Lone Pine Tasmanian Devil

The elusive Tasmanian Devil. We were all looking pretty hard to find one at the Australia Zoo but it seemed that they were either out of their enclosures or sleeping. However, Lone Pine has two and they were out, about, and having fun.



The Tasmanian Devil is not quite like the one from Looney Tunes. He's got similar markings but doesn't exactly spin in circles.



This video will tell you all about their diets and their behaviors. I can't remember if the movie makes this clear, but the Tasmanian Devil eats EVERYTHING when it comes to it's prey--that's bones, fur, meat and all!



Tasmanian Devils are decreasing in numbers throughout Tasmania (the only place in the world where they live) largely because of hunting before becoming a protected species in 1941 and since then because of a cancerous tumor that attaches itself to their face. Because Devils have very little genetic variety in their young, scientists are trying really hard to weed out the infected ones and monitor the spread of the disease. Several colonies of healthy Devils are being cultivated in order to reintroduce them should extinction be inevitable for those in the wild.



Tasmanian Devils are also marsupials (a surprise to me) and their pouch, like the wombat, is backwards as well. Not exactly sure why... When scared, the Devil emits a powerful odor which is supposed to be like a skunk's. The Tasmanian Devil also has the most powerful jaw of all... Well, Wikipedia says mammals but since he's not one... I'll just say of land animals. :)



I'm pretty sure I'll never see one of these in the wild but none the less, I'm fascinated. What a cool looking animals! It's like a mouse and a cat in one!

Lone Pine Wombats

Also at Lone Pine were wombats!! Wombats are awesome.



Wombats are burrowers and when Australia was first settled, they were mistaken for badgers! They are HUGE! Wombats weigh between 44 and 77 pounds and surprisingly for their size and lumbering nature, they are also fast! Wombats can run up to 40 kph or about 25 mph for up to 90 seconds!! It's the cheetah of the underground world!!





This video will tell you all about wombats and their underground mazes (plus give you a look at how they protect themselves and what a baby looks like).

Wombats are also marsupials. Unbeknownst to the average on-looker, wombats have a pouch like their cousins but strangely it's backwards! This is so that while digging they don't kick dirt into it.



Wombats are vegetarians and eat lots of roots and vegetation, however, a few animals eat them too. Dingos and Tasmanian Devils are their main predators.

Lone Pine Koalas

Adventures are afoot!! Monday was my day off and Jeremy and I finally headed out to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. They have more than just koalas there (but of course these little guys are the main attractions) which made it an interesting little day trip for us. You know I'm a sucker for cute animals. Surprisingly, even though this place is only a couple miles from Jeremy's home, this was his first time there too!



We found ourselves arriving just in time to catch the koala presentation at the park which was really quite interesting. Of course, these guys made us all laugh right from the start. First, this little guy popped his head over the projector screen to see what all us visitors were looking at!



Then, this other guy in the park, started making these strange noises which you can hear in this YouTube video. These are the mating and territorial sounds of koalas. Can you imagine walking through the forest in the dark and hearing that come out of the trees? What would you think it was??



At the park, we learned all kinds of cool Koala facts. First, there are two kinds of koalas: Southern and Northern. The Southern Koala is larger, darker, and in my opinion, furrier.

(This guy is a Southern Koala.)

Koalas only live in Australia and only on the east coast. However, their population is quickly decreasing--mostly due to land clearing. Koalas are finicky eaters. They only eat Eucalyptus leaves and of the more than 400 different species of Eucalyptus in Australia, the Koala only eats leaves from about 40 of them. And from among those leaves, they still choose to eat only the best!

Koalas eat about 500 grams of leaves a day which is the primary source of their water. Because koalas are kinda slow and easy prey for predators, they have adapted to life in trees and gleaning water from leaves so they won't have to look for water on the ground where a dingo might snatch them up! But because all their water comes from these leaves and because they need to eat so many of them to gain such a small amount of energy, koalas need to sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day.



Another interesting fact about their food is that Eucalyptus leaves are toxic; few animals can eat them. Here is another interesting facet of their adaptation--they feed on a plentiful plant that no one else eats and their stomachs contain a special bacteria that breaks down the toxins so their food can be digested!





Lots of koalas get run over each year as urban sprawl tends to move right into their neighborhood. They also find themselves subject to a new kind of dog--the domestic one.



Unfortunately, one other major factor to their recent decline in number is Chlamydia--a virus that can eat the flesh right off a koala's face, often leaving them blind. However, this can be treated and remedied with antibiotics.



Something else you might find interesting, each koala has special and unique markings on his/her butt. This is how many of the keepers at Lone Pine distinguish between all of their 190 little friends. When up in a tree, koala butts serve as camouflage because it looks like spots of light breaking through the forest canopy.



The koala pictured above is a male which is easy to spot because the has a dark, yellow-y looking patch on his chest. This is actually his "stink spot" which he can rub all over trees to mark his territory and attract all the ladies!



One cool thing about koalas is that they are marsupials (don't call it a "Koala Bear"--it pisses off the Aussies!). That means their young are born significantly underdeveloped and then crawl up the momma's fur and into her pouch where the can continue to develop. Once they're big enough, the koala can then ride on the momma's back.



At the end of our trip, Jeremy and I went in to hold a koala. OMG. Talk about fun!! I am so in love. Seriously. Who needs children? I just want to adopt koalas! I think that's illegal though... ;)

Future family photo??



This guy even gave me a kiss!! All on his own! They love me. They're my best friends.

Afterwards, we went into the gift shop to pick up our pictures and I swear, if I wasn't 24, I'd probably have purchase one of those little koala backpacks for kids under 10. Seriously. I also thought pretty hard about buying a stuffed animal. Seeing and holding one of these adorable little animals just turned me into one big kid.



I love koalas. I hope this made you love them too.