The Willie Wagtail exhibits a range of foraging behaviours that include tail wagging and wing flashing. It is thought that such movements flush insects from the ground facilitating their capture.

As tail wagging is known to result in the emergence of insects and the effect is not related to air currents, it is suggested that this flushing occurs as a result of the changes in the light intensity experienced by the insects i.e. the insect responds to a shadow.

This study found that the birds wag their tails more often under conditions of low light. It is suggested that insects may be less easily startled by the shadow of a bird under low light intensities i.e. there is less contrast, so that wagging the tail more frequently will result in a constant intake rate. And this seems to be the result as Wagtails peck at a relatively constant rate throughout the day.

As well as the flightless arthropods which may or may not respond to these foraging tactics, Wagtails also eat flying insects but insect activity, particularly flight, varies with both time of day (temperature) and light intensity. During the middle of the day, insects are at their most active and the rate of aerial prey captures is also highest. It is during this period also that wing flashing occurs more frequently than tail wagging which is used more at the start and end of the day.

Hence, patterns of foraging behaviour correspond with patterns of insect activity.

Taxonomy

Characteristics

General

• largest of the surviving carnivorous marsupials

Distribution

• Tasmania; also existed on the Australian mainland before the arrival of the dingo – bones have been found in Victoria and in Arnhem Land

Habitat

• dry eucalypt forests and woodlands of Tasmania; also seen around the suburbs

Appearance

• thickset, heavy, and powerful; massive head relative to the body size, powerful jaws and strong teeth for crunching bones
• males 9kg (20lbs), 65cm (25in) head and body length; tail about 25cm (10in)
• females are smaller but similar in appearance

Voice

• uses vocal repertoire to signal level of displeasure ranging from champing of the jaws to indicate mild aggression through a range of growls culminating in yells that end in a blood-curdling scream with widely-gaping jaws close to the rival

Disposition

• somewhat belligerent, wary
• fight and squabble among themselves; often older animals are scarred from these encounters

Lifestyle

• nocturnal, spend the day in a hollow log, cave, burrow
• a home range of 10-20 ha but not territorial; home ranges usually overlap
• can climb trees
• mortality rates: little loss of pouch young; high juvenile mortality
  live for about 6 years

Senses

• acute sense of smell

Locomotion

• run on all 4 legs with elevated tail; awkward slow lope not exceeding 13km/hr

Feeding

• generally hunt alone; can travel 8km (5mile) a night
• mainly scavenge carcasses – beached fishes, cows etc; large carcasses may attract up to 6 devils
• carnivorous taking possums, wallabies, wombats; young sometimes take sleeping birds; will eat any material of animal origin

Reproduction

• mate in March (autumn)
• gestation period of 3-4 weeks
• marsupials => female has a backward-opening pouch; usually produce litters of up to 4
• female carries the young in the pouch for about 15 weeks when they are left in a grass-lined den; they are fully furred by this time; lactation continues for another 15 weeks
• young start leaving the den in November and by February they are weaned and independent
• males disperse from their natal home range
• females can breed at around 2 years

References – books

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills.
• Complete Book Of Australian Mammals, R Strahan (ed), 1983. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London.
• Wildlife Conservation. HJ Frith. 1979. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London.

The Shingleback Lizard is a well known member of the skink family. Related to the commonly known blue tongue lizards, the Shingleback Lizard is distinctive in its appearance from it’s short stump tail commonly known as a ‘bobtail’. The Shingleback Lizard’s habitats is primarily within Southern and Western Australia, especially in the arid regions where due to their adaptations they thrive. Whilst omnivorous, the Shingeback Lizard primarily survives off vegetable matter – such as fruits, berries and flowers. Sizes of Shinglebacks do vary, with some adults growing over 35cm in length.

Bobtail Lizards

Shingleback lizards are also often known informally as bobtail lizards because of their bobtail. The bobtail serves the lizard as a fat storage which can be used during times of low food availability. Bobtails can also be known by other names such as stumpy tails, boggi and pinecone lizards.

Characteristics

Appearance

• tongue is dark blue
  broad blunt tail similar in shape to head covered with raised scales length 34 cms (13 in)

Distribution

• arid regions of southern Australia but not on coast
  wide range of habitats

Habits

• diurnal shelters under fallen timber, leaf litter, and grasses when not active

Diet

• mainly herbivorous – favour flowers, berries, succulent leaves also eats spiders, insects, snails, carrion

Reproduction

• breed in spring; same pairs form each year
  produce 1-4 but usually 2 live young

References – books

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW.
• Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, HG Cogger, 1996. Reed Books, Melbourne
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills.
• Wildlife Conservation, HJ Frith, 1979. Angus & Robertson, London.

The Perentie is the largest of the monitor lizards in Australia and the fourth largest on earth. Found primarily in central Australia from the west coast to central Queensland, Perentie’s thrive in warm arid environments.

Perentie’s will generally grow up to 2 metres in length making them one of the largest predators in the areas they inhabit. Recent research has found that Perentie’s are venomous, which in combination with their extreme sprinting speed make them a highly effective carnivore in their local ecosystem.

