Animals

Brushtail possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula)

🌸 Brushtail possum are nocturnal marsupials native to Australia.
🌸 They live in trees and mainly eat leaves.
🌸 Females carry their babies in a pouch for about 4–5 months, until the young are strong enough to leave the pouch and explore the world on their own.

Ringtail possum
(Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

🌸 Ringtail possum is a small nocturnal marsupial native to Australia.
🌸 It builds round nests called “dreys” from leaves and branches.
🌸 It uses its long, gripping tail to hold onto branches while moving and climbing.

Laughing Kookaburra
(Dacelo novaeguineae)

🌸 Laughing Kookaburra is sedentary and occupies the same territory throughout the year.
🌸 They are monogamous, retaining the same partner for life.
🌸 Kookaburra generally breeds in unlined tree holes or in excavated holes in arboreal termite nests.
🌸 It is the largest member of the kingfisher group of birds 🌳

Behind the scenes: a small friendship with a kookaburra

My friend and I were searching for a quiet, wild place with an open view to dance at sunset. As soon as we settled in, a kookaburra suddenly swooped down, trying to snatch what my friend was holding. But it wasn’t food. Slightly disappointed — and after accidentally scratching my friend’s finger — she stayed.

Instead of flying away, she simply watched us. All evening she allowed me to photograph her from an arm’s length away. Somehow, a quiet little friendship formed between us.

And when it was time to leave, she followed us all the way to the car — as if she didn’t quite want to say goodbye.

Little corella
(Cacatua sanguinea)

🌸 Little Corellas are thought to pair for life and will start breeding at the start of a long period of rain.
🌸 Both sexes incubate the eggs and both care for the young chicks.
🌸 They often form large flocks, especially along watercourses and where seeding grasses are found.
🌸 They are very social, playful and curious birds 🌳

Blue-faced Honeyeater
(Entomyzon cyanotis)

Eastern Yellow Robin
(Eopsaltria australis)

Golden Whistler (female)
(Pachycephala pectoralis)

Australian magpie
(Gymnorhina tibicen)

Australian king parrot
(Alisterus scapularis)

Rainbow lorikeet
(Trichoglossus moluccanus)

🌸 These birds are monogamous, forming long-lasting partnerships with their chosen mate.
🌸 During mating season, males use various methods such as hanging upside down, head bobbing and bowing, and prancing to attract a female.
🌸 Both sexes prepare the nest cavity and feed the young, but only the female incubates the eggs.
🌸 Chicks have duller plumage than adult rainbow lorikeets.

🌸 The rainbow lorikeet can learn a wide range of words.
🌸 A wild, adult rainbow lorikeet can expect to live for around 20 years of age.
🌸 Rainbow lorikeets feed mainly on pollen and nectar from Australian native trees like Eucalypts 🌳

Behind the scenes: a friendship with a pair of wild lorikeets

One sunny morning, I was sitting on my balcony with a cup of tea, enjoying the warm rays of the sun.
Right next to my home grows an Australian weeping bottlebrush, which attracts a wide variety of native birds, as well as possums and bats at night.

A pair of lorikeets often come to feed on its blossoms. They are known for their curiosity and a certain fearlessness, and I began to notice how they would fly closer, watching me as if trying to understand who I was. Day after day, I saw them in the tree and spoke to them as if we were old friends.

Gradually, they started visiting my balcony - hopping along the railing, bathing in the bird fountain I had set up, and even coming close enough to observe me from arm’s length. When I reached out my hand, they would gently nibble at my fingers.

I decided to offer them some food so they might come even closer. I had some grapes, which they loved. They began visiting more often, sometimes clinging to the windows as if calling me to come outside. Before long, they were no longer afraid to sit on my hands and eat.

I gave them names so I could tell them apart - the male and the female - and I started observing and learning their behavior. At some point, I felt like a true naturalist, a bit like David Attenborough 🌿

Now, whenever the weeping bottlebrush is in bloom, I wait on my balcony for my lorikeet friends - Brave and Wise - to visit. And who knows, maybe one day they’ll even learn a few words from me 🌺 🌳 🦜🦜

White horse

Horses eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads, giving them a wide field of vision, almost 360 degrees, but they do have blind spots directly in front of and behind them.

Merino ship

Unlike many other animals, their wool does not stop growing. If they aren't shorn annually, they can become dangerously heavy and overheated.

Eastern grey kangaroo
(Macropus giganteus)

Reticulated giraffe
(Giraffa reticulata)

🦒 No two giraffes have the same spot pattern; it is as unique as a human fingerprint.
🦒 Despite their extreme length, a giraffe's neck contains only seven vertebrae, the same number as a human neck.

Meerkats
(Suricata suricatta)

🦒 Meerkats are famous for their ability to hunt and eat venomous scorpions and snakes. They have evolved a level of immunity to some of these toxins that would be fatal to other animals of their size.
🦒 Meerkats live in tight-knit family groups called mobs. Mob members take turns performing specific duties, such as acting as a sentry to watch for predators (like eagles and jackals) while others forage for food. Non-breeding adults often stay behind to babysit and protect newborns.

Giant Crab Spider (a species of huntsman spiders)
🕸 15 cm - one of the biggest spiders in the world

Maratus anomalus Spider (female)
(a species of peacock spiders)
🕸 2 mm - one of the smallest spiders in the world

Common garden skink
(Lampropholis guichenoti) 6 cm

Eastern Water Dragons
(Intellagama lesueurii) 90 cm

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