Australian Wildlife
Marsupials

This page contains photos and details of a kangaroo, wombat, koala and echidna.

Most native Australian animals live in the bush and one should always remember they are wild animals! The friendly marsupials shown in the photos below can easily and quickly maim an unsuspecting child or adult. Kangaroos and wallabies are capable of tearing a person open with their toe nails.

Children should never be left unattended with such animals, no matter how friendly they appear.

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Grey Kangaroos.

Meet Saxon our grandson with one of his friends.

'Skippy' the kangaroo likes a feed of grain now and then. Her half grown joey still prefers feeding from the pouch though and even tried to get into it after I took the photo.

Kangaroos come in a variety of sizes and colours. This one is a grey, commonly found in the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Grey kangaroos grow to about 1 meter standing upright and make the best pets.

Meet Jake, the eldest of our grandsons.

He likes Kanga, a grey kangaroo that lives in a local wild life reserve.

Kanga is a young buck and is partial to a bit of sparing.
He doesn't mind using his feet either and would make a good kick boxer.

When Kanga stands upright and flexes his muscles, Jake takes off!

Red Kangaroos. Click thumbnail for larger image.

The red kangaroos live on the inland plains and are the largest of all kangaroos and wallabies.An adult male can reach 1.8m high when standing up.

Kangaroos live in a family group called a 'mob'. Males are called 'bucks' and females are called 'does'. Baby kangaroos, known as 'joeys', are born blind like many other animals then make their way to the pouch where they live until out-growing it.

Does make good mothers and are protective of their young in the wild. If a mob is threatened, a doe will hide her joey in the bush so she can keep up with the other kangaroos making a getaway. When she thinks it is safe, the doe will return to collect her baby.

Wombats.

Here is Wally the wombat. He lives up in the forest in a burrow and we don't see him very often. Wombats eat grass, shrubs and roots and usually only leave their burrows at night.

Wombats are very strong and can easily lift up heavy items with their head. They sometimes cause damage to fences on farms.

Wombats can be made into pets, but wild animals should be left alone. Female wombats have a rear opening pouch and carry their young for up to six months.

Koala. Sometimes referred to as a bear, koalas are actually pouched marsupials.

Koalas only eat the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees in which they live. They rear their young in a rear opening pouch for for six months then carry them on their back.

Although they look friendly and cuddly, koalas are best left alone and are not suitable as pets. They are nocturnal and sometimes sleep for up to twenty hours per day.

Koalas don't drink, but they have the habit of peeing on anyone who picks them up. Maybe that is their way of telling us to leave them alone.

Echidna. Spiny and eater.

Hardly suitable for keeping as a pet. This cat size animal has powerful claws and is covered in spines. When anything threatens an Echidna, it rolls up into spiny ball or rapidly digs itself into the ground.

Echidnas live on termites and break the nest open with sharp claws before using its sticky tongue to collect the insects. Female Echidnas only lay one egg and suckle their young in a pouch.

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