Kangaroo boom follows floods

This year's floods have led to a near 100 per cent increase in population numbers of some species of kangaroo.

Many species of kangaroo are benefitting from a bounty of post-flood vegetation. (Credit: Theo Allofs)

HEAVY RAIN IN QUEENSLAND this year has meant diseased fish in one harbour, but on land, it has sent the kangaroo population soaring.

The Department of Environment and Resources Management argues the plight of Gladstone Harbour's marine life is not due to dredging, but from problems associated with a massive influx of fresh water from this year's floods.

But aerial survey data indicate a significant increase in kangaroo numbers in Queensland, thanks to increased vegetation. "It is estimated the red kangaroo population is 5.8 million compared to 3.6 million for 2010," the department's environmental services regional manager Dr Chris Hill said. "This represents a 59 per cent increase."

"Equivalent figures for the eastern grey kangaroo are 10.8 million, compared to 6.6 million, or an increase of 62 per cent," he said. "Common wallaroo figures have risen from 1.9 million to 3.8 million representing a 97 per cent increase."

Chris added that these increases were not unexpected given the above average rainfall experienced over the last two years across much of Queensland.

Kangaroo Industry Association Australia executive John Kelly told reporters that another factor was that the demand for kangaroo meat had fallen by half of what is was before the Russian government suspended market access to 300 meat producers from 25 countries, including all kangaroo exporters.

Kangaroos have been harvested on a commercial scale for more than a century, predominantly in Queensland

Kangaroo boom follows floods - Australian Geographic

Sharing the beauty of Australia and our planet.: Warringah Mall 2011 Community Calendar photo entries - Photos - The Manly Daily

Sharing the beauty of Australia and our planet.: Warringah Mall 2011 Community Calendar photo entries - Photos - The Manly Daily

An Incredibly Unique Mammal ~~ The Platypus

Platypus is mostly prevalent to Eastern Australia in Tasmania.

It is a semi-aquatic mammal.

It is one of the five species of monotremes.

They are known as the only mammals that lay eggs rather than giving birth to the juvenile.

In short, it is the sole representative of the family and genus, though quite a number of pertinent species have been located in the fossil record. With its egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed form, it comes across as having an odd appearance to the on-lookers.

But, this strange appearance caught the eye of European Naturalists when they first stumbled upon it.

The Platypus

It being a venomous mammal, a spur on the hind foot of the male platypus delivers a poison capable of bringing severe pain to humans.

It is one of the most interesting subjects to biologists in terms of evolutionary biology and is an identifiable and iconic symbol of Australia. Is has given appearance as a mascot in a number of national events.

Also, it is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20 cent coin.

Description

Dense brown fur is surrounded on the body and the broad, flat tail of Platypus.

Its tail is made use for storing reserves of fat.

Similar adaptation is found in animals like the Tasmanian devil and fat tailed sheep.

Also, webbed feet and large runnery snout also make the features of this animal.

From 700g to 2.4 kg, the weight always varies in the case of this animal. Males are larger than females with the length being an average of 50cm for males and 43 cm for females.

Substantially, there is variation in both males and females.

It may be due to the factors related to environment like predation and human encroachment.

Its body temperature is of 31-32 degrees Celsius, unlike 37 degrees Celsius of those of placental mammals.

The three-cusped molars which are equipped in modern platypus are lost in them just or before leaving the breeding burrow. Heavy keratinized pads are possessed by adults.

The jaw of this mammal is built differently as compared to other mammals.

Behaviour

The platypus is endemic to small streams and rivers from the cold highlands of Tasmania and the Australian Alps to the tropical rainforests of coastal Queensland as far north as the base of Cape York Peninsula.

So, it is semi-aquatic. The proper locations of its whereabouts are not yet well-known.

However, it is known that it has become extinct in South Australia.

No longer is it found in the main part of the Murray-Darling Basin.

It may be due to the diminishing quality of water caused by the extensive land clearing and irrigation schemes.

The circulation of places by this animal remains capricious and mysterious as it disappears from some expected healthy rivers, but makes its presence appear in some other degraded and unexpected rivers. Besides, it is a first-class swimmer.

It loves to spend its time in the water foraging for food.

The Australian Koala ~~ NOT Koala Bear

Thursday, 14 May 2009.

The koala is rather like the wombat in the way it looks but is a great deal more furry and Koalas are built with extremely long and very sharp claws which help them to climb and to protect themselves.

They may weight about 30 pounds for a male, to 10 pounds for a female.

Although people believe them to be warm cuddly animals, they truly are not.

Their fur is very coarse and their temperament is not pleasant.

Koalas are usually quiet but during mating season they are extremely loud and unruly in their vocalizing.

One interesting thing about the Koala is that it has hands which are so much like human hands that even under a microscope it is difficult to tell the difference.

They have very small brains, with about ½ of the cranial cavity filled instead with fluid.

They are the only animal that exists today whose brain look nearly exactly like walnut halves, sitting on top of the brain stem, and neither touches the other, nor do they touch the wall of the skull.

Female koalas may begin to breed at about 3 years while males mature later.

For the next twelve years the female may have one child per year.

They gestate about 40 days and produce one child of each mating.

While twins do happen they happen only about 1 percent of the time.

Mating is during December and March while the little ones are born in January through June.

Like a kangaroo a baby koala is called a Joey.

He is born blind and deaf with no hair on his body.

He is born just a quarter of an inch long and crawls to his mother pouch where he will stay feeding only on milk for about 5 months.

While he is in the pouch he will grow his eyes, ears and his fur.

He will then begin to go outside the pouch and explore both on and off the mothers body.

Baby koalas are not born begin able to digest eucalyptus leaves.

To get the microbes that will help him to do so, he will consume his mother’s excrement, which will inoculate him to be able to eat.

The baby Koala will remain with the mother for another six months, on her back, and feeding on milk and eucalypt leaves.

Female children will usually leave the area to somewhere nearby, while young boys will stay with the mother until they are two or three years of age.

The Koalas were killed off, almost to extinction in the early 20th century, mostly for its lovely fur.

Recently there have been some very vast damages to the Koala by a disease called Chlamydia.