Our Animals

They are mammals. They are also marsupials. Most female masupials carry their tiny babies in a pouch where they drink their mother's milk. They are a type of possum. There are lots of different gliders. Some are so small they would fit in your hand. Others are about the same size as a cat. Gliders have a special flap of skin connected to their wrists and ankles. When their legs are spread, this skin acts like wings so they can glide from tree to tree. They are nocturnal animals. They rest during the day but are busy at night looking for food. They eat the sweet nectar in flowers. Some also eat the sugary sap that's just under the bark of certain trees. They live in groups and recognise members of their group by their group smell. Trees provide food and shelter for gliders.

Sometimes fruit bats are called flying foxes because of their little fox-like faces. There are lots of different flying foxes. Some are so tiny they would fit into your hand. Others can be about as big as a cat. They have five toes with long claws on each foot. The long claws allow them to hang from trees. Their long arms have special skin between their fingers. This skin creates wings that allow bats to fly. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. They live in big groups. These groups are called camps or some people call them colonies. They hang upside down most of the time but they straighten up to wee and poo by hanging by their thumbs. At sunset they fly off to look for food. Food for fruit bats is fruit and flowers. They prefer our native plants, but if there aren't enough of those, they'll eat other flowers and fruit. As they eat they spread the plant's seeds and pollen. This helps to create more healthy plants. Baby fruit bats drink milk from their mother's nipples. The nipples are in mum’s armpits. Mums spend a lot of time teaching their young. Baby bats are about 2 months old when they can fly on their own.

Parrots are birds. There are lots of different parrots. They all have short sharp hooked beaks. They live in flocks because many eyes help to find food and there's always someone who can look out for danger. Most parrots stay with the same partner all their lives so it's very sad if one is killed or dies. Parrots love chattering to each other. They make lots of different sounds and the sounds mean different things. Most parrots need tree hollows to breed in. After the female lays the eggs in the nest both parents usually take turns keeping the eggs warm. The chicks are naked and blind when they hatch. The parents may then take turns finding food and keeping the tiny helpless chicks warm. As the chicks get bigger they need more food and the parents may both go off to search for food. This is when the chicks could be in danger from snakes and goannas. Food for parrots is generally seeds and grubs. The parents store food in a sort of sack in the throat. It's called the crop. When their crops are full the parents return to feed their chicks. When they are older some parrots put their young in a creche with other young parrots. They learn more about being a parrot. Some parrots can live to be 50 years old.

They are Australia's largest flying bird. Adult pelicans have a bright yellow ring around each eye. Under their long bills they have a saggy throat pouch It's used for collecting food. When it's very hot pelicans flutter their throat pouches to keep cool. They like to live in large groups. They work together to get a meal of fish or tadpoles. They drive their dinner into shallower water… …and then all thrust their bills underwater at the same time to scoop up their meal. In the breeding season the parents build a shallow nest on the ground. The female usually lays 2 white eggs and she and her partner take turns keeping the eggs warm. A month later the chicks hatch. They are naked and pink and their eyes are open. They rely on their parents to bring them food. Food is partly digested fish. At 3 weeks the chicks can walk. When they are 3 months old they can fly. In a year they will be as big as their parents and able to fly as beautifully as they do.

The strong hooked beak has a razor sharp edge. On their feet they have sharp claws or talons that are very useful for killing and carrying food. They spend a lot of their day in the air flying. They can soar so high that we can't see them from the ground. They have very good hearing and excellent eyesight. They can spot a meal from way up in the sky. They are carnivores. That means they like to eat meat. Rabbit is their favourite food but they also like lizards, birds and the meat of already dead animals. They often share their food with other wedge tailed eagles. When they are full, they carry bits of food away and hide them for later. They might hide the food between rocks or in trees. e They use the same breeding and nesting grounds year after year. They like to make their nests high up, in trees or on rocky outcrops or cliffs. Some wedge tailed eagles stay with the same partner all their lives. Females usually lay 1 or 2 eggs. They are round, creamy white and blotched with brown. Six weeks later tiny eagles covered in soft down hatch. Often only one chick survives. The parents bring it bits of meat to eat. The chick stays with its parents for about 6 months learning how to fly and hunt. It then heads off to find its own territory.

