20 Aussie frogs you need to know about - Australian Geographic
Oct 10, 2017 · The much-photographed red-eyed tree frog lives in the rainforest canopy, coming down to breed after rain. It has been known to launch itself from a high branch after insects and land safely many meters below. Extensive webbing on its feet and its adoption of a glider-like posture in midair suggest the species may be developing the ability to control such descents.
Fact File: Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) - Australian Geographic
speeds of up to 50km per hour. Image credit: shutterstock. Hunted for food, celebrated in culture, and represented in traditional artworks and dance by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years, there is no specific, standard Indigenous word for emu, since there is …
Fact File: Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa)
A greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata).Image credit: shutterstock. These tiny cephalopods are grey to beige or even yellow in colour when resting, and have large light brown patches, helping them to camouflage beautifully into their rocky surrounds.
The owls of Australia - Australian Geographic
Image credit: shutterstock. The well-known call of this medium sized hawk-owl is synonymous with that of a dog’s bark— “woof woof”. The Barking Owl inhabits drier woodland and forest type zones, often in edge habitats nearing watercourses such as creeks.
Fact File: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) - Australian Geographic
Koalas use several sounds, including growling, belching, and bellowing to communicate with each other. Image credit: shutterstock. Once the juvenile koala is weaned from milk, it feeds on an unusual soft liquid faeces called pap, from its mother.This substance is thought to introduce the right bacteria to the joey which is necessary for digesting gum leaves.
Fact File: Drop bear (Thylarctos plummetus) - Australian Geographic
The drop bear is a native Australian marsupial related to the koala that is ferocious, savage, cunning and…. entirely fabricated. The urban legend surrounding this predatory creature centres on the idea that this territorial animal ‘drops’ from the treetops on unsuspecting bush walkers and tourists.Interestingly, the drop bear is so elusive that no one has ever captured or photographed ...
A guide to Australia’s possums and gliders - Australian Geographic
Jul 25, 2019 · In the black of night, Australia’s 27 species of possum and glider scamper across our roofs, dart along branches in secluded rainforests or peer tentatively from tiny hidey-holes.. Hissing, growling or completely silent, they perform a circus act of acrobatic feats, the larger gliders spreading their gliding membranes to travel more than 100 m at a single jump.
Fact File: Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus ... - Australian …
Platypus take cover in earth banks and botanical vegetation near the edges of waterways. Image credit: Martin Pelanek/shutterstock. Hunting for food, the platypus closes its eyes and ears and relies on its amazing duck-like bill, a supersonic organ that is completely covered in sensors.
Fact File: Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
One of Australia’s most venomous snakes, the eastern brown (Pseudonaja textilis) is an intimidating reptile that has nervous tendencies and will actively defend itself if it feels threatened.Despite the development of a successful antivenom and first aid practices, there are still between one and two deaths per year from eastern brown bites within Australia.
Australia’s five black cockatoos - Australian Geographic
Mar 22, 2019 · The yellow-tailed black cockatoo, with its golden cheek patches and beautiful yellow tail feathers, is an Aussie favourite. There are two subspecies: C. f. funereus found in New South Wales and Victoria, and C. f. xanthanotus of Tasmania. Peculiarly, these birds are currently thriving in Sydney in places such as Centennial Park where there is an abundance of pine cones for them to feast on.