The Wonderful World of Australia

I will excuse your geographical ignorance if you will excuse my animal one

I am not sure how far exactly in terms of kms that Melbourne is south of Queensland, but it's a long way. Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria and Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland. Both are on the east coast, with Melbourne right at the bottom and Brisbane about 3/5th's of the way up (Queensland is a big state, with 'Brissy' at its south end). It is perhaps a 2 day car trip to travel from one to the other.

Outnumbered is not an animal show (though one episode did see the family taking care of a cute and disobedient labrador), but it's a very unique comedy. British, with five in the family. Often the three children steal the show; particularly the youngest two Karen and Ben. It has meaningful moments such as touching on the difficulties with grandpa and his aging and forgetfulness, Jake's emergence into puberty and distancing of himself from his parents as a result, plus general coupling issues between Pete and Sue which are always believable. It is as humouress as any comedy gets too, so I really can't recommend it enough.

I can see myself getting into a lot of trouble on this forum with my 'lions are over rated' stance but at least I have learnt something already: I had NO idea that their numbers were quite low. But are the leopard numbers being higher than cheetah and lions combined more a reflection on them having more types of species? Like in Africa, are there more lions than leopards?

If the lions have a problem then I am blaming those lazy males who refuse to hunt and make the females do all the work

But I guess the real issue is humans. It always is right? We are expanding too much into their territories and restricting their liveable landscape?

I think that a strange thing about the Australian wildlife is that a lot of it is not as spotable as Africa's (well that makes sense, given the giraffes and leopards ). Platypus' and echindas generally hide away, and possums are nocturnal, though you do see them sometimes (unfortunately occasionally as road kill). Koalas are not exactly seen when just walking around either. I think that when we Aussies go to an Australian zoo, it is kinda like we are foreigners anyhoo!

Birds would be the most 'look at me' (or 'hear at me!' ) of our creatures

GR the reason Leopards are so numerous is that they behave the same as your Platypus' and Echindas. They hide away, and are really supurb at it, if a Leopard does'nt want to be seen or found then you'll never see it. They are also more adaptable at living in all sorts of different habitats than Lions, and can live successfuly very close to humans, even on the outskirts of Towns, and Citys. Lions as you guessed suffer from loss of habitat, due to encroachment, and also from conflict with local people protecting their livestock. They are also killed by Maasi Warriors proving their manhood in which they must kill a Lion with a spear.
WS

Thankyou for the info WS. Maybe I know a little about this stuff, but can certainly learn more. It is sad about the 'being a man' thing and killing a lion. A black mark on the human ego.

But I am glad to hear that leopards are likely to survive for as long as our sun shines

Coolangatta, where I live is about 1200 KM (700 miles) from Melbourne as the crow flies.

I will send you a link when I'm able.

Cheers

Mike

Doogs wrote:We're being invaded by Aussies

Seriously, great to have you both PIR and GR on the Foum and how amazing you both found us within a couple of days of each other ! Excuse my geography ignorance but how far apart are you - Melbourne to Queensland ?

I think I may have heard of the show Outnumbered but definitely haven't watched it.

I love leopards as well GR, they are beautiful, elegant, very difficult to spot animals ! I also love lions and don't think they are over rated ! Lions need to be kept in the public eye as their numbers are decreasing rapidly. Worldwide there are more leopards than lions and cheetahs combined that's a very worrying statistic.

Australia certainly does have a lovely choice and balance of wildlife, you are very lucky to have the likes of the Koala, Tasmanian Devil, Dingo, Wombat, Possum etc etc

Some info for you about Kangaroos. The red kangaroo is the largest... approx 7' tall. bounds at 40mph. Covers 25 feet (8 meters) in a single leap and to jump 6 feet (1.8 meters) high. They can easily kill a human. In fact recently here a sanctuary worker was gurotted by an old red. Quite unusual but not to be taken lightly. They lean back on their tail and kick with incredible force. Having said all that, it is very rare for any one to be hurt by a kangaroo. Female red kangaroos are smaller, lighter, and faster than males. They also boast a blue-hued coat, so many Australians call them "blue fliers." Kangaroos have a pouch on their belly that the young ( joey) stay till about 8 months old and are quite big by then.

A very belated welcome PIR and GR - I've problems with my Broadband so it's hit and miss at the moment whether I get on-line.

Good to meet you both and look forward to catching up properly next week.

Lai

Thanks for the Info on the Kangeroos PIR I knew they could kill a human with a kick, but I'd never hear of one gurotting a human before .I also did'nt know the Females had blueish coats, and did'nt realise the Joeys stayed in the pouch that long, thats some weight for the mother to carry around for that length of time.
I think we'll have to start an OZ section in Other Animals of the World, so I have moved this topic to that section, and Titled it The Wonderful World of Australia so you can post your news there. You will automaticly go to it when you click on the Topic here.
WS

A good move to place this thread in this section WS.

I am hoping that PIR has a doctorate in Australian Animals because I really don't know that much

But if there hasn't been previous 'aussie' activity on here than I happy for you and the forum that there is now. Us Aussies can bring to the table a different kinda humour sometimes, and anyhoo, greater cultural variety is a positive I say.

gregrowlerson wrote:A good move to place this thread in this section WS.

I am hoping that PIR has a doctorate in Australian Animals because I really don't know that much

But if there hasn't been previous 'aussie' activity on here than I happy for you and the forum that there is now. Us Aussies can bring to the table a different kinda humour sometimes, and anyhoo, greater cultural variety is a positive I say.

