Posts Tagged ‘native animals’

Kangaroos

Kangaroos

• Kangaroos are marsupial mammals, which means they are warm-blooded animals who raise their offspring in a pouch.
• Kangaroos are native to Australia where most marsupials live and there are over 40 species of kangaroo.
• Kangaroos are divided into red and grey species. Red kangaroos thrive in the desert regions of the continent; grey kangaroos range in the grassy areas of Eastern and Western Australia.
• Male kangaroos are called bucks, female kangaroos are called does and young kangaroos are joeys.
• Kangaroos are famous for their strong hind legs on which they hop from place to place.
• The kangaroo’s long tail helps the animal maintain balance while hopping.
• Kangaroos are herbivores – grass eaters.
• Humans and Australian wild dogs-dingoes-are the kangaroos’ main predators.
• Kangaroos are notorious kickers when it comes to defending themselves.
• Kangaroos when challenging the alpha male will fight nasty, kicking and boxing. Younger male roos when learning to play will often practise boxing with each other.
• A group of kangaroos is called a mob.

We sell some fantastic designs of Kangaroos in our store on wallhangings and t-shirts, as well as pewter figurines, plush toys and various other products – click here to check them out.

Kookaburras

Kookaburra

• Kookaburras use their laughing call to defend their territories and guard their mates.
• Their laugh is one of the most familiar sounds of the Australian bush.
• Early European settlers in Australia called them the “settlers’ clock”, because of their loud laughing choruses every morning.
• They are common around picnic areas, where they can steal food from unguarded tables – or even right off the grill.
• They can catch and kill snakes in the bush.
• In urban areas they also hunt mice and rats.
• They can live for more than 20 years and have the same mate for life.
• Young kookaburras stay with the family for several years. Family groups of more than 6 are common.
• Their greatest threat in surburbia is from the loss of trees due to development.

Check out our selection of great kookaburra plush toys, pewter figurines and pins – click here to purchase kookaburra products.

Saltwater Crocodiles

Saltwater Crocodile

• Australian saltwater crocodiles are the largest reptile in the world in terms of mass (can be over 1000kg), and the largest crocodile with a confirmed measurement.
• The males can reach a length of up to 6 or 7 metres (2.5 to 3m for females), though such a size is rare.
• Each crocodile jaw carries 24 sharp teeth meant to grasp and crush, not to chew. They swallow stones that grind the food inside their stomachs (the stomach stones also serve as ballast). The teeth are continuously replaced along the crocodile’s life. Crocodiles can exert enormous pressure when closing their jaws, but the force for opening them is so weak that an adhesive band is enough to keep a large crocodile’s jaw shut. The powerful jaws can be extremely delicate, working like pencils, when removing offspring from the nest.
• Often crocodiles stay on the river banks with their jaws wide open. That is not an aggressive posture, but a way to cool off; they sweat through the mouth!
• Crocodiles have a four-chambered heart like birds (their closest relatives) and mammals, for an active life. When diving, the heart behaves like a three-chambered reptilian heart, enabling them to stay underwater longer.
• 99% of their offspring are eaten in the first year of life by large fish, monitor lizards, herons and adult crocodiles.
• Crocodiles can swim just with the help of their powerful tail up to 40 km (25 m) per hour, and can stay underwater for 2-3 hours. They can also execute jumps out of the water, gaining a lot of height.
• The first crocodiles appeared 240 million years ago, at the same time with the dinosaurs (to which they are related), had less than 1 m (3 ft) in length and ran on two feet! That’s why even today, crocodiles have longer hind limbs than fore limbs.
• Crocodiles can live up to 80 years!

We sell many different crocodile designs and products in our store – click here to check them out.

Wombats

Wombat

• Wombats are a mostly nocturnal herbivorous marsupial mammal and live in burrows. They are the largest herbivorous burrowing animals in the world.
• A wombat warns off intruders with an aggressive display of head shaking, gnashing teeth and a guttural growl.
• When wombats are resting in a burrow, their metabolism slows to two-thirds of normal to conserve water and energy.
• The pouch of a wombat is backward facing to avoid it being filled up with dirt!
• They have a stout body, blunt head and broad paws with strong claws making it a powerful earth-mover, burrowing up to 2 metres a night. A typical burrow is about 50 cm high and 50 cm wide and can be up to 30 metres long with several chambers including nursery burrows.
• Wombats have the largest brain to body size ratio of any marsupial and their intelligence has been likened to that of a dog.

We sell a number of different wombat related products in our store, from double sided wombat t-shirts, to pewter figurines and cute plush toys – click here to check the wombat range out.