Desert Animals
Dingo
The Dingo is Australia's wild dog, similar to the domestic dog. It is a short-haired medium sized dog with a bushy tail, and red to yellow fur, they often have white or black spots on their feet or around their nose. Dingoes have very strong claws and an angled head with pointy ears. They communicate with other Dingoes by howling. It is also a mammal due to the fact that it is warmblooded and eat meat.
The Dingo is not a native animal to Australia, There are theories that Dingoes were brought to Australia by Koori people 15,000 years ago. Dingoes are found in all Habitat types ranging from alpine, woodland, grassland and desert and tropical regions. Pure Dingoes are extremely rare throughout the world.
The Dingo is not a native animal to Australia, There are theories that Dingoes were brought to Australia by Koori people 15,000 years ago. Dingoes are found in all Habitat types ranging from alpine, woodland, grassland and desert and tropical regions. Pure Dingoes are extremely rare throughout the world.
Map of Dingoes inhabitance in Australia
The Dingo can be found in all states of Australia besides Tasmania, due to the fact that they inhabit close to water sources. Generally throughout the mainlands of Australia.
As you can see in this map Dingoes are absent in Tasmania, and uncommon in areas of Victoria but common throughout darwin and Western Australia.
Dingoes have an undercoat that it underneath their short coat which protects them from the heat of the day and the coldness of the night, they also live around areas where there are rocks and caves to take shelter under on hot days.
Dingoes are most active at dawn & dusk when there preys are, their main targets are Wallabys and Kangaroos, they are also know to feed on rabbits, mice, possums, gliders, rats etc. Dingoes choose their habitat by the lack of water source, but when they are desperate for water they dig underground to suck water from cooler ground. Results have proven that Dingoes are not endangered and it is highly unlikly for them to become endangered any time soon, due to the fact that there are so many different species in Australia.
As you can see in this map Dingoes are absent in Tasmania, and uncommon in areas of Victoria but common throughout darwin and Western Australia.
Dingoes have an undercoat that it underneath their short coat which protects them from the heat of the day and the coldness of the night, they also live around areas where there are rocks and caves to take shelter under on hot days.
Dingoes are most active at dawn & dusk when there preys are, their main targets are Wallabys and Kangaroos, they are also know to feed on rabbits, mice, possums, gliders, rats etc. Dingoes choose their habitat by the lack of water source, but when they are desperate for water they dig underground to suck water from cooler ground. Results have proven that Dingoes are not endangered and it is highly unlikly for them to become endangered any time soon, due to the fact that there are so many different species in Australia.
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all Kangaroos, it uses its hind legs to hop around on, reaching speeds of 56km an hour. They are able to jump 8m in a single leap and 1.8m high in the air. Female Red Kangaroos are smaller, faster and lighter than the males, they also are a little different and have a blue-hued, grey coat with a brown tinge, Males have short red, brown fur. These kangaroos have long pointed ears and a squared-off mouth, they have two forelimbs with small claws and two muscular hind-limbs, and a strong tail which they often use as a tripod when standing upright. Females can weigh up to 18-40kg and males usually weighing twice the females weight around 55-85kg. They have an average life span of around 23 years in the wild.
The Red Kangaroo is the largest marsupial and mammal due to the fact that they give birth to a live young and mature it in their pouch for two months. Red Kangaroos live in Australias Deserts and opened Grasslands, gathering in mobs.
The Red Kangaroo is found over most of central Australia. Mainly the deserts but they prefer to inhabit over wooden or opened plains with plenty of shade. Red Kangaroos adapt well to these conditions. The Red Kangaroo was also proclaimed as the Northern Territory Animal Enblem in 1975.
The Red Kangaroo is the largest marsupial and mammal due to the fact that they give birth to a live young and mature it in their pouch for two months. Red Kangaroos live in Australias Deserts and opened Grasslands, gathering in mobs.
The Red Kangaroo is found over most of central Australia. Mainly the deserts but they prefer to inhabit over wooden or opened plains with plenty of shade. Red Kangaroos adapt well to these conditions. The Red Kangaroo was also proclaimed as the Northern Territory Animal Enblem in 1975.
Map of Red Kangaroo inhabitance in Australia
As you can see on this map (to the left) The Red Kangaroo inhabits throughout central Australia such as WA, NT, SA, QLD and many more, take a closer look at the grey areas.
They are generally not found in Victoria or Tasmania.
Red Kangaroos have adapted well to the fact that they live in such arid areas of Australia such as Deserts. There are many ways that they survive in such conditions, They lick their forearms to keep their body cool and help prevent dehydration by adjusting their body temperatures, they dig through the dirt to cooler ground and then lay in it, they find shelter around areas such as groups of trees and bushes.
Their diet consists of grasses, flowering plants and other vegetation, they can go for long periods of time without water by eating plants that provide moisture.
