Sydney wildlife world

Ranie

Senior Member
Sharing some pics I took recently when I went to Sydney Wildlife World

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Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.
This species is a very large kangaroo with short, red-brown fur, fading to pale buff below and on the limbs. It has long, pointed ears and a squared-off muzzle. Females are smaller than males and are blue-grey with a brown tinge, pale grey below, although arid zone females are coloured more like males. It has two forelimbs with small claws, two muscular hind-limbs, which are used for jumping, and a strong tail which is often used to create a tripod when standing upright.

The Red Kangaroo's legs work much like a rubber band. The males can leap over 9 metres (30 ft) in one leap.[3]

Males grow up to a body length of 1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in) long and weigh up to 85 kilograms (190 lb). Females reach a body length of up to 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in) long and weigh up to 35 kilograms (77 lb). Tails can be from 0.9 to 1 metre (3.0–3.3 ft) long. The average Red Kangaroo stands approximately 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) tall.[4] Accounts of sizes greater than this are not uncommon, with some large males reportedly reaching approximately 2 metres (6 ft 7 in).

The Red Kangaroo maintains its internal temperature at a point of homeostasis about 36 °C (97 °F) using a variety of physical, physiological, and behavioural adaptations. These include having an insulating layer of fur, being less active and staying in the shade when temperatures are high, panting, sweating, and licking its forelimbs.

The Red Kangaroo's range of vision is approximately 300°, due to the position of its eyes.

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Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby - Petrogale Xanthopus

he prettiest of the kangaroo family, the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is quite striking, with its yellow forearms, black feet and stripey tail. Equipped with springy tendons in its legs for propulsion, a fringe of stiff hairs on the sides of its feet for balance and deep treads on the soles of its feet for traction, the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is able to leap and bound across the most difficult of terrain with the greatest of ease.
There are a few reasons why the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is now listed as vulnerable to extinction. In the past they were hunted for their beautiful pelts, but now feral animals are their biggest problem, particularly goats and rabbits, which compete with them for food, and foxes, which prey on their young.

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Koala – Phascolarctos Cinereus

Koalas have a very restricted diet. Of all of the food available in the forests in which they live, they can only eat the leaves of a very small number of Eucalyptus trees. What’s more, those Eucalyptus leaves they love so much happen to be leathery, poisonous to eat and very low in nutrition.
Koalas have a tough liver to deal with the poisons, but without special bacteria in their gut they wouldn’t be able to digest the leaves at all. Koalas aren’t born with those special gut bacteria, though. The very first solid meal a baby koala eats is its mothers stool - she produces a special paste to pass some of these important bacteria on to her youngster.
To house those bacteria and to get as much nutrition out of those leaves as possible, koalas have the longest intestines of any animal their size. It takes a long time for them to digest a meal.

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Meet Rex

Rex was a so-called ‘rogue’ crocodile, who was captured and placed into a crocodile farm near Darwin in the Northern Territory several years ago.

His tatste for local pet dogs drew him too close to an area populated by humans, so the decision was taken to capture him in the interests of public safety.
Rex may look placid and slow, but he can burst out of the water with tremendous speed. He is nature’s ultimate killing machine, which is the main reason why his type have existed for over 230 million years and are still going as strong as ever today.
Rex is the only croc inhabiting the main area here in Kakadu Gorge for one simple reason – he doesn’t want to live with other crocodiles. How do we know? Because at his previous home he ate 2 of his co-habitants.

Rest assured Rex won’t be eating any other crocodiles at Sydney Wildlife World, but visitors will be able to watch dramatic feeding sessions carried out by his keepers from the specially-constructed feeding ledge, which hangs perilously over the deceptively serene water below.
Rex Facts
Over 4.8 metres long - and still growing! Already massive, he could grow by another metre or more
Around 700kg - about the same weight as a small car
30 to 40 years old - and could live to reach over 80
Genuine 'rogue' croc - caught in the Northern Territory
Solitary by nature - Rex has a grim track record of co-habiting with other crocs (he eats them)
Built to last - Rex may get through around 3,000 teeth in his lifetime. As they fall out, new ones grow back
 
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