A Reptile Like No Other

Prehensile-tailed skinks are very unique reptiles. They are the longest species of skinks reaching up to 32 inches in length. As their name suggests they have a prehensile tail, meaning they can grip objects with their tail. This is useful for these skinks since they are arboreal (live in the trees).  They are native toContinueContinue reading “A Reptile Like No Other”

Flying Foxes!!..?

Spectacled flying-foxes are megabats, also known as fruit bats, that live in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the surrounding islands.   They are social animals that live in large groups called camps. These bats are very vocal, often chattering all day. The camp I observed in Australia sounded like a school lunchroom.  In February 2019 theContinueContinue reading “Flying Foxes!!..?”

What animal has no heart, no brain, no blood?

Jellyfish! These unique creatures are mesmerizing. I have always been fascinated by the way they glide through the water.  This is a blubber jelly that I saw while diving on The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  https://videopress.com/v/CobOHSOo?preloadContent=metadata The blubber jelly doesn’t have a mouth instead it has tiny openings of each of its eight tentacles.ContinueContinue reading “What animal has no heart, no brain, no blood?”

Do you know this animal??

A Short-beaked echidna. Echidnas are truly UNIQUE creatures; they have spines, pouches, beaks, electroreceptors, no teeth, a long sticky tongue, and are monotremes; egg-laying mammals. The platypus is the only other egg-laying mammal.  Fun facts: Echidnas can swim.Echidnas have the slowest metabolism of any mammal and can live up to 45 years in the wild.ContinueContinue reading “Do you know this animal??”

Devastating Bushfires

There are thousands of animals that are unique to Australia. Australia continues to be destroyed by raging bush fires. Climate change is real and has been amplifying the destruction of natural disasters around the world. An estimated 500 million animals have died and this number will rise because even the animals that do survive theContinueContinue reading “Devastating Bushfires”

Quokkas….. :)

Quokkas are known as “the happiest animals on earth” and it is easy to see why. But these adorable creatures are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and introduced predators including foxes and feral cats.  Quokkas are the smallest members of the macropod family, the same familyContinueContinue reading “Quokkas….. :)”

Koalas in Trouble

Koalas are in trouble. As bushfires rage across Australia over 350 Koalas have been killed. There has been a dramatic spike in bushfires this year. Climate change is a contributing factor to the increase and intensity of the bushfires. Although koalas are not listed as endangered, their population continues to decline. Habitat loss is theContinueContinue reading “Koalas in Trouble”