They are insects. There are thousands of different butterflies. They have huge eyes so they see very well. Between the eyes they have antennae. They use their antennae to smell. A butterfly's main food is nectar. The mouth is a long tube under the head. It's called a proboscis. It's used for sucking. It's a bit like a drinking straw. When not feeding the proboscis is curled up under its chin. There are special hairs on a butterfly's feet to taste through. Wow! Imagine being able to taste through your feet! Butterfly wings are covered with tiny scales that overlap. The scales give the wings their colour and pattern. Butterflies can't fly if it's too cold. When the air is very cool they have to warm up their flight muscles either by sunning their bodies or shivering their wings. Once they have made themselves warm enough, they can fly.

They are marsupials. They are the only large mammal that can hop. They live in groups called mobs. Males are called bucks. Females are called does. Babies are called joeys. Joeys are the size of a jellybean when they are born. They are pink, blind and hairless. They live in their mother's pouch drinking her milk. When they're about a year old they don't need mum's milk any more – but they stay close to her as they still have a lot to learn. Kangaroos are herbivores. They eat only grasses, leaves and the shoots of small trees. As they do most of their feeding in the evening or at night they are nocturnal animals. How do kangaroos keep cool? They rest in the heat of the day. They pant like a dog. They dig shallow holes under trees and lie in the cool sand. They have a spit bath by licking their arms. Kangaroos are very good swimmers but they will only take to water when chased or if they have no other choice. They have very good hearing, eyesight and sense of smell. Why don't joeys fly out of mum's pouch when she's hopping? The female kangaroo can control the muscles that control the size of her pouch and the size of the opening. She can contract the muscles, pulling the pouch tight against the body. If she wants to clean her pouch and wants the joey out, she can also relax the opening allowing the joey to fall out. The milk joeys drink is very different from the milk we drink, so if you ever find a sick joey, never feed it cow's milk.

They are mammals but they are not bears. Males are a bit bigger than females. Koalas can't see very well. They rely mostly on their hearing and smell. They are herbivores. They mainly eat leaves from gum trees – and only a few varieties. The others could be poisonous. Koalas have their own territory to live in. Each koala marks its territory with its own smell. Baby koalas are called joeys. When joeys are born they are pink and the size of a jellybean. Because young joeys live in their mother's pouch drinking her milk koalas are marsupials. At about 6 months they start to come out of the pouch and nibble gum leaves. When they are about a year old they leave their mums and have to look after themselves. Koalas are great climbers, leapers, excellent swimmers and can run quickly on the ground but they prefer to spend most of their time in the trees. When they are on the ground they can be attacked by dogs or if they have to cross a road they could get hit by a car. Gum trees provide food and homes. The biggest problem for koalas is their bushland is being cut down.

They are mammals. Some are as big as a cat, so they are sometimes called Native Cats. The spots on their fur make them harder to see in the bush. Their big brown eyes are very good for seeing in the dark. When they are born they are the size of a grain of rice. They attach themselves to their mother's nipples to drink her milk. They go everywhere with her. These baby quolls are about 5 weeks old. These baby quolls are too big to be carried on mum's tummy. They often ride on mum's back. They are nocturnal animals. In the day time they sleep in hollow trees and logs. At night they look for food. Quolls eat insects, birds, snakes and mice and even some grasses. Cats, dogs and foxes kill quolls. The biggest danger for quolls is land clearing. They need natural bushland with lots of hollow trees and logs for their homes.

