Category Archives: Animals

Pygmy Possum

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Pygmy Possum

Cute and cuddly.

  • Pygmy possums are small possums that are the size of mice, that live in forests amongst trees or shrubs.
  • Pygmy possums are from the marsupial family of Burramyidae.
  • There are five species of pygmy possum, all of which are native to Australia, and only the long-tailed pygmy possum is found elsewhere in the world.
  • Pygmy possums bodies are between 5-12 cm (2 – 4.7 inches) in length, and their tail is almost as long as their body.
  • Pygmy possums weigh between 10-50 grams (0.35 – 1.8 ounces).

Pygmy Possum, Eastern, Small, Cute, Climbing, National Geographic Stock, Ten Random Facts

Pygmy Possum
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Pygmy possums are nocturnal, and sleep during the day in a state similar to hibernation.
  • The Pygmy possum diet consists of small invertebrates, fruit, seeds and nectar.
  • Pygmy possums are good climbers and good jumpers, but they don’t glide.
  • Before 1966, certain pygmy possums were thought to be extinct.
  • Pygmy possums are rarely seen or heard, although they do make a whistling sound.
Bibliography:
Pygmy possum 10 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_possum>

Leopard Seal

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Leopard Seal

Has spots, but not a leopard.

  • Leopard seals are the second largest seal species in Antarctica, ranging from 2.4 – 3.5 metres (8.4 – 11.7 feet) long and 200 to 600 kilograms (440 to 1,300 pounds) in weight.
  • Leopard seals are most common in the Southern Hemisphere, especially on the coast of Antarctica.
  • Leopard seals have a typical lifespan of 26 years or more.
  • Leopard seals have only a couple of predators – large sharks and killer whales (orcas).
  • Leopard seals have dark grey coloured backs, light grey coloured underside and black spotted, white skin necks.

Leopard Seal, Front, Ice Floe, National Geographic, Ten Random Facts

Leopard Seal
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Female leopard seals are generally larger than males.
  • Leopard seals don’t make many sounds, but sometimes makes grunting and growling noises.
  • Leopard seals don’t normally live in groups, except to mate.
  • A leopard seals diet includes krill, fish, penguins and sometimes other seals.
  • Leopard seals rarely attack people, even though they are considered quite dangerous, and the first recorded fatality was in 2003  in Antarctica.
Bibliography:
Leopard seal 30 January 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal>

Flying Lizard

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Flying Lizard

A special lizard.

  • Flying lizards are a family of lizards called ‘Draco’ which includes 31 different species.  They are also known as flying dragons.
  • Flying lizards spread out their skin and move their movable ribs – ‘wings’, which enables them to glide.
  • Flying lizards can’t fly with its ‘wings’, only glide.
  • Flying lizards can reach up to 35 cm (9.1 inches) in length, which includes its tail.
  • The ‘wings’ of the flying lizard have various coloured patterns, often in bright colours like orange, blue and red, which provide camouflage.

Draco Volans, Flying Dragon, Flying Lizard, Flickr, smallislander, Ten Random Facts

 Draco
Image courtesy of SmallIslander/Flickr
  • Flying lizards eat insects, particularly ants and termites.
  • The only time flying lizards land on the ground is to lay eggs.  They dig holes in the soil and lay one to four eggs in the hole.
  • Flying lizards can glide up to 60 metres, depending on the species.
  • Flying lizards are native to the Asia and India tropics.
  • Flying lizards are terrestrial since they claim one to three trees as there property.
Bibliography:
Draco volans 4 October, 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(genus)>

Jewel Bug

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Jewel Bug

Little ‘jewels’.  Flashy, shiny and metallic.

