Up close with Australia's animals

This post is a bit more belated than I initially anticipated. Work and life got busy the last two weeks, and while hosting my friend Zach from the States provides for plenty to write about, it didn't leave much time to write! I promise more will follow this weekend to recap highlights over the last few weeks. 

It's common knowledge that Australia is home to some of the world's most unique animals, many of which are only found here. While the marsupials people most often think of (kangaroos, koalas, etc.) are conceptualised as cute and cuddly looking, there are also plenty of animals that are really just out to get you. I tend to avoid those types of animals...

Over the last few weeks of traveling, being outdoors, and showing Zach around, I saw a lot of unique animals in the wild and at a wildlife sanctuary outside of Brisbane. So I figured it was time for a lesson in zoology!

While in the Bunya Mountains (which may more accurately be described as a series of large hills) two weekends ago with a group of friends, we encountered quite a few animals in the wild. By far, the most numerous were a range of small kangaroo-like marsupials, including pademelons, wallabies, and grey kangaroos.

Judging by how big this guy was, I think he's a wallaby. But I'm no scientist.

The three are pretty indistinguishable to the untrained (aka, me), but they are all what Americans would think of as "kangaroos"—mammals that stand on two strong hind legs, hop around, and who carry their joeys in pouches. I'm sure there are distinctions between the three animals—chiefly in size; I believe pademelons are the smallest, then wallabies, then kangaroos—but they all seemed to co-mingle just find in the grassy fields in the Bunya Mountains. When we arrived in the mountains as the sun began to set, hundreds of the animals grazed.

Pademelons, wallabies, and kangaroos (perhaps) grazing int he field.

Relaxing in the sun on a lazy Sunday morning.

While the animals (I'll just incorrectly refer to them as "kangaroos" from this point forward) are wild, living adjacent to a mountain resort with hundreds of visitors a night, they didn't mind people getting within a few paces. But they weren't too keen if you got any closer, hopping away en masse. Especially the mothers carrying their joeys, who would peak out of the pouch and munch on grass as the mother leaned down to eat. It was pretty adorable.

Mother and joey enjoying dinner.

About as close as the mother would let us get.

During the day, the kangaroos who were hanging out in the fields sought shade under the trees they could find, even as they grazed. While I wouldn't have been surprised if it were hot in the mountains, the wind was actually quite cold and the sun was a nice spot to be.

Seeking refuge in the shade.

While the grasslands were filled with grazing kangaroos, I didn't expect to see all that many as we were hiking in the wooded mountains all day Saturday. After all, the scrub and underbrush made it pretty difficult landscape to hop through, and the 'roos seemed to be partial to eating grass, which wasn't all that prevalent in the woods. However, over the course of the day, we did end up seeing a few of them among the trees, and even one or two of them expertly hopping through the forest, somehow negotiating around all of the flora.

A kangaroo trying to hide in the forest.

While the kangaroos weren't necessarily prevalent in the forest, there were plenty of other animals. One that kept showing up again and again was the brushturkey, colloquially known as a "bush turkey." The birds look not unlike your standard run-of-the-mill turkey in the US, but a quick search online indicates that they are not at all related.

A brushturkey wandering a trail.

The black birds, with distinctive red heads and yellow necks, are interesting in that they build mounds to incubate their eggs. We watched many of them in the wild in the process of digging, and in urban areas they were easy to spot as they destroyed landscaped area outside of buildings.

A turkey building a mound.

Aside from the kangaroos and bush turkeys, we saw plenty of other birds in the Bunyas. One that is worth noting is the magpie. While not unique to Australia, there is a specific type of magpie that lives here. The black and white birds are known for their love of swooping to attack people. In fact, we are heading into magpie swooping season, and I have been warned by multiple people to not turn around if you hear a bird coming for you. Better to take one in the back of the head than in the face.

So that sums up the animals seen in the wild in the Bunya Mountains, but on the way back to Brisbane by way of the small town (think population under 500 people) of Jondaryan, we stopped into the Woolshed which, among other things had a petting zoo. But, before we even got there we stopped in Brymaroo—not even a town; simply a cross-road—and saw cattle grazing. Cattle farming is a large driver of the economy in Australia, and the current drought is causing some major problems for the industry.

Cattle grazing in Brymaroo.

At the Woolshed, we got to see (not surprisingly) a lot of sheep, but also a full range of livestock which is seen in farms in Queensland. We had a nice time patting (that is, how Australians say "petting") the animals, including a chill horse and two very cute goat kids.

A horse with a great mustache.

Kid pats.

Just because the next few days were spent in Brisbane, didn't mean our animal adventures were over. Far from it, the concrete jungle offered the chance to see a slew of Aussie animals thanks to a day trip upriver from the city to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. While it would come as no surprise that the facility is home to more than 130 koalas, they weren't the only things to check out.

Koalas: the main stars.

Koalas are, like kangaroos, marsupials—not bears as some people mistakenly think. They hang out in trees most of the day, alternating between eating eucalyptus and sleeping. They are relatively calm, though can be a bit vicious if you disturb them; and you don't want to be on the receiving end of their claws if you irritate them.

Of course, there were also plenty of kangaroos. And unlike the 'roos in the mountains, these guys weren't scared off by people, so it was possible to pat and take photos with them. And with a range of wombats and kangaroos, there were much bigger animals than the ones we saw in the mountains.

Kangaroos at Lone Pine.

Other marsupials at Lone Pine included wombats and Tasmanian devils. Wombats are large, lethargic creatures who slowly saunter around or, often just lounge and sleep. They're generally very docile and it's possible to pat them. But the same cannot be said for their little cousins, the Tasmanian devil.

Tasmanian devils are, as you might guess, native to Tasmania (an island state off the southeastern coast of Australia). They are small, carnivorous, and earned their name due to their demonic shriek. While they won't kill you, they're not something you would want to run across as they can bite and have razor-sharp teeth. And if they happen to come across a body, they have no qualms about eating it.

A Tasmanian devil and a wombat.

Also on the list of animals you don't want to cross are the cassowaries. The large Southern Cassowary, which is one of the largest birds in the world, looks pretty prehistoric. While they don't eat people, they do occasionally attack when feeling threatened. They can be six-and-a-half feet tall and weigh upwards of 120 pounds. And if that's not terrifying enough, add to the mix five-inch "dagger-like" claws, the ability to run at 30mph and a vertical leap of five feet, and you've got a bird I'm not going to mess with.

Their cousin, the emu, is even larger, but far more docile. The emu appears on the Australian coat of arms alongside the kangaroo.

A cassowary and an emu. One was in a fenced enclosure, one was not.

In addition to the large birds, there were dozens of smaller birds to be seen at Lone Pine. Among the range of parakeets and various birds of prey, some of my favourites were the box owl and the always dazzling lorikeets, with their rainbow feathering.

A box owl and a lorikeet.

Finally, another common sight at Lone Pine, and around the city of Brisbane over the next few days, were the large water dragons who like to hang out on footpaths and in parks. When walking around in parks, it was pretty important to keep an eye out for them just laying around.

An Australian water dragon.

So there you have it: a brief look at some of the interesting animals (and, admittedly, mundane but cute animals) I came across in the last two weeks. Of course, it is by no means an exhaustive list of Australian animals. In fact, I probably haven't even scratched the surface. But hopefully you learned something.

More segments about other things I have done in the last few weeks to come soon!