Dingoes are Australia's native dogs. They can be brown, black or white and usually live in packs. They have lots of different howls which mean different things. Their territory is important to them. They mark it with their wee and by scratching the ground. Only the most important male and female are allowed to be parents but the whole pack will help to bring up the pups. Females have their pups in a den. Dens could be a cave or a wombat burrow. Generally 4 or 5 pups are born. Dingoes are mammals, so the pups drink milk from their mother's nipples. Pups learn by doing whatever the adults do. Dingoes like to eat rabbits and kangaroos but if there aren't any of those animals around they will hunt other animals.

Echidnas are mammals. On its back, sides and tail the echidna is covered with strong pointed spines. In between the spines is coarse hair. Its tummy is covered with soft hair. The long pointy spines are its only form of protection. When it's in danger the echidna pulls its head in and curls up into a ball to protect its tummy. The echidna has a long snout. It's very sensitive to touch and it can feel vibrations. It also has a very good sense of smell. When the echidna smells food like ants or termites it uses the claws on its feet to dig out its dinner. It sends its long sticky tongue into the nest and flicks it around. The insects stick to the tongue and are then drawn into its tiny little mouth. Echidnas need bushland to live in. Echidnas can swim. They don't like the heat. Echidnas are very unusual mammals because they lay eggs. Mammals that lay eggs are called monotremes. The female curls up, lays an egg and keeps it warm in a pouch on her tummy. About 10 days later a tiny baby hatches from the egg. The tiny echidna baby is called a puggle. It's smaller than a jellybean. Echidna mothers don't have nipples so the puggle prods a small patch of skin inside the pouch. This causes thick milk to ooze out. The puggle licks this up. When the puggle is too big for the pouch and starts to get spines, its mum leaves it in a burrow while she looks for food. When its about 7 months old it will have to look after itself.

They are Australia's largest native bird but they can't fly. They eat seeds, grasses, leaves and insects. If there's lots of food and water around they'll stay in one place but if there's not, they'll move on. Females make special noises to tell males they are ready to mate. When males are ready to mate they fluff out their neck feathers and try to look as big as possible. image o In the emu world the male makes the nest and sits on the eggs the female lays. Emu eggs are dark green. The female goes off and has nothing to do with her eggs or her chicks. Dad lies on the eggs for about 8 weeks. He hardly eats, drinks, wees or poos. Stripes on the emu chicks make them hard to see in the grass. Dad will show his chicks how to find food, how to run and swim. He'll also protect them from eagles, dingoes and feral cats. In about two years they'll be able to have their own families.

There are thousands of different sorts of ants. Ants are insects. On their heads ants have long waving antennae. These antennae are good at smelling, tasting and hearing. Ants leave a smell trail wherever they go so they can find their way home when they go looking for food. They do this by leaving drops of a special liquid. They live in groups called colonies. Every ant in a colony has a job. There are three main groups in an ant colony: The Queen She's bigger than all the other ants and she's in charge of the colony. She has wings but loses them after mating. She's the only one who makes babies by laying thousands of eggs. Males Males have wings. They are only produced once a year to mate with the queen. They then die. Workers Workers are all females. Some look after the eggs and feed the larvae. Others are soldiers, builders or food collectors. When a worker ant finds food, it goes back to the nest leaving a smell trail which other ants use as a path to the food source. Why do we need ants? Ants are good for the soil as they add air to it. Many plants rely on ants to spread their seeds. They are important food for birds, lizards and echidnas.

There are lots of different sorts of spiders. Spiders are not insects. Most can’t hurt you but some can make you very sick. That's why it's best not to touch any spiders. Look but don't touch! Spiders have no bones. Their tough skin serves as a protective outer skeleton. All spiders have 8 legs and all spin silk. Spiders make silk inside their bodies, pulling it out with their legs from holes near their bottom. Some webs are neat and tidy. Others are very messy. Webs are used to catch insects to eat. The insects stick to the sticky threads of the web. Why don't spiders stick to their own webs? They have oil on their bodies. This stops them sticking to their own webs. Spiders eat only liquids. They inject poison to paralyse their meal and to turn it into a liquid. They then drink this liquid. If a spider isn't hungry it may wrap its meal up in more sticky threads to save and eat later. Male spiders are usually smaller than the females. After mating some female spiders eat the male. The female then lays lots of tiny eggs. Tiny baby spiders hatch from the eggs. Spider silk cannot be dissolved in water and is the strongest natural fibre known. People used to collect spider's webs to help them clean and protect cuts to their skin. Spiders are helpful to people because they eat harmful insects like locusts which destroy crops, and flies and mosquitoes which carry diseases.