Aaahh switching the pressure to your fellow Aussie GR, smart move there, but watch he doesn't bat it back

Sounds as though we will be learning about the Aussie wildlife and also you too which can't be a bad thing, I always believe it's a good thing to learn about your native wildlife and not just wildlife from other countries.

An injection of Aussie humour will be just fine, you will find most of us on here love a joke and have good senses of humour and we are good micky takers as well, so bring it on, it will be like the Ashes

littlewid-x-

the ashes! Yeah, poms and aussies are kinda sworn enemies hey, like say, the and the ! But if anything can draw us into a it will be a love of animals

So I won't talk about McGrath and Warney...too much

I like the playful sense of humour that thrives on this forum.

Good idea GR. If I where you I would'nt mention BOTHofEM

WS

A favourite bird of mine is the Grey Minor, although as I've just discovered, it is not even officially called that

It is a Noisy Minor. This taken from Wikipedia:

"Found in a broad arc from Far North Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania and eastern South Australia, the Noisy Miner primarily inhabits dry, open eucalypt forests that lack understory shrubs. These include forests dominated by spotted gum, box and ironbark, as well as in degraded woodland where the understory has been cleared, such as recently burned areas, farming and grazing areas, roadside reserves, and suburban parks and gardens with trees and grass but without dense shrubbery. The density of Noisy Miner populations has significantly increased in many locations across its range, particularly human-dominated habitats. While the popularity of nectar-producing garden plants such as the large-flowered grevilleas was thought to play a role in its proliferation, studies now show that the Noisy Miner has benefitted primarily from landscaping practices that create open areas dominated by eucalypts.

Noisy Miners are gregarious and territorial; they forage, bathe, roost, breed and defend territory communally, forming colonies that can contain several hundred birds. Each bird has an 'activity space' and birds with overlapping activity spaces form associations called 'coteries', the most stable units within the colony. The birds also form temporary flocks called 'coalitions' for specific activities such as mobbing a predator. Group cohesion is facilitated not only by vocalizations, but also through ritualised displays which have been categorised as flight displays, postural displays, and facial displays. The Noisy Miner is a notably aggressive bird, and chasing, pecking, fighting, scolding, and mobbing occur throughout the day, targeted at both intruders and colony members."

I know that some people find this bird annoying, but I see them as having good character. They seem more brave than other birds in relation to human contact. No, I have never had one eating out of my hand, but they can come quite close to you, and that's not even with us offering them food. They are rather tiny, but I see them as being good at fighting out of their weight division.

That's right. Here we call them rats of the sky. They target our Australian wildlife, attacking, killing and driving out native Australian birds. As you can probably tell from the tone of my post, they are not one of my favorite birds

Oh man I never realised that they were particularly destructive to other bird species I must feel like someone who has loved hyenas all their life, believing them to be nice, noble creatures

But it's all to balance the food chain and eco systems right? I wonder what the noisy minor is good for then?

Also, is this bird not native to Australia?

Actually, the noisy minor is native to Australia. It is the Common myna that causes problems. The common myna is native to India, and has been declared the second greatest threat to native birds after land clearing.
Mynas compete aggressively for nesting hollows, displacing, outcompeting and excluding many native wildlife species, especially hollow-dependant animals such as parrots and gliders, they may even throw the chicks of other birds out of the nest. They quickly learn to evade traps, and warn their comrades to stay away with loud distress calls. So I was not completely correct. In it’s natural environment, the noisy miner plays an important role in natural pest management by preying on small insects, and the dispersal of native vegetation seeds. It also assists in the pollination of native plants.
[i]

Thanks for the info on the Common Myna PIR. Not heard of these before, but we have the same problems in the UK with invasive species which have been brought into the country by people. Grey Squirrels have nearly killed off all our native Red ones with disease, and habitat takeover. Foreign Crayfish are decimating our river population of UK ones, and Mink are wiping out our Water Voles. We even have a wild population of Parrots in the Parks in London. If people had realised what would happen years later when they brought these animals in, then I think they would have changed their minds
WS

PIR, I knew that my precious little Grey Minor couldn't be all bad

I'm enjoying this thread and reading what PIR and GR have to say re wildlife/birdlife in Aus. - not that I don't enjoy what you have to say WS

Lai

PIR & GR you are doing a grand job in informing us about your native wildlife and like WS and Lai I am learning things I didn't know, so I hope these Aussie Wildlife Lessons will continue Also loving the sense of humour that is shinning through

littlewid-x-

Good points being made about the negativity of foreign species introduction. To the best of my knowledge (not great, so please add to it ) the worst example in Australia is the cane toad. PIR might know a lot about that as I think Queensland was badly hit by them. Down more south - my way - rabbits have been a major issue; they just breed soooo quickly! Too much not enough

The knowledge may run out, but the humour shall continue. We are from the land of the kookaburra

GR - your humour is great.

We also have a serious problem with rabbits - I know they are lovely furry little things, but they cause a lot of damage as do squirrels and they both breed far too quickly!

Lai

They must believe that their furry cuteness can enable them to get away with anything. And they are probably right

- We've a bunny in the garden that's been here for at least two years and now he's huge - he's called Benjamin bunny or Peter rabbit depending on my mood (Tales of Beatrix Potter) and the dogs are always trying to catch him but he's too smart!

Lai

Maybe it would be different if you had a Jack Russell! Bella has caught a couple of mice. But I would say that a rabbit would be faster and smarter than a mouse. Nice to hear that Petamin is keeping your dogs active :)