Perenties feed primarily on other small reptiles, mammals and birds which nest on the ground. If found Perenties are also known to eat entire nests of sea turtle and bird eggs.

Taxonomy

TAXONOMY

Characteristics

Appearance

• up to 2.5m (8 ft) in length; fourth largest lizard in the world

Distribution

• occurs in desert regions from western Queensland to coastal WA;
  rocky outcrops, shelter in large burrows

Habits

• ground dweller but will climb a tree if disturbed;forages widely

Prey

• insects, birds, other reptiles, mammals, carrion; track by sight or by sensing prey with their tongue; forage actively and also ‘sit and wait’ for larger prey like rabbits

Reproduction

• lay eggs

References – Books

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW.
• Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, HG Cogger, 1996. Reed Books, Melbourne
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Reader’s Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Reader’s Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills.
• Wildlife Conservation, HJ Frith, 1979. Angus & Robertson, London.

Taxonomy

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GENUS Thylogale

Characteristics

General

• medium-sized wallabies
• males grow to about 7kg (15lbs); twice the size of females but are about the same height; males are more heavily muscled

Lifestyle

• generally solitary but may gather at feeding sites or basking spots in winter
• have established runways into forest from cleared areas where they forage
• home range of 5-6 hectares
• active in late afternoon through to dawn; rest during the day in shallow depressions

Feeding

• stay close to forest edge when foraging at night
• T. stigmatica – fallen leaves, fresh leaves, berries (Moreton Bay Fig and Burdekin Plum), also ferns, orchids, grasses
• T. billardierii , T.thetis – grasses, herbs, fresh leaves

Reproduction

• marsupials
• breed throughout the year
• sexually mature at 12-18 months
• T. billardierii – gestation 30 days; in pouch for 200 days

Habitat

• rainforest, dense eucalypt forest
• tend to live on the edge of forest

Distribution

• eastern Australia; also New Guinea

Predators

• dingoes, foxes

Status

• all species are fairly common within their ranges

Where to see Pademelons

References – books

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills.
• Complete Book Of Australian Mammals, R Strahan (ed), 1983. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Mammals CD, 1997. Webster Publishing Pty Ltd.

The Common Death Adder is a species of death adder found in Australia. One the most venomous species in world, it is also widespread across Southern Australia with a strong population. The common death adder can be found in woodlands and forests across eastern Australia and the southern coast.

The death adders diet consists primarily of small mammals, using a unique hunting strategy of laying in wait for up to days for its prey to pass than actively stalking. Death adders have come under strain from the increasing cane toad population which eat baby death adders and poison adult death adders when they attempt to eat them.

Unlike most snakes, death adders lay live young instead of eggs.

Distribution

• The three species of Death Adder cover most of mainland Australia
• The Common Death Adder occurs in cooler areas and in higher rainfall areas

Habitat

• rainforest, coastal heath, sand dunes, arid grassland
• tend to be sedentary
• stay partially hidden in leaf litter, sand, or overhanging vegetation
• move around in late afternoon or at night

Appearance

• short thick body with a large, triangular head and slender tail with a brightly marked tip
• proteroglyphous – fixed fangs at front of jaw; pair of relatively short hollow fangs each lying in front of the upper jaw and connected at the base to a duct leading to the venom gland
• mottled colouration provides excellent camouflage

Size

• up to 1m (3ft) but usually about half that size

Defence

• positioning of the fangs at the front enables elapids to defend themselves against larger animals by injecting venom

Method of feeding

• ambush predators; short stocky body enables them to strike quickly
• capture prey by twitching tail rapidly; prey attracted to grub-like lure
• after striking, the Death Adder hangs on until the fast-acting postsynaptic neurotoxins take effect

Prey

• lizards, small mammals, birds

Reproduction

• breed in alternate years probably as a response to low feeding rates
• males mature at 2 years; females at about 3-4 years
• young are born live; maximum litter size of about 30

Parasites

• ticks
• Predators
• foxes, cats

Problems

• cane toads prey on young Death Adders or result in the death of adults that try to eat the toads
• secondary effect from eating mice poisoned with strychnine

Status

• some populations have been greatly reduced but still common

References – Books

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW
• Australian Snakes: A Natural History, R Shine, 1998. Reed New Holland, Sydney
• Dangerous Snakes of Australia, P Mirtschin & R Davis, 1995. Lansdowne Publishing, Sydney
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills
• Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, HG Cogger, 1996. Reed Books, Melbourne
• Snakes of Australia, P Mirtschin & R Davis, 1992. Hill of Content, Melbourne

Characteristics

References

• Books Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW
• Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, HG Cogger, 1996. Reed Books, Melbourne
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills
  Wildlife Conservation, HJ Frith, 1979. Angus & Robertson, London

References

• Australia’s Amazing Wildlife, 1985. Bay Books, Kensington NSW
• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills
• Complete Book Of Australian Mammals, R Strahan (ed), 1983. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London

References

• Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife, Readers Digest Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Readers Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills.
• Complete Book Of Australian Mammals, R Strahan (ed), 1983. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London.