Lake Eyre Dragons are reptiles. They are so tiny that they could easily fit into the palm of your hand. They can't hurt you. They are only interested in eating ants and other insects. They often walk with their toes off the ground. Why? Because the ground gets very hot! They have sharp claws for digging. They are lizards so they have scaly skin. Hawks and falcons sometimes eat them. They have excellent eyesight. Special spiky scales around the eyes act like a sun visor to protect the eyes from the glare. Lake Eyre Dragons use a special series of hand waves and bobs to tell each other whether they want to mate, fight or just pass through the other lizard's territory peacefully. After mating female dragons dig a hole to lay their eggs. They usually lay about 4 eggs. The eggs are white with soft leathery skins and are about half the size of a jellybean. After laying the eggs the female leaves and covers up the hole. In about 3 months the eggs hatch. Babies have to dig themselves out of the ground. Once they are out in the world they are on their own and have to find their own food. Lake Eyre dragons can live for up to 6 years.

Blue-tongued lizards are reptiles. There are 6 different kinds of blue-tongued lizards in Australia. Here are 4 of them. Eastern Blue-tongue. It can grow as long as your ruler. Pygmy Blue-tongue. It's only about 10cm long. Blotched Blue-tongue. Like most Blue-tongues it has a pointy tail. Bob-tailed Blue tongue. It has a short stumpy tail. It's also called the Shingleback, the Sleepy Lizard, the Boggi, and the Stumpy-tailed lizard. They are called Blue-tongued Lizards because they have fat blue tongues. Like most lizards, blue-tongues can smell through their nostrils and their tongue. They eat snails, slugs, flowers and fruit. They don't chew their food. They hold and crush it. They have dry scaly skin. Blue-tongues are slow and gentle. They won't bite unless they are attacked or when they are frightened when picked up. The bite might hurt but it is not poisonous. It's best to leave them alone. They won't hurt you. Most Bob-tailed blue-tongues have the same partner all their lives. Baby blue-tongues come out from a hole under the mother's tail. From the moment they are born they have to find their own food. If they are really lucky they can live for 30 years. Dangers to Blue-tongued lizards include: Cars Blue-tongues often lie on the warm road surface and don't move out of the way of cars. Snail baits If blue-tongues eat snails and slugs poisoned by snail baits they will die. Lawn mowers Blue-tongues often hide in long grass and don't run away when lawn mowers come near them. Cats and dogs can kill or injure young blue tongues and big dogs can kill adult lizards. Eagles, poisonous snakes and large goannas sometimes eat blue-tongues.

They are mammals. A female wombat's pouch opens backwards so that when mum is digging she doesn't cover her baby with sand. Because wombat babies live in their mother's pouch drinking her milk, wombats are marsupials. Baby wombats stay with their mum for about two years. They then have to look after themselves. Wombats have thick soft fur. Their strong legs and claws are good for digging burrows to live in. They are very shy. They are nocturnal animals. Most of the day they sleep in a burrow. In the evening or at night they go looking for food. They are herbivores – they like grasses, tree roots and soft mosses. To keep themselves clean they have a dust bath. They lie on their side and scoop sand over themselves. They can swim. Their teeth grow continuously, so if they break a tooth it just re-grows. Wombat droppings are called scats. Each wombat's scats have a different smell. They leave them outside their burrows. Scats help a wombat find its own burrow when it returns after a busy night looking for food. They also tell other wombats if a burrow is occupied.

