Pouched and Water Animals

 

Pouched Animals

What is unique about the animals of Australia?

Australia has a unique set of pouched animals called marsupials.

Dingo

The dingo is Australia's wild dog, the only large carnivore. But it is a scavenger, not a hunter.

wombat

A wombats looks a bit like a bear, but it behaves more like a rabbit, living in a burrow and feeding on bark, roots and grass.

Kangaroo

The kangaroo is a marsupial. Its new born is smaller then a thumb. It is blind and deaf when it makes its way up through the mother's fur from the birth opening, up though her belly fur and into the pouch.

How far can a kangaroo jump?

The kangaroo's powerful back legs help it to jump huge distance. It can hop at nearly 50 km/h, covering 110 m or so in every single leap.

What do you mean by the term marsupials?

When a marsupial is born, it makes its way straight to its mother's pouch if it does not get there, it will not survive. It lives completely inside the pouch until it is ready to face the outside word - week or months later. All marsupials have a pouch.

Do marsupials fly?

No. But the glider comes close. It has big flaps of skin stretched between its legs, so when it leaps from tree to tree, it can glide long distances. The best flier is the great gliding possum.

Koala with baby

Koala eat only the leaves of eucalyptus trees. Therefor, they lived in areas where these trees grow, i.e., in eastern Australia.

Does the koala belong to the bear family?

No. it looks like one, but is not related to any bear. It is a marsupial belonging to a group of animals called the phalangers. When born, a baby koala crawls into months, it climbs on to her back.

What is odd about the male lyre bird?

The male lyre bird is one of the oldest sounding birds. To fascinate a female , it copies any sound it hears, even machines. It mimics a chainsaw starting up and hacking through wood. People are footed into thinking that they are hearing the real chainsaw.

What is a Tasmanian devil?

It is a fierce little marsupial that live in Tasmania. It look like a cross between a black rat and a dog. It eat rats, wallabies and birds, sheep, chickens and poisonous snakes.

What do you know about the duck-billedd platypus?

A duck-billed platypus is a mammal. It has four legs with webbed feet, fur and a beak resembling a duck's . also, it is a 'monotreme' meaning it is one of the few mammals that lays eggs.

Marsupial mole

It is found in Australia.

Flowing Water Animals

Which creatures are found near river and lakes?

Several small mammals such as voles, water rates and others, bird such as kingfisher and herons, insects such as dragonflies and water fish such as bream live close to rivers and lakes.

Why do some birds have long thin legs?

Birds having long thin legs are generally wading birds, like the redshanks, avocets and curlews. They have long legs for wading through the water to look for insects and worms. The biggest wading birds are herons, storks and flamingoes.

Why do ducks have broad, flat bills?

Duck have such break to feed on insects that live in the water. The broad bill enables them to scoop up a big gulp of water and filter out the insects. 'Dabbling' ducks like mallards and widgeons simply up-end in shallow water. 'Diving ducks' like scoters dive to the bottom.

What technique does the kingfisher use to catch its prey?

The kingfisher perches near a river or stream watching or fish to swim into striking range. When it sees a fish, the kingfisher dives into the water in a flash. With the fish in its beak, it flies back to its perch, tosses the fish in the air and swallows it.

Common frog

Frog have two big swiveling eyes to help them judge distances when jumping and catching flies.

What is a reason for frog having long legs?

Frog have long legs to jump huge distance to escape predators. A small frog can jump several meters the equivalent of the human jumping the length of a football pitch. Frog also have strong front legs to withstand the shock of landing.

What do you know about a tadpole?

A tadpole is a young frog which hatches from its egg. A tadpole look like a little black fish, but after seven week or so grow two back legs and get a frog face. After 10 weeks, it legs are quick long and it has front leg as well. By 12-14 weeks, the tail disappears, and it emerges from the water as a frog.

Strong swimmers

Most otters live close to freshwater river and lakes. Their flexible, powerful bodies make them strong swimmers. They can dive for five minute at a time.

How are others playful?

Otters are mainly night animals. They come out of their dens at night to hunt for fish in the river. But they are playful too. They can often be seen during the day tumbling are rolling happily on the banks, sliding down mud chutes and leaping in and out of the water.

What is a coypu?

A coypu is a large water rat. It is over 100 cm long and is related  to the guinea pig. Originally, it belong to south America, but was brought to Europe by fur farmer and escaped to flourish in river and marshes.

What are the water voles?

They are semi - aquatic rodents found along the riverbanks. They are similar in appearance to mice and rats but have a flatter snout and a shorter tail.

What are gills?

Fish have gills to breathe in oxygen not lungs. Gills are rows of feather brushes under flaps on the fish's head. The fish gulps in water through its mouth and lets it out through the gills covers. As the water passes over the feather surfaces of the gill, they absorb oxygen from the water just as our lungs do from the air.