Tag Archives: Australia

Silver Gull

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Silver Gull

It’s the survival of the scavengers when it comes to silver gulls.

  • Silver gulls are a species of seagull native to coastal areas in Australia, as well as New Zealand and New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean.
  • The scientific name of a silver gull is Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae, and it is from the family Laridae, the family of gulls, although it was previously part of the Larus genus and known as Larus novaehollandiae.
  • Silver gulls are also known as ‘red-billed gulls’, ‘sea pigeons’ and simply as ‘seagulls’.
  • The feathers of silver gulls range from white to grey in colour, with some parts of their wings coloured black, and they have a red beak, as well as a red ring around their eyes.
  • Silver gulls grow to be 38 to 45 centimetres (15 to 18 inches) in length, with a wingspan of approximately 91 to 96 centimetres (36 to 38 inches), and they generally weigh between 260 to 350 grams (9 to 12 ounces).

Silver Gull, Animal, Bird, Trivia, Random Facts, Australia, Seagull, Grass, Water

  • The call of a silver gull is loud and it typically makes a ‘kwarwh’ or similar sounding noise.
  • The diet of silver gulls consists primarily of fish, insects, worms and crustaceans, as well as scraps scavenged from waste piles, and they are especially common around rubbish dumps.
  • Silver gulls build nests low to the ground, mostly from vegetation, and the female will typically produce an average of three eggs, which hatch after three to four weeks, and the grey-brown coloured young are raised by both parents.
  • Populations of silver gulls have increased significantly since the 1950s as a result of the large quantities of food waste that Australians now produce, and they have become so common that they have become a pest in some areas, and they are also impacting the breeding of other bird species.
  • Silver gulls are opportunists and are known to boldly wait for humans to drop food in parks or beach areas; and they have also been observed to have kleptoparasitic behaviour, where they steal food from other birds or animals.
Bibliography:
Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), n.d, Wildscreen Arkive, http://www.arkive.org/silver-gull/larus-novaehollandiae/
Silver Gull, 2012, Birdlife Australia, http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/Silver-Gull
Silver Gull, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_gull

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Frilled-neck Lizard

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Frilled-neck Lizard

Frilled-neck lizards will attempt to intimidate anyone, including you!

  • Frilled-neck lizards are a species of lizard native to wooded areas and dry forests of northern parts of Australia and southern areas of New Guinea.
  • ‘Frilled-neck lizards’ are also known as ‘frillneck lizards’, ‘Australian frilled lizards’, ‘frilled dragons’ and ‘frilled lizards’.
  • The scientific name of a frilled-neck lizard is Chlamydosaurus kingii and it is from the family Agamidae, the family of iguanian or dragon lizards.
  • Frilled-neck lizards have a flap of skin that reaches from their head down to the neck, which they can extend outwards to frill around their neck.
  • A frilled-neck lizard has a long tail and the lizard typically ranges from 60 to 90 centimetres (24 to 35 inches) in length, though only a third of it is the length of its body, and it usually has a weight ranging from 0.5 to 1 kilogram (1.1 to 2.2 pounds).
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An Unflared Frilled-neck Lizard
Image courtesy of VirtualWolf/Flickr
  • The scale colour of frilled-neck lizards is generally a combination of tan, brown, yellow and black, while the frill is coloured vibrant reds and oranges, and they mainly live in trees on branches or the trunks where they are generally camouflaged.
  • The diet of frilled-neck lizards consist primarily of beetles, rodents, termites and other insects, as well as spiders, while smaller lizards are also sometimes consumed.
  • Female frilled-neck lizards generally lay between 4 to 14 eggs at one time, laid in a nest in the ground, and hatchlings are usually female when incubation temperatures are above 35°C (95°F).
  • As a popular symbol of Australian fauna, a depiction of a frilled-neck lizard can be found on the discontinued Australian two cent coin.
  • When threatened or scared, a frilled-neck lizard will arch its body and flare its frill, hiss and lunge, and if all else fails, flee quickly.
Bibliography:
Chlamydosaurus, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlamydosaurus
Chlamydosaurus kingii, 2001, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chlamydosaurus_kingii/
Frilled Dragon, n.d, Perth Zoo, http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Frilled-Dragon-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Frilled Lizard, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/frilled-lizard/

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Biting Midges

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Biting Midges

Biting midges are awful irritators – or amazing, depending on the way you look at it.

