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PETS | Wildlife wonders
August http://www.facebook.com/petsmagazine
There are a lot of great
native animals out
there. PETS picks some
of our favourites.Five Five
Au ie Au ie
favesfaves
Koala
When it comes to natives we love, it’s hard to
go past this little guy! The koala is a herbivorous
marsupial, with leaves from our native
eucalypts making up the majority of its diet.
The koala lives an average of 13–18 years,
with the dingo being one of its natural
predators. Nowadays, humans are their
primary threat, with habitat destruction being
a major cause of the koala’s population decline.
You can help protect koalas by keeping your
cat indoors. Some cats attack these beautiful
creatures — bad news for koalas indeed. To
fi nd out more about how you can help save the
koalas, visit the Australian Koala Foundation’s
website at savethekoala.comPlatypus
The platypus is one of only three egg-
laying mammals in the world, making it a
monotreme. Known for its wide bill and
webbed feet, the platypus was once found
quite commonly, but is now extinct in South
Australia, with concerns for numbers along
the eastern seaboard, too.
The population decline can be attributed
to many things, including rivers drying up,
overfi shing, resulting in the platypus’s diet
becoming drastically inhibited, and even
yabby traps. Known as Opera House traps,
these can catch multiple platypuses,
resulting in their deaths.FACT:
Koalas don’t normally need to drink as
they get a lot of moisture from gum
leaves. Occasionally, however, they
can drink water to help keep them
hydrated, such as in cases of drought.FACT:
When platypuses were fi rst
discovered, European scientists and
naturalists believed the animal to
be a fake due to its unique looks.a.cFFFAAC
Koala
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