  • Jewel bugs are also known as metallic shield bugs.
  • Jewel bugs are from the ‘Scutelleridae’ family, which are true bugs that have mouths that suck, rather than beetles that have mouths that chomp.
  • The jewel bug’s diet consists of plant juices.
  • When jewel bug’s feed, they alter the plant by injecting an enzyme from their saliva into the plant matter, which turns the plant into a liquid state.
  • Jewel bugs are related to stink bugs, as they can produce a smell when they are irritated.

Jewel Bug, Armor, Metallic, Orange, Red, Blue, Green, Australia, Queensland, Ten Random Facts

  • There are approximately 450 species of jewel bugs around the world.
  • Jewel bugs can range from 5 mm to 2 cm (0.2 to 0.79 inches) in length.
  • Jewel bugs come in a range of colours including metallic or iridescent blue, red, orange, black and green.
  • Jewel bugs lay white, cylindrical shaped eggs.
  • Jewel bugs moult, which is when they shed their exoskeleton to grow bigger.
 Bibliography:
Scutelleridae 26 December 2012, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutelleridae>

Witchetty Grub

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Witchetty Grub

Hooked Stick Grub

  • Witchetty grubs are also known as witchety grubs or witjuti grubs.
  • The term witchetty grub is used for large white larvae of moths that chew through wood and eat roots or sap of certain trees and plants.
  • The most common type of witchetty grub is the larvae of the Cossid Moth.
  • Witchetty grubs are part of the traditional diet of indigenous Australians.
  • Witchetty grubs are eaten either raw or cooked and are very high in protein and have a nutty flavour.  They have been said to taste like scrambled eggs, and when cooked they taste like chicken.

Witchetty Grub, Dessert, Orange Head, White Bug, Larvea, Australia, Ten Random Facts, Sun

Witchetty Grub
Image courtesy of Nathan Johnson/Flickr
  • The word ‘witchetty grub’ comes from the indigenous Australian language, Adnyamathanha, from the words ‘wityu‘ meaning hooked stick and ‘vartus‘ meaning grub.
  • The witchetty bush (acacia kempeanas) is the main food of certain witchetty grubs.
  • The witchetty grub can grow up to 12 cm (4.7 inches) in size.
  • Witchetty grubs live in burrows that they create, up to 60 cm (23 inches) underground.
  • Witchetty grub moths have a wingspan of up to 16cm (6 inches) and don’t eat, but instead use stored energy from the grub form.
Bibliography:
Witchetty Grub n.d, Bush Tucker, <http://library.untamedgroup.com/entry/bush-tucker/103/>

Woodlouse

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Woodlouse

One woodlouse, many woodlice.

  • Woodlice are a crustacean and have a long outer skeleton body and fourteen limbs that are jointed.
  • There are at least 3000 species of woodlice and some, Armadillidium, can roll into a spherical shape as a defence, though most woodlice can not do this.
  • Woodlice have many other names, including: armadillo bug, boat-builder, carpenter, cafner, cheeselog, cheesy bug, doodlebug, pill bug, potato bug, roly-poly, sow bug, roll up bug, chuggypig, chucky pig, slater, gramersow, butcher boy, butchy boy and wood bug.  Some of these common names are specific to certain species of woodlice.
  • The fertilised eggs of a female woodlouse are kept in a brood pouch on the underside of its body.
  • Woodlice need lots of moisture to live, though most woodlouse don’t live in water.

Slater, Woodlouse, Black, Bug, Striped, Armadillidiida, Pill Bug, Ten Random Facts,

  • Woodlice breath through ‘lungs’ in their hind legs.
  • Woodlice are nocturnal and live in dark, damp areas.
  • Woodlice are great for compost and the garden as they feed mainly on rotted vegetation and in so doing, recycle nutrients and aerate the soil, though they can be a threat to new grown plants.
  • Woodlice may enter homes in search for moisture, although are considered a minor pest as they do no damage to wood.
  • Woodlice moult, and unlike most arthropods, shed their ‘shell’ (exoskeleton) in two halves over a couple of days.
Bibliography:
Woodlouse 15 December 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse>
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