  • Biting midges are flying insects that are considered pests due to their habit of consuming human blood, and they are also known as ‘no-see-ums’, ‘midgies’, ‘midges’, ‘punkies’, and somewhat incorrectly as ‘sandflies’, although they are a technically a fly.
  • Ceratopogonidae, is the family of biting midges, while those in the Culicoides genus number greater than one thousand, and they are generally found in areas near water or in mountainous regions.
  • There are more than 200 biting midges in the Culicoides genus, the most common found in Australia, and they are native to moist, muddy or mass-vegetated habitats often in coastal areas, particularly those in northern Australia (especially the tropics), although other midges in the genus are found around the world.
  •  The size of a biting midge is extremely small, ranging from 1 to 3 millimetres (0.04 to 0.12 inches) in length and the insect consumes nectar from plants as part of its diet.
  • Some biting midges cause significant irritation in humans after biting, which is caused by chemicals in the insect’s saliva, although not all midges are human pests; and it is often thought that their urine is what creates the burning irritation on one’s skin, however this is false.
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A Biting Midge
Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr
  • Blood is collected only by female biting midges, to supply adequate nutrients for egg reproduction, and for this reason, males are harmless.
  • The larvae of biting midges moult four times with the final time being the pupa stage, emerging as an adult two to three days later, with the entire process taking 3 to 22 weeks according to species, and it can also be dependent upon the moon and tide cycles.
  • Biting midges are generally most active at dawn and dusk, when the females tend to bite, but they can also be a pest during the night and occasionally in overcast weather, however, they are generally less active when it is windy, and more active around full and new moons.
  • The bites of biting midges are typically itchy and/or painful, and red swelling may be evident and grow to multiple centimetres in diameter, depending on one’s immunity, which can build over time, and unlike mosquitoes, midges in Australia are not known to spread disease among humans, though disease spread among animals and humans in other countries is evident.
  • Biting midges tend to stay low to the ground, so they are not typically a pest in high-set buildings, and humans are best protected from their bites by being fully covered by clothing, with the addition of chemical insect repellents on uncovered areas, while the consumption of vitamin B1 (as suggested by some) is ineffective.
Bibliography:
Biting Midges, 2015, Merck Manuals, http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/integumentary_system/flies/biting_midges.html
Biting Midges or “Sandflies” in the NT, 2003, Northern Territory Government, http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/3713/BitingMidge.pdf
Biting Midges or Sandflies, 2009, Government of Western Australia, http://www.public.health.wa.gov.au/cproot/2658/2/biting%20midges%20or%20sandflies.pdf
Culicoides spp., 2013, University of Florida, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/aquatic/biting_midges.htm

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Kangaroo

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Kangaroo

Any person could attribute a kangaroo to Australia.

  • Kangaroos are marsupials that are very symbolic of Australia, their native home, and the animal even features in the country’s coat-of-arms.
  • Macropodidae is the family of kangaroos, while the scientific name of the animal is Macropus, however, the smaller animals in the genus are called ‘wallabies’, and some are known as ‘wallaroos’.
  • There are four species in the Macropus genus called ‘kangaroos’ –  the ‘Red’ (Macropus rufus); ‘Western Grey’ (Macropus fuliginosus); ‘Eastern Grey’ (Macropus giganteus); and the lesser known ‘Antilopine’ (Macropus antilopinus) which is sometimes called a ‘wallaby’ or a ‘wallaroo’; while the ‘tree kangaroo’ belongs to a different genus.
  • The diet of kangaroos consists of a variety of vegetation including grasses, flowers, fungi, seeds and shrubs, which is often chewed multiple times as cud; and they have fur that ranges from brown, tan, red or grey in colour, which varies according to the species, and the common names of the various species is generally indicative of the colour of their fur.
  • Kangaroos range in height from 0.8 to 2.1 metres (2.6 to 6.9 feet) in height and have a weight that ranges from 18 to 90 kilograms (40 to 200 pounds), while those in the ‘red’ (rufus) species are the largest extant marsupials.

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Kangaroo
Image courtesy of Val Laird
  • Kangaroos are notable for having feet and a tail of significantly large size, which are useful for keeping the animal stable, especially when they move, and they can jump distances that can reach 8 metres (24 feet) in length and 2 metres (6.6 feet) in height, and can move at speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour (37 miles per hour).
  • Kangaroos may fight for dominance or simply for entertainment, fighting somewhat like a boxer or kicking with their potentially dangerous feet, and they will use these movements as defence against predators like dingoes.
  • The young of a kangaroo, known as a ‘joey’, spends around two thirds of a year in the pouch of its mother, where it grows as a neonate, poking its head out after about six months.
  • Kangaroos are mostly nocturnal and as a result, are particularly susceptible to being startled by vehicle noises and headlights, and they often jump in front of vehicles in confusion, which can be fatal for the animal and sometimes the occupants of the vehicle.
  • The meat of kangaroos has traditionally been eaten by indigenous Australians, and it is becoming quite popular among others, especially for its high protein and low fat properties.
Bibliography:
Kangaroo, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo
Kangaroo, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/kangaroo/
Kangaroo Facts, 2015, Outback Australia Travel Guide, http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/kangaroo-facts.html

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Fairy Bread

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Fairy Bread

No Aussie party is complete without a bit of fairy bread.

