October 2006 - Koala Lounge

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Koala Lounge - October 2006

Animals with attitude - the Spotted-tailed Quoll

October 18th 2006 22:26

The spotted tailed quoll (or Tiger Quoll) is the second largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, the Tassie Devil being the largest. The quoll is about the size of a possum. This quoll can be found in eastern parts of mainland Australia and also in Tasmania; it is considered vulnerable in mainland Australia and rare in Tasmania.

"Don't mess with me..."

The Spotted-tailed quoll is a carnivore and usually kills its prey by biting them on the head. Its meals consist of animals such as small possums, rats, young or injured wallabies, lizards, insects, birds and eggs. The quolls live in hollow logs, under rocks, and in small caves. In Queensland, Spotted Tailed Quolls have been found in the granite boulder country in the SE of the state around Warwick and Stanthorpe.

The Spotted Tailed Quoll lives for about 2 to 3 years, not a long life span compared to other mammals. One of the reasons is the lifestyle they lead is not conducive to longevity; the males are constantly fighting over territory and female partners (how chivalrous), and the females are constantly fighting off marauding, lustful males.

One of the main reasons for the decline in quoll numbers is the clearing of habitat that is used for den sites. The quoll also faces competition and predation threats from introduced animals such as the fox. In northern quoll populations (northern spotted-tailed quoll) numbers have declined due to the quolls eating cane toads and the resultant poisoning that occurs. In this day and age, who’d want to be a quoll!? MB

Photos courtesy of QLD Dept. of Natural Resources and Water

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Would you drink poo water - recycled effluent??

October 13th 2006 00:49

Regardless of how we market it, whether it’s called recycled effluent, recycled sewage, recycled water, purified recycled water, the fact remains drinking this recycled water is a highly emotive and contentious issue among certain Australian communities, as evidenced by the Toowoomba people in SE Queensland, Australia.

It was only a matter of time in Australia before water would become a major issue. Yes we are in drought but we are also experiencing a population growth and never before in history have we had to support the numbers we have now, especially in SE Queensland. Our population 30 years ago when much of our current water supply infrastructure was put in place is not going to support a population that has exploded since then, obviously. So what are our options?

It is interesting that the people of Toowoomba voted No to drinking recycled effluent, by a big margin. The recycled water scheme was never meant to be a one stop solution to the area’s major water shortage; after all it was only recycling water that is currently in the system, not adding extra water to it. The other interesting thing is that if you live in a town anywhere in Australia that collects its water from a river, it is likely that you have consumed recycled water. When water is treated in a sewage treatment plant, in many areas it is then pumped back into a river where it flows downstream to be collected by the next town, where it is treated at a water treatment plant and then used before being treated again and released and on it goes. If that isn’t recycling, what is?

The scientific and technological advances we have made in the last couple of decades have been enormous. It is possible to treat water now (yes even ‘poo water’) to a level where it is purer than the so called bottled ‘spring water’ that we currently drink by the tonne in Australia and all over the world. So why is there so much aversion to drinking recycled poo water? Obviously because we have those who oppose it who advertise it as being poo water! It all comes down to marketing and how we sell it to a community. Yes it is recycled effluent, yes it is ‘second hand’ water. But the flip side is most water we drink, shower in and use is second hand in some form or another, even the water that falls from the sky was drawn up through evaporation from the world’s current water supply. In a perfect world of adequate supply we wouldn't need to drink recycled water, but alas, we're stuck with planet earth.

Would you drink recycled effluent, treated water or whatever you want to call it, if you knew it was pure, clean and safe? MB

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Ever seen a Spotted Cuscus?

October 12th 2006 04:08

Australia really is home to some pretty amazing animals. One of these amazing creatures is the Spotted Cuscus; a member of the possum family and is a marsupial. The Spotted Cuscus is found in northern Cape York in Queensland and parts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The Cuscus lives in trees mainly and has a varied diet of various vegetation, insects, leaves and nectar and other small animals, making them an omnivore (eats meat AND vege’s) It is highly unlikely you’d spot one of these beauties as they are nocturnal, venturing out in the darkness of night. During the day they are about as active as a 3 toed sloth. I.e. they do bugger all in the day except sleep and hang out in the trees.

The male is the one with ‘spots’ and is larger than the female. Females have up to 4 young per litter. The Cuscus has large red and round eyes and a tail as long as its body that curls to help it hang on to branches and limbs. The cuscus is considered endangered.

Courtesy of 'Unique Australian Animals' Website

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Ever seen a Spotted Cuscus?

October 12th 2006 04:08

Australia really is home to some pretty amazing animals. One of these amazing creatures is the Spotted Cuscus; a member of the possum family and is a marsupial. The Spotted Cuscus is found in northern Cape York in Queensland and parts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The Cuscus lives in trees mainly (arboreal) and has a varied diet of various vegetation, insects, leaves and nectar and other small animals, making them an omnivore (eats meat AND vege’s) It is highly unlikely you’d spot one of these beauties as they are nocturnal, venturing out in the darkness of night. During the day they are about as active as a 3 toed sloth. I.e. they do bugger all in the day except sleep and hang out in the trees

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The Easter Bunny is killing our Bilby

October 5th 2006 23:34

The Bilby is one of those unique looking mammals that is unique and distinctly Aussie. It has massive ears, a silky coat and a black and white tail, very cute. It is a ground dwelling marsupial (has a backward facing pouch) that lives in burrows and as such has copped a hiding from foxes, feral cats and from the rabbit. Yes, the rabbit.

Courtesy of Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage website

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Tasmanian Devil's Toughest Battle

October 3rd 2006 03:25

The Tassie Devil is truly an icon of not only Tasmania, but Australia. Like a lot of our Aussie wildlife, the Devil is unique in the fact it is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world (a mammal that has a pouch and eats meat). The females have a backward opening pouch where the baby devils will spend about the first 4 months of their lives. Devils are robust, tough and very cool looking creatures. If you’ve ever seen them at feeding time at the local zoo, you’ll know to keep the hands well clear. They are very aggressive and like many carnivores, they approach each meal with zest, as if it could be their last!

It is not unusual to spot a Devil while driving the roads in Tasmania. They are commonly seen scavenging road-kill and often end up being a victim of the roads themselves. While on a motorcycle touring holiday in Tassie a few years ago I spotted a few dead Devils on the edges of roads, probably lingering just a fraction too long for a morsel of dead roo

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Foxes-wildlife enemy number one

October 1st 2006 07:44

The second post in a series describing the enemies of the aussie bush and its wildlife is devoted to the fox. The red fox to be precise (Vulpes vulpes). The fox is a handsome looking creature with its bushy tail and red coat. Like the rabbit I guess, many people like to observe it in the wild but are unaware of the immense damage it causes to our native wildlife, particularly the small native mammals.

Introduced from England, the fox has adapted extremely well to the harsh Aussie conditions. It's a very adaptable animal and it will eat almost anything. Like the cat it is known to survive on insects, lizards and other less preferred snacks if it can't find a fresh possum or perhaps a feed of quail. An impending disaster for Australian wildlife is on the cards if fox numbers in Tasmania take off. Until very recently, the island state was free from foxes and it is thought if they increase in numbers they may have a significant impact on Tassie's Devil population, already under threat from a facial tumour disease

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October 2006

7 Posts

September 2006

2 Posts