Australian Outback - Virtual Fieldtrip

Описание: #Australia #outback #ngscience #fieldtrip
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The Australian Outback

G'day, mate! I've got a pretty special field trip planned for today. Why is it so special? Because it's right in our backyard: the Australian Outback!

The Aussie Outback stretches across the central and northern parts of Australia, where the climate is really hot and dry. The harsh environment makes it home to some weird, wacky, and fascinating plants and animals. Let's dive in and take a closer look.

When I think of Australia and animals, kangaroos are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Kangaroos, or as us Aussies like to call them, "roos," move about by hopping on their spring-like hind legs. Kangaroos belong to a special group of mammals called marsupials. Roos, like most marsupials, carry their young in a pouch. How cool is that?

Another marsupial you can find in the Outback is the koala. Koalas spend most of their time in eucalyptus trees, which we call "gum trees." Their favorite food is eucalyptus leaves; that's pretty much all they eat. Eucalyptus leaves aren't very nutritious, which means koalas aren't too active and spend most of their time chilling out or sleeping.

But don't be fooled; not all animals in the Outback are cute and cuddly. The hot weather makes the Outback home to a range of venomous snakes, the most deadly of them all being the inland taipan. These slippery sticks can grow to a length of two and a half meters. Their venom is incredibly toxic; a single bite from one of these guys has enough venom to kill 100 fully grown men. Taipans also change color throughout the year; they tend to be darker in winter and lighter in summer. This helps them to soak up more sunshine in the colder months. Cool, hey?

Speaking of venomous animals, check out these guys: the redback spider. The redback is one of Australia's most venomous spiders. They're hard to miss, as they have a distinct red stripe down their back. Bright colors like this are nature's way of saying, "Back off, I'm dangerous!" Message received loud and clear. Despite being only about one centimeter in length, redbacks love to capture much larger animals in their web, like lizards, other spiders, and even snakes. Once the redback traps its prey, it injects it with a deadly venom, immobilizing and killing them in a matter of minutes.

Another classic, scary-looking Outback animal is the thorny devil. Don't be alarmed, though; unlike the redback and taipan, the thorny devil is not venomous. Its diet consists mostly of ants; they eat about 3,000 of them a day. The spikes on the thorny devil aren't for attacking and are used for defending itself from birds and larger lizards. And if it's feeling like the spikes aren't working, it also has a false head on the back of its neck to trick other predators. What a cheeky devil!

Can you hear that? It sounds like someone laughing. Oh, it's a kookaburra! This Aussie bird is a type of kingfisher but eats mostly land animals such as mice, snakes, and insects. Although their call sounds like a hysterical laugh, it's not because they just heard a funny joke. Kookaburras use their call to mark their territory; it's their way of saying, "Hey, this is where I live!"

But flying around in the Outback is another bird ten times the weight of a kookaburra: the amazing wedge-tailed eagle. This bird is mighty, having an average weight of 3.5 kilograms and growing to 120 centimeters in length. It is Australia's largest bird of prey. They eat pretty much anything they can get their talons on and are known to eat introduced animals such as rabbits, foxes, and feral cats. They also eat native mammals such as small kangaroos, possums, and wombats. The wedge-tailed eagle's powerful wings allow it to soar up to heights of 2,000 meters. They are also the only bird that has a reputation for attacking hang gliders, paragliders, and even aerial drones.

While the wedge-tail may be the largest bird in the sky, there's an even larger one that lives on the ground. Check out this fella: the emu. Emus are very similar to ostriches; they can't fly, but they can run very fast, reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. You want to know why they can run so fast? It's because they are the only birds that have calf muscles. You can also sometimes hear them from up to two kilometers away, as they have a deep and powerful voice that is used during mating season. Like wedge-tailed eagles, emus eat pretty much whatever they can find. This includes grasses, seeds, flowers, and insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.

Now get ready for the biggest and baddest creature of them all: the saltwater crocodile, or as I like to call them, "salties." These beasts can grow up to six meters in length and can be as heavy as one ton. Crocodiles are an ancient animal and have been around for millions of years. They've survived this long due to their strong hide, fast swimming ability, and their aggressive behavior.