or black fur. Wombats live mainly in forest areas but may also be found in woodlands and coastal shrub areas. Wombats dig underground tunnels 2 to 20 metres long where they sleep. These tunnels are found on slopes above creeks and rivers. Wombats eat mainly grass, but this can also include roots of trees and shrubs. Like their nearest relative, the koala, Wombats have bacteria in their gut for the digestion of plant material. Every night, wombats can graze from 3-8 hours and can travel for many kilometres looking for food. |
The
female wombat reaches mating maturity at 2 years, and breeding
can occur at any time of the year. The female has a pouch which
contains 2 teats. The pouch opens at the back, so that it is
kept clean and free of dirt, while she digs and burrows. Gestation period is approx. 1 month and only 1 young is born at a time. It nestles in the pouch for about 6 months, then stays with the mother for another 10-20 months, when it then becomes independent. Wombats can live for up to 5 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity. Common Wombats are a protected species, as are all Australian native mammals. Many wombats however, are victims of motor vehicle accidents on open roads. Back to Top |
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Emu - is the common name for any member of a group of large, flightless birds. Other than the ostrich, it is the laragest of all birds. It can reach the height of 1.8m and weight as much as 60kg. The plumage is dull brown, tending to darken on the head, neck and lighter on the undersides. The emu lives on the open plains and bush area. It feeds mainly on roots, fruits and herbs. The emu is timid and peaceful. It can run at great speed to escape any predators. | |
The
Lyrebird  Is one of the largest perching bird, named for its lyre-shaped tail. They have a small head, long neck, long legs, large feet with long powerful claws and a long tail. Both male and females have brown feathers. The male is larger than the female and has also a longer tail. |
The tail consists of 16 lacy plumes, brown above and white below and 2 banded, curved, outer plumes. When the tail of the male is raised during courtship and expanded during display, it gives the appearance of a lyre (hence its name) with the gracefully curved outer plumes forming the framework. During the display, the male mounts a pile of forest debris that it has raked together with its feet. Display begins with a loud song, the tail is then raised and expanded and the lacy plumes fan out between the outer plumes. The tail is then brought forward over the back until it touches the ground and completely covers the bird. The display ends with the abrupt raising, folding and lowering of the tail. Although the bird can fly, it seldom does, as it can run quite quickly. |
The lyrebird inhabits forests and scrublands, where it feeds on small land animals, mainly insects, worms and crustaceans. They are shy and hard to see in their habitat, but have a loud penetrating song and is also very good at mimicking the songs of others birds and also the human voice for about 6 weeks. Then she remains in the nest to rear the young. Their egg is the largest laid by any perching bird. During the 1800's many lyrebirds were killed for their splendid tail plumes, now however, they are protected by law. The lyrebird appears on many Australian government seals and on certain stamps. Back to Top |
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AND THE REST OF THE ANIMALS
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Christmas is just around the corner,
click on our various links and buy something special for the ones you love |
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Store  |
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Browse to see what books are available on our beautiful animals |
Search Titles such as: Kookaburra Joey: The Story of a Baby Kangaroo I am a Little Kangaroo Playing Possum: Riddles about kangaroos, koalas and other marsupials. Back to Top |
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What about these Down Under Adventures |
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 Emu Flat |
 Kookaburra Station |
 Outbreak |
Kangaroos |
 Mammals |
 A-Knockin' |
 Sydney |
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 (National Geographic Traveler) |
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