Australian Animals

Computer Applications


















Name: Rose Reid
Class: 7CAR
Teacher Mrs. Gregerson
Due Date: 13/10/1
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Contents
Koalas ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Red Kangaroo ................................................................................................................................. 7
Platypus ........................................................................................................................................... 8
References ..................................................................................................................................... 10


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Koalas





The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial
which averages about 9kg (20lb) in weight. Its fur is thick and usually ash
grey with a tinge of brown in places.




Habitat

'Habitat' refers to the types of bush land that koalas like to live in. They are found in a range of
habitats, from coastal islands and tall eucalypt forests to low woodlands inland.
Koalas today are found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Their
range extends from the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns in Old to islands off the coast of
Victoria and South Australia in the south, and west to central and western Old, NSW and
Victoria.

Diet

Koala's are very fussy eaters and have strong preferences for different types of gum leaves,
then the most important factor which make habitats suitable are the presence of tree species
preferred by koalas (usually eucalypts, but also some non-eucalypts) growing in particular
associations on suitable soils with adequate rainfall.
In Australia there are over 600 types of eucalypts, but koalas will not eat a large proportion of
these. Within a particular area, as few as one, and generally no more than two or three species
of eucalypt will be regularly browsed while a variety of other species, including some non-
eucalypts, appear to be browsed occasionally or used for just sitting or sleeping in.
Different species of eucalypts grow in different parts of Australia, so a koala in Victoria would
have a very different diet from one in Queensland. Koalas like a change, too, and sometimes
they will eat from other trees such as wattle or tea tree.
Physiology
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The Koala is well suited to life in the trees. The koala has an excellent sense of balance and its
body is lean and muscular and its quite long, strong limbs support its weight when climbing. The
arms and legs are nearly equal in length and the koala's climbing strength comes from the thigh
muscle joining the shin much lower than in other animals. Its paws are especially adapted for
gripping and climbing with rough pads on the palms and soles helping it to grip tree trunks and
branches. Koalas have a thick woolly fur which protects them from both high and low
temperatures. It also acts like a 'raincoat' to repel moisture when it rains. Koalas are mostly
nocturnal animals and they are most active during the night and at dawn and dusk.

Breeding

The main characteristics of marsupials which differentiate them from other mammals is that
they give birth to immature young which then develop further in a pouch. The word 'marsupial'
comes from the Latin word marsupium, meaning 'pouch.' Most, but not all marsupials have a
pouch in which to raise their young.

The breeding season for koalas runs roughly from September to March. This is a time of
increased activity, and sound levels increase as males bellow more frequently. This is also when
the young from the previous year are weaning from their mothers.

Threats

Since European settlement, approximately 80% of Australia's eucalypt forests have been
decimated. Of the remaining 20% almost none is protected and most occurs on privately-
owned land.

The main causes of loss of habitat include:
LAND CLEARING
Clearing of the land for expansion of human settlement for
Agriculture
Housing
Mining
Forestry
Factories
Roads

The results of this would include:
Loss of habitat
Increased disturbance by humans
Injury or death from traffic
Injury or death from dogs and cats
Effects of garden pesticides getting into waterways
Increased competition for food and territory because of overcrowding
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Increased stress on animals, making them more susceptible to disease.
It has also been documented that over 4000 koalas are killed each year by dogs and cars. It easy
to see that the biggest threat to the Koala population is the human.

BUSHFIRES

Koala populations in fragmented areas of bush land are at great risk of localized extinction from
a single fire which may wipe out an entire habitat. Bushfires are extremely common in the
summer months.

DIEBACK

Changes in the balance of the ecosystem can lead to dieback of trees. The cutting back of the
original vast forests has created patches of forest separated from each other by treeless land.
Small, isolated patches of forest are prone to dieback. Dieback is a general term for the gradual
dying of trees due to factors such as land degradation, leaching of soil nutrients, changes in the
composition of vegetation communities, rising water levels underground, salivation of the soil,
erosion caused by wind and water, exposure to weather and excessive defoliation (or loss of
leaves).
The underlying cause of all these factors appears to be the clearing and disturbance of forests.
Seventy five percent of the main koala food tree species are declining in numbers as a result of
this.



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Red Kangaroo

Macropus rufus
Status: Common
The red kangaroo is the largest of all the marsupials
and live in family groups on the plains and deserts
of Central Australia.




Description

Male red kangaroos have short dense woolly fur and are pale to brick red in colour, while the
females are blue-grey, though in some areas both sexes are red. Both have distinctive white
below. The muzzle is dusky, naked and sharply defined with a distinctive black
and white patch on each side. Red kangaroos travel with head down. Males weigh up to 90kg,
the females are smaller at 35kg (also known as the "Blue-fliers"). Males can stand over 1.8m
tall.

Breeding

Kangaroos breed throughout the year. Newly born young, known as joeys, weigh less than 1
gram and make their way into the pouch unassisted by their mother.

Diet

Green herbage, including grasses and herbivorous plants.

Habitat

Red kangaroos are found in central Australia and prefer open plains with scattered shade trees
under which they rest during the day. They are semi-nomadic preferring to graze mostly at
night but can extend to late evening and early morning


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Platypus

Ornithorhyncus anatinus
Status: Platypus are common but vulnerable.
The platypus is a monochrome, like the echidna but are
extremely specialized for an aquatic lifestyle in fresh water.
For many years, platypus were hunted for their thick fur.
Platypus are mostly nocturnal and solitary animals.



Description

Platypus have a broad soft leathery bill, dense water-repellent brown fur, webbed feet and
clawed toes. It uses its webbed front feet for swimming, folding the web under its paw to walk.
The Platypus spends much of its time in the water so its eyes are on the top of its head and the
nostrils open on top of its bill. When submerged, the platypus closes its eyes, nostrils and ear
holes relying on the touch receptors on the skin of the bill for its information.
The platypus's tail is broad and flat, its hind feet are used to help steer and brake while
swimming the hind ankles of the male have a venomous spur.

Breeding

Mating starts on August in the warmer areas and as late as October in Tasmania. Females lay
two eggs and incubate the eggs by curling her body around them as she lies on a nest of grasses
at the end of the burrow. Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and young are fed for four to five
months on milk that secretes from pore ducts of the mammary glands on the mothers
abdomen.

Diet

Platypus eat a variety of invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusks. They collect food from
the river bottom and store it in cheek pouches until the reaching the surface. The platypus then
floats on its back chewing the food between horny grinding plates in its mouth.

Habitat

The platypus lives in burrows on the banks of fresh water streams and lakes of Eastern Australia
including Tasmania. It sleeps most of the day in its burrow feeding mainly around dawn and
dusk. Local climate may change this behavior.

Threats
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WIRES looks after platypus which are sick, orphaned or injured due to lacerations from
outboard motors, poisoning from pollution, entanglement from netting and habitat loss.



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References

Author: Byron Bay Wildlife Tours
Platypus
Wires
Address: http://www.byronbaywildlifetours.com/wildlife-tours/platypus-tour.htm
Date of visit: 13/10/14
n.d.

Author: Michael Seebeck
Kangaroo
Wires
Address: http://michaelseebeck.com/shop/classic-landscape-prints/red-kangaroo-lasf0002/
Date of visit: 13/10/14
n.d.

Author: SA's Official Tourism Website
The Koala Foundation
Australian Animals
Address: http://www.imagesaustralia.com/koala.htm
Date of visit: 13/10/14
n.d.