Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

During my one day stay in Brisbane, I conquered the public bus system and made it to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (which actually has more than just koalas there to my surprise). It is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary!

First on the list is the koala bear of course. Koalas are actually not bears, they are marsupials, meaning they give birth to underdeveloped young which complete their development in a pouch. Koalas usually live for eight to ten years in the wild and twelve to fourteen in captivity. They are well suited for life in trees. They have strong arms and legs, rough pads on their feet, sharp claws and two opposable thumbs. The thick fur on koala bottoms act like a cushion between the koala and the hard branches they sit on. The speckled appearance of koala bottoms makes it challenging for predators, like goannas, to spot koalas from the ground. The koala's low energy diet of eucalypt (gum) leaves means they need to sleep or rest for up to twenty hours everyday. As stated in my post at the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat, their environment is being destroyed by construction for homes (also, around 4,000 are killed every year by dogs and cars). They then become overpopulated in the remaining eucalyptus environments since they have no where else to go. This causes issues because of quickly spreading diseases. In fact, in southeast Queensland they are close to extinction. 80% of koalas along Queensland's Koala Coast have already been lost. There is a window of opportunity to help save Queensland's koalas, by urging the state government to strengthen the laws to protect vital habitat for koalas and other Aussie wildlife. In 2013 reasonable controls on tree-clearing were abandoned by the former Queensland Government, causing tree-clearing rates to triple, destroying the homes and the lives of thousands of koalas and other native wildlife. The Australian Koala Foundation is hoping to secure a Koala Protection Act to help ensure the long-time survival of koalas, modeled after the Bald Eagle Protection Act of the US, which prohibits selling, killing or possessing the species. If you live in Australia, you can email federal members asking for a Koala Protection Act to be put into place. This needs to become a priority for the Australian Government!
A cool fact about koalas is that they eat eucalyptus leaves which are toxic to most mammals. This is because as a baby, or a joey, the koala feeds on its mother's milk alone for about six months, but after that it consumes "pap", which is a runny form of droppings from its mother (gross!). This passes along special microorganisms from its mother's intestines to the joey, which allow the baby koala to safely digest eucalyptus leaves. Joeys eat pap for several weeks before emerging from the pouch to ride on its mother's back. While young koalas continue to drink their mother's milk for as long as they can fit inside her pouch, adult koalas typically get all the moisture they need from eucalyptus leaves (although they may take a drink of water in times of drought).

Petting the biggest kangaroo I've ever seen! He could've knocked me out with one punch right there!

Another Australian species is the wombat. They are often called ‘the bulldozers of the bush’ due to their short powerful legs, broad shoulders and burrowing abilities. Wombats are largely nocturnal, sheltering in burrows during the day and emerging at night to feed on grasses, bark and roots. The burrow is a secure haven and can be easily be defended against potential predators. There are three species of wombat; the critically endangered Northern hairy-nosed wombat, the vulnerable Southern hairy-nosed wombat and the Bare-nosed wombat, also known as the common wombat.

Australian Wombat

There were also cassowaries here at the sanctuary. The Southern cassowary is Australia’s heaviest bird. They make excellent rainforest gardeners, dispersing more than 100 plant species by keeping the seeds intact. The extinction of this endangered animal would result in the loss of the only method of regrowth for many rainforest species.

Up next is the Tasmanian Devil. It’s name has been attributed to this animal’s blood-curdling call and the fact that it is only found in Tasmania. When excited, their ears turn red due to an increase in blood flow, another reason they are likened to devils. Despite their name, Tasmanian devils are shy animals. Tasmanian devils are the largest meat-eating marsupials in the world weighing up to 9kg. They are considered endangered.

Tasmanian Devil

Raptors are divided into two main groups; diurnal (day time) species and owls. These groups have similar habits and share the appearance of hooked bills, carnivorous preferences and they use powerful feet with sharp talons to catch and kill their prey. Being at the top of the food chain, raptors play an important role in nature by controlling the population size of its prey. Australia and its territories host 35 species of raptors. Eleven species are endemic to Australia. Several species are endangered, but several characteristics of raptors make them resistant to extinction. For example, in general they are highly mobile, the structure of their habitat is more important than the vegetational composition, and they have the ability to switch prey if appropriate alternatives are available. 

The platypus belongs to the monotreme (egg-laying mammal) family and lives in freshwater areas along the eastern coast of Australia. Small fishes, freshwater crayfish and other aquatic invertebrates dominate in the platypus diet. They locate prey through electro-location, which enables them to locate their food sources via signals emitted from their prey. The male platypus has a large spur located on each hind foot, connected to a venom gland. Platypus have remarkably warm and waterproof fur, evolved to help them survive life in the icy waters where they spend much of their lives. But that fur also prevents heat loss- a major liability, as the platypus habitat in eastern Australia is predicted to heat up by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees F). As temperature on Australia heat up, the native platypus is finding it harder and harder to survive. A new study predicts that 30% of the species will perish by 2070. The platypus is protected under Australian law, but climate change is harder to combat when fighting for platypus than the hunters that once made the remarkable animals’ existence precarious.

Australian Platypus

Australia is home to both venomous and non-venemous snakes. Lone Pine exhibits the two most venomous snakes in the world, the Inland taipan and the Eastern brown snake. The Inland taipan is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Unlike most aggressive snakes, it is a timid shy one. It is estimated that one bite possesses enough lethality to kill at least 100 fully grown men, with the capability to kill someone within 30 minutes. The Inland taipan is considered fine in South Australia (Outback regions), near threatened in Queensland, extinct in New South Wales, and regionally extinct in Victoria. It is the most venomous snake in the world with the Eastern brown snake at a close second! The Eastern brown snake is widespread throughout eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to South Australia, with isolated population occurring in central and western Northern Territory. It can be aggressive and is responsible for about 60% of snake bite deaths in Australia and they are not endangered.

Inland Taipan

Eastern Brown Snake

Australian lizards include dragons, skinks, geckos, monitors and legless lizards. One way to differentiate between legless lizards and snakes is to look for external ear-openings on lizards which are absent in snakes. Freshwater crocodiles live in the tropical regions of northern Australia. The narrow snout and needle-like teeth of freshwater crocodiles distinguishes them from saltwater crocodiles. Additionally, 'freshies' grow up to three meters, compared to seven meters for 'salties'. Freshwater turtles live in most river systems, lakes, creeks and swamps throughout Australia, excluding Tasmania. Lone Pine is home to a successful breeding program for the endangered Mary River turtle. All reptiles are ectothermic, meaning they do not produce enough heat to maintain a constant body temperature. Instead they rely on the environment (sun and shade) for heating and cooling.

Legless Lizard

Freshwater Crocodile

Mary River Turtle