Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Kangaroos, Koalas and Taz, Oh My!!

"In the southern hemisphere it's autumn right now, the days are shorter and the nights longer. What's something interesting you have found out about living 'down under'?"  That's one of the questions posed by JacBerKitsch for the current EtsyBloggers blog carnival.

When I think of  'down under' I think of Australia and all the fantastic animals that live there, animals unlike any I would ever come across anywhere here in the states. I have always held a fascination for koalas and kangaroos, but there are many other unique animals to find! And I found out some very interesting facts along the way!


Koalas have got to be the cutest animal on earth! They are marsupials and, like kangaroos, the baby koala is called a joey and is carried in its mother's pouch until about six months old. When they are older, they catch a free ride on mom's back! They like to dine on eucalyptus leaves and sleep the majority of the day.  Notecard - Wildlife Series Two - Koala by RMVera Studio.


Do you remember Taz the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil? Even though these little guys are cute, they are pretty vicious! Also endangered. And carnivorous. Watch out! They've got sharp pointy teeth, strong jaws, and ears that turn red when they are excited. They live in burrows or hollow logs, sleeping during the day and hunting at night. They can also climb trees and swim! Yikes! Tasmanian Devils Photo by PhotosAlegria.


Kangaroos are pretty fascinating creatures! They can hop up to a speed of 40 mph and uses its tail like an extra leg for support while standing. Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together and not one at a time. They are social animals and live in groups called "mobs."  The baby joey is carried in mom's pouch for nine months and then climbs in and out for feeding until 12 to 17 months. (Good grief!) Mom can have three babies at one time -- one becoming mature and just out of the pouch, another developing in the pouch, and one embryo in "pause mode." Oh my aching back!! And they all live in that pouch! Plus there are four teats in the pouch and each has a different milk for the different stages of development! Can you imagine?!!
Couldn't resist this guy! The title is "Honey, since you are up, bring me a beer" Typical male....
Kangaroo Blank Note Card by Postal Therapy.

Hope you learned a little bit -- and please check out the three photography shops! They have a lot of fantastic photos to look at!

8 comments:

KClark Photography said...

Sarah-terrific blog post. What strange and wonderful creatures you have down under. Thanks for including my note card.

storybeader said...

great pics! Thanks for sharing. Those koalas are super cute! {:-D

Memories for Life said...

I would love to go on an Australian safari!
Love the kangaroo :)

Saffron Road said...

Great post! Love your blog, and look at all of your followers!!! I have 6 or 7 ... LOL

Della said...

Koalas are such cute animals. They have such sweet, innocent faces.

Sheryl Hastings said...

What a great post. Reminds me of when I was a teenager and I collected koala bears. If it had a koala on it, I had to have. They are the cutest!

Unknown said...

We went to a place in Tasmania and walking through the park the roo's all bounced up to get fed - they can be quite intimidating! And those little Tasmanian Devils are dead ugly :-)

Arizona Girls said...

Love the postcards! I'd love to go visit Australia one day.....I've wanted to since I was little =) thanks for sharing! found you through the Etsy blog team and I'm a new follower =)

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