Greetings from Down Under

“G' Day Mate!

Come stroll along and meet some fellows from the land down under.” I'm Wally the Wallaby here to discuss my native continent, which is Australia.

Australia is a living museum of flora, which are plants, and fauna, which are animals, that once traveled continuously into adjoining continents. Millions of years ago, a super continent known as Pangaea existed on the planet Earth. As my native continent and its neighboring lands migrated further away from each other over a course of several million years, the remaining inhabitants either evolved to continue procreation or perished.

Australian fauna possess a cultural history with the indigenous communities of this sixth largest country in the world.

You and I are warm-blooded creatures called mammals. I'm a special type of mammal known as a marsupial. We are native to the island continent of Australia and possess a special pouch, in which, houses our offspring during the gestation period. The gestation period begins within the womb. The single offspring emerges and travels toward the pouch, where it will remain close to the mother until it reaches maturity. This stage takes one year to complete.

I'm known as a Bennett's Wallaby, one of many species of wallabies. I reside on the island of Tasmania, which is located of the southeast corner of Australia. I can be confused with my so called identical twin who is another wallaby that resides on the mainland of the island continent. We both have thick reddish, coarse fur. My lush locks enable me to withstand my temperate climate. My climate consists of equal distribution of overheated and under heated periods with large amounts of precipitation.

I'm herbivorous, which means mainly subsiding on vegetative matter. My dentition or teeth arrangement consists of incisors that are used for cutting my food and molars that are used for grinding my food.

I have shortened forelegs with five digits each equipped with claws, in which I can grasp branches of of low lying shrubs while nibbling away at leaves.

Overall, I'm a friendly creature but possess a heightened sense of alert. I forage independently but also reside in small groups. If we shall ever meet, allow me to approach you first instead of you approaching me. If I'm ever threatened, I sound off by thumping my tail.

My physique is primarily about agility and balance. Along with my enlarged hind legs, my thick tail also helps to anchor me when sitting erect. My movement of travel is similar to that of a rabbit, where my forearms and thick tail prop my body as my hind legs swing forward.

I do have a close cousin in which you probably know about already. Kanga the kangaroo and I are species of the same family, Macropodidae. We are both herbivores. However, one of the main differences between us is our locomotion style. The kangaroo springs forward, reaching a maximum distance of 30 feet when threatened. I, myself, use my body to scoot along the ground. I'm also smaller in size than a kangaroo and my facial features are less pronounced that on my close cousin.

Another native marsupial I'm kin to is Peter the Pademelon, which also resides in Tasmania. We are both herbivorous and travel by hopping. However, Peter the Pademelon is a smaller marsupial than me in general. I prefer small groups whereas Peter the Pademelon prefers solitude. I'm also diurnal where I'm more active during the day. Peter the Pademelon is nocturnal and is more of a night creature. He is of the same family that Kanga and I belong to.

Tasmania is considered a protected refuge for different species. Other fauna who reside on this island include the Bandicoot, the Tasmanian Devil, and the Platypus.

Barry the Bandicoot is a small, nocturnal marsupial that eats plants and insects. He is highly territorial and can be known to be skittish. He is of the family Thylacomyidae and resembles a rabbit.

Tess the Tasmanian Devil is a small but fierce, carnivorous marsupial. She is nocturnal and is also used to clean up carrion.

Another carnivorous marsupial would be Quintin the Quoll. Beware of this native cat due to his aggressive tendencies.

Tess the Tasmanian Devil and Quintin the Quoll belong to the Dasyurid family.

Penelope the Platypus is an egg laying, duck billed mammal or monotreme. She eats mostly insects and crustaceans. She prefers freshwater than salt water, especially to feed in.

Wanda the Wombat is a nocturnal marsupial that feed on vegetation and prefers solitude. She belongs to the Vombatidae family

B.P. the Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal marsupial which has become accustomed to people. He hangs out around trees but also is known to hang out around homes. On a positive note, he controls the population of mistletoe, which is a parasite for trees, by consuming it.

A close cousin of B.P. the Brushtail Possum is Carl the Cuscus who is a nocturnal climber but prefers the ground mostly. They both prefer a variety in their diets and are considered omnivores.

Carl the Cuscus and B.P. the Brushtail Possum are of the same family Phalangeridae.

I hope you learned some valuable information today on my introduction to my home. Feel free to come visit me me either at my new habitat at the nature museum or my indigenous habitat down under. There is no specific time of year to observe myself or my indigenous animal friends.

Acknowledgments and References

This biography is a part of a past design project for a live exhibit. I designed this to be a children's book. I have elaborated since composing the original documentation.

“Wildlife of Eastern Australia” c1973

“Monotremes and Marsupials: The Other Mammals” c1983

“Discovery Travel Adventures: Australian Outback” c2000

“Marsupials and Monotremes of Australia” c1967

https://a-z-animals.com › All Animals › Mammals

Wallaby Facts

https://tasmania.com/things-to-do/wildlife/the-white-wallaby/

Tasmania Facts

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania

Tasmanian Devil Facts

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/carnivorous-marsupials-and-bandicoots/tasmanian-devil

Bandicoot Facts

https://www.britannica.com/animal/bandicoot

Platypus Facts

https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus

Wombat Facts

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/common-wombat/

Brushtail Possum Facts

https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/a-z/common-brushtail-possum

Cuscus Facts

https://nhpbs.org/wild/phalangeridae.asp

Quoll Facts

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/native-animals/native-animal-facts/spotted-tail-quoll/protect-your-chooks-and-save-our-quolls

Facts on Australia

https://www.australia.com/en-us/things-to-do/wildlife/guide-to-australias-animals.html

https://info.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-natural-environment