They are amphibians. That means they spend part of their life as a water animal and part as a land animal. Their skin is very sensitive. They die in polluted water. Frogs are carnivores. That means they eat other animals. They have teeth inside their huge mouths, but the teeth aren't used for chewing, just for holding because frogs swallow their food whole. Frogs use their eyes to help them swallow. They pull their eyeballs into the mouth to push food down into their tummies. Their bulging eyes also help them see in almost any direction. Their strong back legs are good for jumping and for swimming. They have to come to the surface to breathe, otherwise they drown. Male frogs are smaller than female frogs but they are a lot noisier. Different sorts of frogs make different calls. This is a spotted tree frog. This is a green tree frog. Most frogs mate in water. As the female releases her eggs the male releases his sperm to fertilise the eggs. The eggs are protected by a jellylike substance. This mass of eggs and jelly is called frog spawn. After mating the parents have nothing more to do with each other or their future babies If the eggs don't get eaten by birds, fish or insects or the water doesn't become polluted or dry up, tiny tadpoles will hatch from the eggs. Tadpoles have long tails. Tadpoles eat only plants so they are called herbivores. As they eat they get bigger and bigger. Like fish they have gills so tadpoles can only breathe underwater. Tadpoles get their back legs first. Then their gills disappear and lungs develop inside the body. Their front legs develop where the gills were. The little frog now has to have its head out of water to breathe. The tail gradually disappears. It's now a tiny adult frog.

Turtles are reptiles. Turtles live in the water and have flippers for swimming. Turtles can swim as fast as humans can run on land. They move their front flippers through the water like birds use their wings. Their rear flippers do the steering. Most turtles can pull their head, legs and tail into their hard shell for protection but sea turtles can't do this. A turtle's shell is made up of two bits. The bit that covers the back is called the carapace and the bit that covers the turtle's belly is called the plastron. A turtle's head is covered in hard scales. Turtles don't have teeth but they have a strong beak with a sharp edge so they can cut food like sea grasses. They have to go to the surface to breathe so if they get caught in underwater fishing nets they will drown. Turtles hatch from eggs. The females lay their eggs on land. They dig a hole in the ground, lay the eggs in the hole and then cover them with soil. The mothers then go away. The sun's warmth hatches the eggs. Female turtles hatch from the warmer eggs on top, males from the deepest and coolest eggs in the nest. When they are about 40 years old they will come back to the same beach to mate and lay their eggs. Some turtles can live to be over 100 years old.

They are reptiles so they have scaly skin. Their backs have notchy scales with blocks of bone inside. This is like protective armour. Their sharp teeth aren't used for chewing, just for holding onto food. Food is generally swallowed whole or in large chunks Crocodiles are lucky. If they lose teeth they just regrow. The strong tail can be used as a weapon to deliver a powerful blow. The tail can also be used to push a crocodile straight up out of the water to grab some poor bird sitting on a low branch. The tail also makes it a good swimmer. The swimming motion is like a wave from head to tail. Crocodiles can live on the land and in the water. In the water most of the body is hidden. You can only see the nostrils and the eyes above the water. That way the crocodile can breathe and see any delicious meal that might come near the water's edge. With so little showing above the water it's hard to tell how big it is. Crocodiles eat almost anything, but they prefer meat. Fruit and vegetables aren't their favourite food. Like most reptiles, crocodiles lay eggs. The female lays them in the sand or under rotting leaves. She covers them to protect them from hungry snakes, birds, goannas or even other crocodiles. These animals like to eat crocodile eggs. When they are ready to hatch the baby crocodiles make a yapping sound from inside the eggs. This lets mum know her babies are ready to hatch so she digs them up and if they are having trouble getting out of their shells, she helps them by rolling the eggs inside her mouth and gently squeezing them until they hatch. Mum may also carry her babies to water. The baby crocodiles have to find insects to eat. Mum protects them for a month or two, but then they are completely on their own.

