Marsupials
The Koala
Among the many different marsupials in the world, there is one that stands out and is recognized, not only for its looks, but also for the hardships that it deals with in being a koala. The koala originated in Australia, and was discovered by trappers around the time of 1798. Many rare and exotic animals have been found in Australia, because of its remoteness and isolation from most of the civilized world. Australia has been described as a huge ark, a giant lifeboat, cut off from contact with the rest of the world and carrying with it a group of unique creatures (Serventy 1975). The creatures that inhabit Australia are made up of many different classifications of animal groups that have found themselves all living together on one continent.
The koala is a very unique looking animal, which has a very interesting face and color structure. It has a very large nose, with small eyes, and very ears. The fur of the koala is dense and wooly; it has gray on the upper part and lighter colored below it. The koalas living in the southern regions of Australia, which tend to be colder, are larger and have a shaggier coat then those in the north. The arms of the koala have three fingers on each hand that are separated from the other two, which make it easy for the koala to grasp on to branches. On the koala’s feet there are only two out of the five toes on each foot that are made for climbing. The other toes are used for grasping and combing the hair of the animal. Both the arms and legs of the koala are very powerful.
The koala is a nocturnal animal, which begins its feeding process in the late afternoon, when it awakes from its daily sleep. It ventures high up in the treetops to begin feeding on the leaves of gum trees located in the jungles of Australia. It uses its strong feet for climbing up the steep gum trees, and its heavy body, weighing more than thirty pounds, to support it in the tree branches while eating. When eating up in the trees the koala uses its powerful jaw and razor sharp teeth to tear apart the gum leaves. All movements made by the koala are slow and careful, when a fall from the tree would mean sudden death for the creature. It spends mainly all of its life up in the trees. The koala sleeps, eats, and takes care of its young all up in the high gum trees in Australia. The koala can run on land, but in the event of an attack the n...
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... In New South Wales there are more than twenty species of gum trees that were found to be used as food for the koalas. One koala was even seen eating the leaves of the introduced weeping willow. There is a huge variety of plant life that the koala will feed on, but it all depends on the location in which the koala lives. There are vary dangerous plant life for the koalas, some leaves in the area have special enzymes which control koala feeding habits (Sarre 1999). These leaves are part of the dangers that koalas face in the wild.
Koalas are a threatened species, even though they are so isolated in the Australian jungles. Wildlife surveys show that human interruption has caused a severe decline in koala population. Among the factors that caused this decline are the building of highways and pollutants. As sad as it is poaching of koalas is also a huge problem in Australia. Even though koala population is at an up rise, the ideas of hunting koalas still disturb many people. There are many conservation groups across the country who are starting programs and save the koalas from death (Payne 1995). Hopefully with everyone’s help the koalas will be around for many generations to enjoy.
Koalas have pear shaped bodies that help in balancing and positioning themselves in tree forks. They also have reduced tails and long limbs that help in ...
This Safari, jungle experience is the main point of the predator versus prey and between the...
I am presenting information on the life, past rate of growth and future of the Olive Baboon. I will demonstrate the community relationship shared by the adult females, males, and juveniles in the troop and how the ranking of females plays an important part of troop dynamics. I will explain the specifics of the climate of the savanna biome and what adaptations the Olive baboon, native to this habitat, has to support its survival and the food chain it is part of. I will further show the omnivores behaviors as a predator to rodents, hares, and Thomson gazelles, as a prey to lions, leopards and hyenas, and as an herbivore, that eats tubers, lemon grass and acacia. Further, I will explore the symbiotic relationship that the Olive baboon shares with the elephants. I will further examine the pivotal role of the Olive Baboon in the ecosystem and their impact on human beings. Finally, I will explain the Olive Baboons place in the biogeochemical cycles that sustain life, in the biome through the recycling of phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen and water
Diet of a Japanese macaque troop in the coniferous forest of Yakushima. International Journal of Primatology, 25 (1), pp. 113-117. 55--71. The.
Koalas have many motives for their need to climb trees. First of all, they hardly ever drink water, living in a hot, dry climate which is why they only eat eucalyptus leaves and having to eat two and a half pounds of it a day is how they get 90% of their fluid intake. Secondly, they seek shelter in trees at night so they can sleep without impairment to them or their young. The main reason Koalas resort to being in trees is because they are more so of a flight than fight animal, so they use their grey and white coats to help them blend in with trees to hide from their predators the dingo, large birds, and especially humans. Furthermore, if the Koala is compelled to fight, they have razor-sharp teeth and long claws to defend themselves. To make up for poor eyesight, their hearing and sense of smell give them the upper-hand of distinguishing when predators are in the
For many years Australia has been an isolated land, away in the bottom corner of the world, surrounded by thousands of kilometres of ocean at some points. This isolation has developed entire unique ecosystems across Australia, ones that are full of unique native animals and plants.
to discuss changes in habitat and environmental variability, nature of diet and dietary changes, and nature of and reliance on fallback foods of extinct great apes; and
Nationalism at its core is the support of a country. The goal of a country is to have some sort of resonance within the individuals that reside there that call themselves citizens. If the citizens don’t feel any connection with their country, they may move to find one that they feel closer too. Once found, they may support the country over others, defend it within conversations of politics or just find groups that have the same ideals they do about the country. This papers purpose is to illustrate the pros of nationalism as well as its cons.