  • Fairy bread is a food, generally considered a sweet snack, that is typically bread decorated with a sprinkled topping.
  • Fairy bread is usually made of white buttered bread, topped with hundreds and thousands or other types of sprinkles that stick to the butter or margarine.
  • Most commonly, fairy bread is triangular in shape, and is generally a full bread slice chopped in halves or quarters, however other shapes can be made using a knife or cookie cutters.
  • Parties for children in Australia and New Zealand often have fairy bread as a type of party food, as it is usually popular with children and quick easy to make; while one of the only cafes known to serve fairy bread in 2015, was in Sydney, Australia, and its name was the Parliament on King.
  • Fairy bread is relatively unknown outside of Australia (and New Zealand), where it was invented, and one of the first mentions of sprinkling buttered bread with 100’s and 1000’s was in 1921, as part of an advertisement for Perth’s Plaistowe and Co’s nonpareils, and by the late 1920s and early 1930s the snack was used as a party food.
Fairy Bread, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Sprinkles, Dessert.Party, Australia
  • A poem written by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1885, referred to ‘fairy bread’ as a term, and it is believed to be the food’s inspiration, however at least one other author of that era also used the term in their works.
  • In the 1920’s in Australia, ‘fairy bread’ was the name of plain wafer-thin bread that had been dried in an oven; and it was not until the early to mid 1930s that this term was used in reference to the now common buttered bread version.
  • It is thought by some that fairy bread is a variant of the Dutch hagelslag, which is simply a slice of buttered bread with chocolate sprinkles (various flavours now exist) on the top, however, chocolate hagelslag was not invented until 1936.
  • Unlike many bread spreads, stacking pieces of fairy bread on top of each other without pieces sticking together is possible, due to the sprinkles themselves.
  • Fairy bread comes in a variety of colours, stereotypically rainbow, although the bread can be decorated in bright blues, greens, pinks and other colours.
Bibliography:
Fairy Bread, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_bread
Hurst P, Australia, We Need To Talk About Fairy Bread, 2015, Munchies, http://munchies.vice.com/articles/australia-we-need-to-talk-about-fairy-bread
What is Fairy Bread?, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fairy-bread.htm

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Tasmanian Devil

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Tasmanian Devil

Australia is full of iconic animals such as Tasmanian devils.

  • Tasmanian devils are small nocturnal animals that are marsupials native to Australia, and they are now found solely in Tasmania.
  • The scientific name of a Tasmanian devil is Sarcophilus harrisii, and it is from the family Dasyuridae, a family of mostly Australian marsupials.
  • As the largest extant marsupials that eat meat since the extinction of thylacines, the length of Tasmanian devils ranges from 57 to 65 centimetres (22 to 26 inches) and they weigh 6 to 8 kilograms (13 to 18 pounds).
  • Despite its relatively small size, the clamping of a Tasmanian devil’s jaw produces forces of up to 533 newtons, which is useful for bone crushing and is enough to snap wire made from thick metal, and the jaw is able to open at 75 to 80 degree angle.
  • Tasmanian devils have tails that are particularly thick, mainly due to storing fat, and an animal in good health will have a fatter tail; and the tail is useful for balance and also contains a scent gland.
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Tasmanian Devil
Image courtesy of Travis/Flickr
  • The fur of Tasmanian devils ranges from a dark grey, brown to a black colour, and they generally have a white strip across the underside of there neck.
  • A Tasmanian devil’s diet consists of a variety of animals including rodents, birds, rabbits, wombats, some livestock, insects and already dead animals, and they generally live alone and have an average lifespan of five to eight years.
  • It is believed that Tasmanian devils became extinct on mainland Australia thousands of years ago, and the current population in Tasmania is listed as endangered and is decreasing, due to hunting, habitat loss and disease.
  • It is a common myth that Tasmanian devils attack people on a regular basis, however, in reality they are generally quite fearful and passive, although biting may occur as a last resort.
  • Numerous young are produced by a female Tasmanian devil at a single time, however, only two to four infants survive and live in their mother’s pouch for approximately four months.
Bibliography:
Tasmanian Devil, 2010, Australian Reptile Park, http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=154
Tasmanian Devil, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/tasmanian-devil/
Tasmanian Devil, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil

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