Emu Australia

"Major emu migrations occur about one year in seven. 

"The southward movement of tens of thousands of emus in certain seasons is one of Australia's greatest examples of wildlife migration

The Emus’ migration routes are also influenced by climate. As they can find more food in humid regions the birds wander always to places were rain was falling down recently. It’s not yet clear how Emus orientate themselves and can detect rain from several hundred kilometers away. Researchers believe this is a combination of sighting distant rain cloud formations, smelling rain, and hearing the far-off sound of thunder from distances the human ear cannot.

In Western.Australia, the 100-year-old fence, now called the State Barrier Fence, is the longest manmade structure in the state and is visible from space. It runs for 1170km through the state's southwest, from the Zuytdorp cliffs north of Kalbarri to east of Ravensthorpe.
Originally erected to keep rabbits from spreading westward, the fence is undergoing a multi-million dollar upgrade to protect more agricultural lands in the southwest from 'pest' species, including wild dogs, dingos, emus and kangaroos. It includes major plans for a new barrier, up to 700km long, through pristine woodlands leading down to Esperance, and $5 million has been put aside for that.

Viv Read, invasive species director for WA's agriculture department, says the plan is a response to the region's farmers, who complain of a rising incidence of wild dog attacks and crop damage from flocks of emus. "Extending the fence is a non-lethal way of controlling vermin and the alternative is baiting, shooting or trapping.
"The primary purpose and major benefit of the State Barrier Fence is to minimise emu impact on cropping areas," Viv says. "Major emu migrations occur about one year in seven. 


   

Australian Megafauna

The term "megafauna" is usually applied to large animals (over 100 kg). In Australia, however, megafauna were never as large as those found on other continents, and so a more lenient criterion of over 40 kg is often applied^.

Australian megafauna are a number of large animal species in Australia, often defined as species with body mass estimates of greater than 30 kilograms, or equal to or greater than 30% greater body mass than their closest living relatives. Many of these species became extinct, it is thought by many scientists, that with the arrival of humans (around 48,000-60,000 years ago), hunting and the use of fire to manage their environment may have contributed to the extinction of the megafauna. Increased aridity during peak glaciation (about 18,000 years ago) may have also contributed to the extinction of the megafauna.

Australia has a few remaining native megafauna, such as the Red Kangaroo, Emu and Estuarine Crocodile, whilst the oceans that surround our continent are home to the largest living marine megafauna, like the Blue Whale, Giant Squid, Whale Shark and Leather-back turtle. However, Australia didn’t always have so few native megafauna, instead our island continent was once home to the largest ever monotremes (egg-laying mammals), marsupials (pouched mammals), lizards and birds. Evidence of these extinct megafauna can be found across Australia as fossilised remains found in deep dark caves, eroding from river and creek banks, in ancient swampy peat bogs and dried-up salt lakes, and even eroding from old beach dunes.

Australian Lions
Thylacoleo ("pouch lion") is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that lived in Australia 2 million to 46 thousand years ago. Some of these "marsupial lions" were the largest mammalian predators in Australia of that time, with Thylacoleo carnifex approaching the weight of a small lion.

Giant kangaroos
Procoptodon (Giant Short-faced Kangaroo) was the largest kangaroo to ever live, standing 8 feet tall and possessing a truly bizarre body-shape. Unlike modern day kangaroos Procoptodon had an extremely short face, almost human-like, enormously long and strong forearms, robust and muscular legs and a short thick tail. Procoptodon was not built for excessive hopping, in fact, it would have used its long arms, strong legs and thick tail to balance itself whilst it pulled down large branches from trees, stripping them of their new leaves to feed such a bulky body. Fossils of this giant have been found in the Winton district, preserved as fragmentary teeth and a possible pelvis.

Australia Dinosaur fossils

Dinosaurs Australia! Much of Queensland's Outback was once part of the 'Great Inland Sea' of Australia, resulting in the region being rich in fossils.

Queensland's Age of Dinosaurs spans three geological Periods, the Triassic, Jurassic and the Cretaceous Period, which includes some of the world's oldest evidence for dinosaurs.


During the time that Queensland dinosaurs roamed the land, swimming reptiles such as plesiosaurs, pliosaurs and ichthyosaurs dominated the seas. Their remains were preserved in rocks in central and western Queensland - site of a vast inland sea 100 million years ago.

Dinosaurs Australia! A carnivorous theropod, Banjo is the most complete meat-eating dinosaur skeleton yet found in Australia.

Australovenator has been coined as Australia's answer to Velociraptor for its speed, razor-sharp teeth and three large slashing claws on each hand. At approximately 5 metres long, 1.5 metres high at the hip and weighing 500 kg, Australovenator was many times bigger than Velociraptor.

Banjo is named after the famous Australian poet Banjo Patterson who wrote Waltzing Matilda in Winton in 1885.


Estimated to have lived 100-98 million years ago in the Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) period. 

Dinosaurs Australia! Much of Queensland's Outback was once part of the 'Great Inland Sea' of Australia, resulting in the region being rich in fossils. Visit Hughenden, Richmond and Winton on Australia’s Dinosaur Trail for your introduction to life during the Cretaceous Period. Discover the prehistoric creatures that roamed the land and marine reptiles which swam in ancient inland seas around 100 million years ago. You can also visit the world’s best-preserved dinosaur stampede at Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways near Winton.

Aboriginal Dream Time


Dinosaurs Australia!

Australian Aborigines also posses a number of equally fantastic legends of gigantic reptillian beasts whose descriptions and habits told for thousands of years would fit the exact description of monsters known only to scientific textbooks of Palaeontologists. According to the folklore of the former tribes of the area around Lake Alexandrina, South Australia, there once lived back in the Dream Time a giant reptillian beast which was taller than the trees and which a great hunter named Wyungare killed by spearing the creature. The monster was said to have moved quickly upon its hind legs whose feet possessed great claws. Its two front legs were too small to be useful and its had a fearsome head with sharp teeth.

Dinosaur Eggs Recipe


Hard-boil eggs and dye them green with food coloring. Use markers to speckle the eggs. Put the eggs in a "nest" (a basket filled with artificial grass). Invite the students to taste the "dinosaur eggs".