Common Misconceptions...

Animal #1:

The Koala.

This beautiful Australian Animal spends 18 hours a day sleeping, and 6 hours eating.

It is NOT a bear, and has no relation whatsoever to bears. It is very closely related to the Kangaroo, and its closest relation is the Wombat.

It is a MARSUPIAL, which is the name given to any animal that raises its young in a pouch.

Animal #3:

The Platypus.

When early British settlers first discovered the Platypus, they were taken aback that they immediately killed and stuffed one, and sent it back to England. Experts in England denounced it as nothing but a fraud, made from stitching together the beak of a duck, the body of a cat, feet of a duck, tail of a beaver etc.

In fact it is one of the most unique animals to walk/swim on this earth.

It is a monotreme, which means that it is one of only two mammals in the world that do not have live births. The Platypus and Echidna both lay eggs, incubate, then raise their hatchlings.

The platypus' bill is not like a ducks, however, it is soft and leathery, and used for digging through mud to find bugs.

A male Platypus has spurs on its hind feet, and they are highly toxic, but not deadly...

Updated On: 7/5/07 at 07:28 AM

Animal #5:

The Wombat.

A marsupial and close relative of Koala, Wombats spend most of their time underground. They are the only marsupial that has their pouch facing backwards, as this prevents dirt entering the pouch while digging.

They have extremely strong legs, and have been known to be aggressive. They can either charge, or bite.

I know someone who had a leg broken by a wombat...

Animal #7:

The Possum.

A herbivorous tree-dweller, there are many kinds of Possums. The largest kinds are the Brush-Tailed Possum (pictured), and the Ringtail Possum. The smallest kind is the Pygmy Mountain Possum, and it is around the same size as your thumb.

In the early 20th Century, the B-T Possum was taken to New Zealand, to help bolster a poor fur trade. Now, there are more of this kind of possum in NZ than there are in Australia, and NZ is a much much smaller country. There are over 70 million in NZ. They are doing a lot of harm to the environment over there which just goes to show the amount of damage one small animal can do when taken out of its environment.

Animal #8:

The Bandicoot.

A small animal somewhat akin to a rat, yet closely related to the Kangaroo.

Out of the many kinds of Bandicoot, most of them are endangered or in danger of going there.

The biggest threats to these animals (mostly desert dwellers) are Cats, Foxes, Wild Dogs etc. All non-native species...

Updated On: 7/5/07 at 08:25 AM

Animal #10:

The Tasmanian Devil.

Contrary to popular belief, the Tasmanian Devil CANNOT spin itself in a tornado, and it is black and white, not brown.

They are carnivorous, and extremely aggressive.

Taken from http://www.abchsn.com/users/aus_wildlife/tasmanian_devil.html:

"One of the unusual behaviours of the Tasmanian Devil is the way they devour the carcass of larger mammals. They consume the carcass of larger mammals from the inside out. There is always something a little unnerving when seeing a dead wombat carcass heaving and bulging as a Tasmanian Devil emerges from the inside the carcass covered in gore."

They got their name because of the noises they make while eating and fighting. They sound extremely eerie, somewhat akin to a woman screaming, interspersed with other strange noises. Early settlers of Tasmania genuinely thought there were devils inhabiting the bush, and gave the name to the animal that mande the noises after they discovered it wasn't true...

Updated On: 6/29/05 at 08:53 AM