The destruction of their habitat and destruction are the two great threats to the gorillas. The places where they are found are poor and densely populated. The land that is set aside for gorillas is being taken over by agriculture. The wire traps that poachers set out for antelope usually end up catching gorillas instead. People kill them for their heads and hands as trophies. The western lowland gorilla is listed as an endangered species.
There is a diversity of tribes that the human society was once uninformed of its existence. Until the 1970, mankind was unaware of the Korowai society existence. The Korowai also known as Kolufu are from the southwestern part of the western part of New Guinea. The Korowai tribe follows a common language, economic system, and an exceptional lifestyle. They practice ritual cannibalism and have incredible architecture knowledge. In the verge of extinction the Korowai continue to practice their unique culture which makes them different from other societies.
Snow Leopard’s are found living in the high, rugged mountains of Central and South Asia. They live in areas like Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The conditions in the high Central Asia Mountains are harsh and brutal. The Snow Leopards are prepared for these types of conditions. Snow Leopards like the jagged broken cliffs, and rocky ravines stalk and sneak up on the nearby prey. Snow Leopards are very nomadic, they constantly move around marking territory to find prey. They look for cliffs that have a good open view to search for prey on. They have thick long fur, which will keep them warm in their cold habitats and which will protect them from the wind. Their bodies are very stocky but have very bulk chests and arms. They also have small rounded ears, which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide to benefit them to walking on snow, a...
Gandhi also believed in the ideas of Swaraj and Dharma. In Simone Panter-Brick's book, Gandhi and Nationalism: The Path to Indian Independence, these terms are explained and explored. "Swaraj is formed of two Sanskrit words: swa (self) and raj (rule). Thus, it can be construed either as rule over the self — the spiritual assertion of every person — or as self-rule — participation in the political affairs of the nation as citizens fully conscious of their rights and duties. For Gandhi, it was both"(Panter-Brick,24). Swaraj is used to stress independence and can also replace the word independence. Panter-Brick talks about dharma as a person's duty, thus relating to Gandhi's duties to the empire. "Gandhi’s entry into politics sprang from the firm belief that a citizen has rights and duties, and that he, as an Indian, had a duty to perform. This Indian conception of one’s life task is best expressed in the word dharma or righteous performance of one’s duty in life" (54). This author talks about how Gandhi used his ideals to unify India from the inside and this created a stronger opposition to the British.
The phasocolarctos cunereus, also known as the koala bear, which was derived partially from the wombat and the sloth, does not play a huge role in the environment, but more or less a complex role that benefits the rest of the environment(New World Encyclopedia). Although the koala bear sleeps for nearly twenty hours, and spends around four hours or more eating, this benefits the rest of the environment and is part of the role it plays in the ecosystem. These interesting marsupials fear the grounds and also spend most if not all of their life in trees or high grounds and try to avoid the ground level areas as much as possible. When it comes to eating habits and food they are pretty general and specific and stick to one main food which is the eucalyptus plant and a few other non-eucalyptus plants. Koalas, being very harmless and simple animals still have a fairly important role in maintaining the environment and live a very complex and interesting life even while sleeping for three quarters of their day.
The baboon is the most widespread primate in Africa. Well-known for their remarkable ability to adapt, baboons can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from semi-desert to rainforest, and from coastal areas to mountains. Their adaptability also extends to their feeding habits — baboons will eat just about anything. The baboon's diet includes a wide variety of plants, of which they eat every part: leaves, fruit, buds, flowers, roots, bulbs, tubers, seeds, shoots, bark and even sap. As for meat, these resourceful monkeys will eat insects, shellfish, small reptiles and amphibians, rodents, birds, fish, eggs and even young antelope or livestock.
This provides a legal safety net to stop and slow down the loss of plant and animal species. They hold federal agencies and others accountable for complying with laws protecting rare/endangered animals using persuasion and cooperation. They recommend increased funding for private landowners and conservation programs that could benefit animals. They protect and restore habitats that were lost. NWF also reduces threats to wildlife that can lead to endangerment including loss of habitat and pollution. India is now halting tiger tourism to prevent extinction of the animals. About 1,411 of these animals live in the wild, and they are in danger of being “loved to death.” Experts fear these big cats will become extinct in only five years. Poaching is the main reason for many deaths, but tourism has also impacted the tigers. The tourist vehicles drive away the tigers prey and hotels have been built over passageways the tigers used to travel from one place to another. Alligators, Bald Eagles, Wolves, Grizzly Bears, and Whooping Cranes were all saved by the U.S Endangered Species Act (ESA). The WWF is addressing the major threats to Australia’s