Australian mammals

Australia is well known by having one of the largest list of mammals on the planet, with a
big variety of this, few are the most famous and representatives of the nation, thats why we
want to represent them on our stand, and to give the people information about them, so they
can know more about these exotic animals that arent common in our environment. This
are:

Koalas
Koalas aren't bears as many people are led to believe, they aren't even related to bears. The
koala is related to the kangaroo and the wombat. The koala is a marsupial mammal, the
reason the koala is called a koala bear is because the koala looks like a teddy bear. The
koala's scientific name is Phasclarctos Cinereus.
Koalas fur is different in different parts of Australia. In the southern parts of Australia it is
longer and shaggier than in the north in order to keep them warm in the cold southern
winters. The closest relative of the koala is the wombat. They both have pouches which
open towards the rear. This is fine for the wombat, but koalas need strong muscles ringing
the pouch to keep the young one from falling out. (Koalaexpress, retrieved from
http://www.koalaexpress.com.au/facts1.htm)

Kangaroos
Kangaroos are large marsupials that are found only in Australia. They are identified by their
muscular tails, strong back legs, large feet, short fur and long, pointed ears. Like all
marsupials, a sub-type of mammal, females have pouches that contain mammary glands,
where their young live until they are old enough to emerge. Kangaroos are social and live
in groups called a mob, a herd or a troop. Kangaroos in a mob will groom each other and
protect each other from danger. If a kangaroo suspects there is danger in the area, it will
stomp its foot on the ground to alert others. If it comes to blows, a kangaroo will box and
kick

its

opponent.

(Bradford,

Alina.

2014,

Livescience,

retrieved

from:

http://www.livescience.com/27400-kangaroos.html)
Wallabies
A wallaby is a small- or mid-sized macropod found in Australia and New Guinea. The
name "wallaby" comes from Dharug 'walabi' or 'waliba'. They belong to the same
taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but kangaroos are
specifically categorised into the six largest species of the family. The term wallaby is an
informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or
wallaroo

that

has

not

been

designated

otherwise.

(Retrieved

from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallaby)
Bats
There are many insect eating bats in Australasia, most are small (some are tiny!). They find
their way through the dark by using 'echolocation', listening to the echos from their high

pitched calls. These calls are usually well above the range of human hearing so we can't
hear them, but some species like the White-striped mastiff bat can be heard by humans.
Insect eating bats are called 'micro bats' because of their small size, the smallest micro
bats in Australasia weigh about 3 grams - that is about 1 tenth of a mouse!. They feed on a
range of insects including many pest species. They also can slow their bodies down and go
into torpor (kind of like a mini hibernation) to save energy when it is cold. They live a very
long time for small animals, sometimes more than 30 years. (Australasian Bat society,
retrieved from http://ausbats.org.au/about-bats/4551313477)

References

Australasian Bat Society. (ND). Insect eating bats. 2015, de ABS Sitio web:
http://ausbats.org.au/about-bats/4551313477

Wikipedia.
(2012).
Wallaby.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallaby

2015,

de

Wikipedia

Sitio

web:

Alina Bradford. (2014). Kangaroo facts. 2015, de Live science Sitio web:
http://www.livescience.com/27400-kangaroos.html