Water Dragons by Michael Spears In the fall of 1995, I was browsing at a local pet store that had a rather large selection of reptiles (for small town in Mississippi, that is). There were iguanas, bearded dragons, various common geckos, savannah monitors and large constrictors, but one lizard seemed to beg for my attention. [...]
Male spiders spend their whole life preparing for the time they will mate. All of their energies, movements, feedings, molting, and even the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives are designed to aid the continuation of their species. When males are sexually mature, they transform a hunger for food into one of procreation. Before seeking [...]
RED-BACK (Latrodectus hasselti) The abdomen of the female Red-back is round and large with characteristic orange to red markings on the middle of her back. Mature females are larger and darker than males. In fact, males are often mistaken as baby spiders. The Red-back is often found in dry-sheltered sites in the corners of sheds, [...]
GOLDEN ORB (Nephillia) Golden Orb spiders build huge golden silky wheel webs that are remarkably strong and often strung between small trees in woodlands and gardens. The female spiders are large and can often span the width of an adult’s hand. Female Golden Orb spiders are characterized by the yellow bands that run around the [...]
MYGALOMORPHS The family Mygalomorphs includes some of the largest, most ancient and most dangerous spiders in the world. In Australia we have 10 families of Mygalomorphs. Included within are the Funnel-web, Mouse and Trapdoor Spiders.
Bite Prevention Spiders do not set out to harm people. A common sense approach will reduce the chances of your being bitten by a spider, and in most cases, prevent it from happening. Wearing suitable footwear and gloves while gardening and exercising caution when moving things around your shed or garden are examples of simple [...]
Spiders have a body consisting of two parts, the abdomen and the prosoma. They have four pairs of legs and six to eight ‘simple’ eyes. They do not have any antennae, wings or true jaws. They are found in every habitat of Australia, from the harsh deserts of our arid interior to the slopes and [...]
All parrots have a number of distinctive adaptations that equip them for their unique lifestyle and set them apart from all other species of birds. Distinguishing Features Mandibles A prominent, strong bill is designed to crack open nuts and cones to extract seeds. Zygodactylous Feet Two toes point forward and two point backward. Each foot [...]
Lorikeets are restricted in their distribution to southern regions of the South Pacific and Polynesia. Of the 55 known species of lorikeet, only 7 reside in Australia, The Australian species are believed to be relatively recent emigrants from New Guinea. Unique dietary adaptations, such as their bush-tipped tongues, help set lorikeets apart from all other [...]
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) A spectacular sight is a flock of these beautiful birds on the ground, feeding on the berries and the seeds of various grasses. Fortunately this sight is not a rare one, as these parrots currently remain widespread and relatively abundant. They can be observed in the outermost branches of tall eucalypts [...]
Australia has one of the poorest records of wildlife preservation in the world. A result of this is that many animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. Parrots are by no means exempt from this carnage. There are several factors threatening the survival of these distinctive birds, two of which are outline below. Smuggling [...]
Water Dragons by Michael Spears In the fall of 1995, I was browsing at a local pet store that had a rather large selection of reptiles (for small town in Mississippi, that is). There were iguanas, bearded dragons, various common geckos, savannah monitors and large constrictors, but one lizard seemed to beg for my attention. [...]
Carpet Pythons – these Australian beauties weave a spell over all who see them. Carpet Pythons In The Wild by Charles Acheson Australian carpet pythons are unquestionably popular pythons among the general public, and most Australians have at some stage seen one of them in the wild. Usually, these people can recollect seeing one while [...]
Carpet Pythons – these Australian beauties weave a spell over all who see them. Carpet Pythons In The Wild by Charles Acheson Australian carpet pythons are unquestionably popular pythons among the general public, and most Australians have at some stage seen one of them in the wild. Usually, these people can recollect seeing one while [...]
Most Top End’s venomous snakes are not considered deadly. by Graeme Gow The northern half of Australia is home to many species whose bite requires medical treatment – so it is wise to steer clear.
Just wanted to write and say thank you for providing such a fabulous service. Caitie was just delighted. Your animals are beautiful and obviously well cared for. The balance of fun and education was perfect, game time was great for preparing the food. Everyone was very impressed, the children were very excited and yet, completely [...]
I would like to thank everyone at Cool Companions, and especially James, who attended our party on the 15th November. Very professional service, and all the kids had an absolutely fantastic time. Everybody loved their loot bags, and people are still talking about the party. It was a great way to celebrate a birthday, which [...]
Today we welcomed our newest sugar glider, Lola, into the world. Her mum, Pixie, is a doting parent and it won’t be long before Lola can come out to schools with Pixie and us to start meeting a whole bunch of new faces.
You know, even though we have an amazing variety of cute and cuddly Australian wildlife here at Dreamtime Wildlife Sanctuary, it’s still such a thrill to see creatures in the wild. Today when we went to check on our own snakes, we found a wild eastern brown snake hanging around. We moved him down the [...]
