Down By The Billabong

The eyes, ears & nostrils are located on top of their head. This is so they can see, hear & breathe while being almost fully under water. It’s estimated there are 100 000 salties in Australia. As well as salt water, these crocs are also found in freshwater rivers, billabongs & swamps.

The kookaburra’s raucous laugh sounds like hysterical, human cackling. Their chorus of laughter can be heard when they are claiming territory. Kookaburras are large birds – standing up to 43cm tall. In the wild they can live up to 20 years.

They are fantastic divers – spending up to 12 hours in the water each day. Underwater their flat tail stabilises them & their webbed feet aid swimming. They have 2 layers of fur; a woolly undercoat with a longer, dense fur on top. These 2 layers trap air, keeping the platypus warm & dry.

In a week one possum will eat 42kg of vegetation – equivalent to 21 shopping bags full! They have sharp claws which aid them in climbing trees. They were unfortunately brought to NZ from Australia in 1837 for their fur.

The kangaroo’s tail is muscular & used for balance. If danger is sensed they beat their tails on the ground. They are the only animals to use hopping as locomotion. They have short front legs but long, strong back legs. They can jump as high as 3m. A group of roos is called a mob.

Green turtles can be brown & black as well as green. It gets its name from the colour of its flesh, not its shell. They are found in warm tropical waters, worldwide. Australia has some of the largest marine turtle nesting areas in the Indo-Pacific region.

If attacked (common predators are the dingo & large eagles) the echidna will curl up in a ball. Solitary mammals, they spend most of their time burrowing. They have long, sticky tongues to catch ants, termites, insects & earthworms. A baby echidna is called a puggle!

Galahs form close bonds with their partner, mating for life. Affection is shown between the ‘couple’ by grooming one another’s facial feathers! They have a high-pitched call, but can produce a harsh screech if threatened. In the evenings, huge flocks can be heard roosting together at night.

Wombats tunnel into the sides of hills with their large claws to make their dens. If an intruder such as a fox or dingo chases the wombat into their den, there is trouble! The wombat uses its hard, bony back to crush the intruder against the burrow wall.

They are largely disliked by people who don’t understand their value. Our rainforests need bats! They are responsible for pollinating flowers, dispersing seeds & controlling pest insect populations. Due to their highly adaptable nature, bats are distributed world-wide. There are more than 1000 species.

It’s hard to tell a female from a male, unless you look closely. Females have a reddish brown eye, whilst males have a dark brown eye. Did you know cockatoos have 2 toes that point forward & 2 toes that point backwards!

They have a snake-like tongue which flicks in & out. Unlike other lizards goannas can’t regrow their tails or limbs. Traditionally goanna were a staple of Aboriginal diet. Camouflage includes bands, stripes, splotches, speckles & circles.

Koalas live only in eucalyptus forest or eucalyptus woodland. Koalas eat 50g to 1kg of gum leaves each day. Koalas are marsupials. Baby koalas are called joeys and are only 2cm when born! They spend the next 6-7 months in their mother’s pouch where they develop further.

The frog population has radically decreased, meaning little available food. These snakes are venomous. If disturbed or threatened tiger snakes will attack. Besides frogs, they love to eat fish, small birds & lizards.

Their strong jaws & teeth allow them to eat bones & fur! Packs of Tasmanian devils feed on rotting carcasses. Their fierce, harsh snarling & high-pitched screams are to establish dominance. About 50 devils are born at one. The mum only has 4 teats, so it is a race to get into the pouch first!

The inner arms & legs are a bright orange-yellow. It lives in caves, rock crevices, near shower blocks & water tanks. The magnificent tree frog’s eggs are large. They are laid in clusters which float on the surface of the water! Frogs collectively, have been around for at least 180 million years!

Did you know dingos don’t bark, they only howl! Generally dingos live & hunt alone. They love to consume reptiles, insects, rabbits & kangaroos. Dingos are territorial. Their territory is marked with their urine or by scratching the ground.

Watch out for the female as she is the one that bites. The jaws of the male are not big enough to bite humans. The red markings are only found on the female (the male has white markings). Did you know a red-back spider can go without food for 90 days!

They are flightless & if attacked from above they run in a zig-zag pattern. The emu’s legs are powerful & long. Each foot has 3 toes & they can run up 50km per hour. Thanks to their inflatable neck sac, their call can be heard from as far away as 2km! The call includes booming, drumming & grunting.

The bilby has big rabbit-like ears, which are virtually hairless. They are believed to keep this marsupial cool. Bilbies are slowly becoming endangered due to habitat loss. Australia has a National Recovery Plan in action.