They conserve water by concerntrating their urine so they can handle severe dehydration throughout hot weather.
Since protection laws have came into place Red Kangaroos are no longer endangered and results have proven that it is highly unlikley that they will be endangered anytime soon.
They are generally not found in Victoria or Tasmania.
Red Kangaroos have adapted well to the fact that they live in such arid areas of Australia such as Deserts. There are many ways that they survive in such conditions, They lick their forearms to keep their body cool and help prevent dehydration by adjusting their body temperatures, they dig through the dirt to cooler ground and then lay in it, they find shelter around areas such as groups of trees and bushes.
Their diet consists of grasses, flowering plants and other vegetation, they can go for long periods of time without water by eating plants that provide moisture.
They conserve water by concerntrating their urine so they can handle severe dehydration throughout hot weather.
Since protection laws have came into place Red Kangaroos are no longer endangered and results have proven that it is highly unlikley that they will be endangered anytime soon.
Bilby
The Bilby is a native animal to Australias Deserts, it is small with very large ears. Their fur is light grey with a blue tinge. They have a long pink pointed nose and a black and white tail, they also have very strong claws which allows them to burrow quickly through different soils. Surprisingly the Bilbies pouch faces backwards. Bilbies are roughly 30-60cm in length with their tail being around 20cm, though the female is generally smaller. Bilbies have great hearing but very poor eyesight, which is why it tends to come out more at night, a Bilbies life span is approximately 10 years. The Bilby is also Marsupial due to the fact that they are nocturnal and carry their young in a pouch. The Bilby is found in scattered spots of the Tanami Desert in Northern Territory and in the Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara and Kimberley Desert areas of Western Australia, mainly the hot dry arid areas. As you can see on the map below it shows where the Bilbies used to inhabit and to their present habitat such as Broome and parts of Western Australia.
Map of Bilby inhabitance in Australia
Bilbies prefer areas with little vegetation. They inhabit hot arid areas with tussok grasslands. There are only three main Habitat areas left in Australia such as Diamantina area, one in Northern Territory and another in Western Australia.
Bilbies cope with the heat of hot arid deserts by living near shrubs and low grass that keeps them cool and gives them some shelter. But they are underground in their tunnel through the day which is around ten degrees cooler then the surface heat of the ground. They also only come out at night when they are in need of food and when it is cooler and to escape the heat of the day.
The Bilby tends to live in low grasses or shrubs, where it is easy for the Bilby to see predators and a easy path for them to get back home seen as they have such a poor eye sight.
Bilbies dig burrows in the ground, which generally is three metres long and two metres deep. A Bilby will dig a new burrow around every couple of weeks. At night Bilbies will leave their burrows to look for food, their diet consisits of bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi, they also use their long tongue to lick up grass seeds of the ground. On average Bilbies will only move up to 240 metres away from their tunnel entrance.
Bilbies do not need to drink alot of water, they get enough water from the insects and other food that they eat that contain moisture.
The Bilby is indeed under threat of extinction because of past droughts and having to compete with other animals for food such as rabbits and livestock. There are only a few hundred left in the deserts of Australia. In order to try and save the Bilby local Aboriginal communities in the outback have tried to create predator free reserves in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, which has had some success. Aboriginal people are wanting to help the Bilby from the extinction because it is a very important part to their culture and spiritual beliefs.
Land councils are also monertring Bilby populations, using tracking skills and knowledge of the deserts.
Bilbies cope with the heat of hot arid deserts by living near shrubs and low grass that keeps them cool and gives them some shelter. But they are underground in their tunnel through the day which is around ten degrees cooler then the surface heat of the ground. They also only come out at night when they are in need of food and when it is cooler and to escape the heat of the day.
The Bilby tends to live in low grasses or shrubs, where it is easy for the Bilby to see predators and a easy path for them to get back home seen as they have such a poor eye sight.
Bilbies dig burrows in the ground, which generally is three metres long and two metres deep. A Bilby will dig a new burrow around every couple of weeks. At night Bilbies will leave their burrows to look for food, their diet consisits of bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi, they also use their long tongue to lick up grass seeds of the ground. On average Bilbies will only move up to 240 metres away from their tunnel entrance.
Bilbies do not need to drink alot of water, they get enough water from the insects and other food that they eat that contain moisture.
The Bilby is indeed under threat of extinction because of past droughts and having to compete with other animals for food such as rabbits and livestock. There are only a few hundred left in the deserts of Australia. In order to try and save the Bilby local Aboriginal communities in the outback have tried to create predator free reserves in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, which has had some success. Aboriginal people are wanting to help the Bilby from the extinction because it is a very important part to their culture and spiritual beliefs.
Land councils are also monertring Bilby populations, using tracking skills and knowledge of the deserts.