One of only two remaining populations of an “ecosystem engineer” truffle-eating marsupial found in Queensland is much smaller than originally thought and could be declining further, according to new research. Scientists studying northern bettongs on the Mount Carbine Tableland in north-eastern Queensland have estimated the number of animals in that location is fewer than 50, […]
Tag: marsupials
Petition: Protect Australia’s Declining Koala Population
Koalas, despite their nickname, are not bears but marsupials. The babies, called joeys, develop in their mother’s pouch for about six months; they then spend the next six months riding on their mothers’ backs while using the pouch to feed and sleep. As adults, Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees. They sleep […]
Family of beloved kangaroos hopping around a golf course is saved from being culled after 80 angry residents stood in front of armed hunters paid to shoot them
Beloved kangaroos hopping around a golf course have been saved from being shot dead after members stood between the animals and armed hunters. Heritage Golf and Country Club in Melbourne’s north-east advised neighbours earlier this week that it was in their ‘best interests not to be out after dark’ as it was going to shoot […]
Petition: Kangaroo Protection Act Introduced in Congress: No More Killing Kangaroos for Athletic Shoes
Lawmakers are taking a stand against harming kangaroos! Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., two United States representatives, introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act in February. The act would ban the sale of kangaroo body parts. Nike, Adidas, Puma, and other companies trade in kangaroo skins to manufacture soccer shoes and cleats. Second to the […]
Wombats’ deadly bums: how they use their ‘skull-crushing’ rumps to fight, play and flirt
Australia is known for its strange and deadly wildlife, with plenty of attention given to venomous snakes and bird-eating spiders. But it seems one terrifying aspect of outback fauna has been thoroughly ignored: the wombat’s deadly bum. The rump of the wombat is hard as rock, used for defence, burrowing, bonding, mating and possibly violently […]
Koalas Face Extinction in Next 30 Years Without Urgent Intervention, Report Warns
Koala populations across parts of Australia are on track to become extinct before 2050 unless “urgent government intervention” occurs, warns a year-long inquiry into Australia’s “most loved animal.” The report published by the Parliament of New South Wales (NSW) paints a “stark and depressing snapshot” of koalas in Australia’s southeastern state. “Even before the devastating […]
What is a Tasmanian devil? Candid Animal Cam meets the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world
Camera traps bring you closer to the secretive natural world and are an important conservation tool to study wildlife. This week we’re meeting the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world: the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) used to live in Australia but now they can only be found in the island state of Tasmania, […]
Slaughter of the kangaroos: Dozens of mangled carcasses are found rotting at a holiday hot spot as locals fear there is a ‘psychopath on the loose’
Dozens of mangled kangaroo carcasses have turned up rotting in a field after being shot, decapitated and disemboweled, sparking fears a psychopath is to blame. Residents in Dunkeld, 260km west of Melbourne claim they found around 40 dead marsupials across two night-time killing sprees on November 21 and December 3. Heads, tails, paws and entrails […]