Platypuses are mammals. They live along the banks of rivers and streams. They spend a lot of time in the water. They have a thick coat of slightly oily fur which keeps them warm if the water is really cold. Their strong webbed feet pull them through the water when they are swimming. Their tails are used for steering. The bill is soft and rubbery and has 2 holes near the end. They are nostrils. They must come up to the surface to breathe. They drown if they get caught in underwater fishing nets or crayfish traps. The bill is very sensitive. The platypus uses it to feel for food on the riverbed. It likes to eat worms, shrimps and small crayfish. When the female is going to have her baby she goes to the long winding burrow she made in the bank. The platypus is a very special mammal because it lays eggs. Mammals that lay eggs are called monotremes. Females lay up to 3 eggs. When they hatch, the babies lick milk from a patch on their mother's stomach. Six months later they'll have learnt to look after themselves and they'll have to find their own quiet bit of riverbed.

They are mammals. They have a thick coat of very fine hair, long whiskers and tiny ears. They spend most of their time out in the ocean. They are excellent swimmers and love to play together. They have excellent eyesight and hearing. What do they eat? Fish, lobster and octopus! They can hold their breath underwater for up to an hour but they have to come up to the surface to breathe. They drown if they get caught in underwater fishing nets. In spring and summer they come onto rocky bits of coastline to mate and have their babies. They come to the same place each year. These places are called rookeries. Males are called bulls. They are much bigger than the females. Males fight for the right to mate with some of the females. Females are called cows. Babies are called pups. Cows give birth to 1 pup a year. Pups drink milk from their mother's nipples. Mothers recognise their pup by its smell and its special call. When the pups are about 8 months they go to sea to learn how to find their own food. Fur seals could live to be 20 years old.

Sea dragons are fish. There are two kinds of sea dragons: the leafy sea dragon; and the weedy sea dragon In the sea they look like a piece of floating seaweed. Fully grown they are about as long as your ruler. Their bodies are covered in hard bony plates. It's a bit like armour. Their fins are so fine you can almost see through them. They have very good eyesight and eat tiny shrimps and sea lice. They don't have any teeth so when they see something to eat they suck it through their tiny little mouth. They live among the seagrasses in the ocean. If we destroy the environment and the sea grasses disappear, the sea dragons will die. Like most fish, female sea dragons lay eggs, but it's the males who get pregnant. The female lays lots of eggs into tiny cups on the male's tail. The female then goes away. About five weeks later the eggs in the male's tail start to hatch. They can see and swim just as well as he can. Dad doesn't look after his babies. They have to find their own food. It takes the tiny babies about 2 years to grow to their full size.

Sharks are fish. There are over 300 different kinds of sharks. White tipped shark. Wobbegong shark. Port Jackson shark. Grey nurse. Leopard shark. Some can be dangerous to humans, but most are not. The slits on the side of a shark's head are its gill slits. They need them to breathe. Most fish have scales. It's hard to see shark scales as they look like very tiny teeth. So their skin feels rough — a bit like sandpaper. (In the olden days they used shark skin as sandpaper! It was called shagreen.) The holes just above the mouth are nostrils Sharks can smell very well. They also have excellent hearing and can feel small vibrations in the water. They can even find animals buried in the sand. Sharks have several rows of teeth. When the front teeth wear out they are replaced by new ones. Different sorts of sharks have different kinds of teeth. This is a grey nurse shark. It looks fierce and it can be, but it's not interested in humans unless we annoy it. It's teeth are used to grab fish or squid. The food is then swallowed whole. This Port Jackson shark has tiny teeth to grab and crush crabs and sea snails. Male sharks have claspers. They are 2 lumps underneath it's body. Female sharks don't have claspers. Some sharks lay eggs, others have live babies. Grey nurse sharks have live babies. Shark babies are called pups. Grey nurse sharks usually have only one or two pups. When they are born they are quite big. They can immediately see, hear, smell and swim just like mum. Mum doesn't look after her pups. They are on their own and have to find fish to eat. If they are lucky grey nurse sharks can live for about 20 years.