Australian Animals

Introduction to Computer Applications

Brielle Papa
Ms Gregerson
7CAR
Due Date: 13 October 2014







Brielle Papa 7CAR

Papa_Brielle_Animals 24/09/2014


Brielle Papa 7CAR

Papa_Brielle_Animals 24/09/2014

Contents
Koala ................................................................................................................................... 4
Red Kangaroo ..................................................................................................................... 6
Platypus ............................................................................................................................... 7
Reference List: .................................................................................................................... 8









































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Koala


What is a Koala?
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 Qld to islands off the coast of
Victoria and South Australia in the south, and west to central and western Qld, 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
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.


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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
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.
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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.

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 monotreme, 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 molluscs. 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 behaviour.

Threats
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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Reference List:


Australian Koala Foundation N.D., The Koala Foundation, viewed on 19/02/02
http://www.savethekoala.com/


Kangaroo N.D., Red Kangaroo, viewed on 21/02/02
Address: http://www.wires.au.com/animals/kangaroo.htm

Emu N.D., Emu, viewed on 21/02/02
Address: http://www.wires.au.com/animals/emu.htm