A new male

We had a lovely visitor today

He (very definitely a he) walked over to the school and managed to get under the fence.

He then ran rather quickly

over to a tree, climbing very well,  where he spent the rest of the day.

Nice clean bottom, clear eyes and very healthy looking.

We are hoping he will become a permanent resident to take over the throne of "Dude" at the Sailing Club.

Not that we like to see him dethroned but since males live about 10 years in the wild and Dude is already 9 he is approaching that time in his life.

At the moment this one does not have a name so if you do recognise him please let us know.

(more white on rump than shows in this picture)

Thank you Bev Caddy for the lovely photos and showing him to the visitors

Koala Trivia

Koala Facts

• Since European Settlement 80% of Koala habitat has been destroyed
• Habitat is the bushland where they live and breed (Eucalypt forest)
• A Koala sleeps 17 to 22 hours per day
• They have individual fingerprints and are the only animal, apart from humans, that do
• They do not migrate and don't naturally occur on islands
• Southern koalas are bigger, browner and have thicker fur than Northern ones
• There is only one species of Koala
• A healthy Koala lives for approximately 10 years in the wild
• The oldest known zoo koala was a female who lived to 23 years old at Lone Pine Sanctuary in Queensland.named  Sarah and she is in the Guiness Book of Records as the oldest known koala. The oldest known male koala  wasTam Tam at Tama Zoo near Tokyo. He lived to 22. 
• ‘Koala’ is thought to have meant 'no drink' in one of the Aboriginal languages. 
• a male koala as a ‘buck’ and a female as a ‘doe’.
• A baby koala is called a 'joey' .  
• The pouch is  situated in the centre of the female's abdomen and the opening faces straight outwards, 

• One of the reasons koalas don't live a long time is because when their teeth get ground down from eating the tough eucalyptus leaves, they don't grow back, so after a time, they can't grind the leaves down properly and get enough nourishment from them
• The Koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ring tail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. 
• Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day. 
• Koalas are very fussy eaters and have strong preferences for different types of gum leaves.
• The koala’s paws are specially adapted for gripping and climbing. Rough pads on the palms and soles help it to grip tree trunks and branches, and both front and hind paws have long sharp claws. Each paw has five digits. Distinctive parallel koala scratch marks on tree trunks are due to this particular characteristic.

•  On the hind paw the second and third digits are fused together to form a double-clawed digit which is used for grooming purposes, such as for removing ticks.  

 

Information

The Tilligerry Habitat is a tranquil, 9 hectare Reserve bordered by a variety of parklands and the picturesque foreshore of Tanilba Bay. Its diverse flora and fauna make it an excellent place to observe and study nature. The network of scenic paths and boardwalks, over mostly flat terrain, make it accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages. Much of the area is wheelchair friendly. The Reserve includes forests, heath and wetlands and is home to a variety of fauna including; koalas, a range of birds and seven species of frogs. 

Part of the reserve was sand mined back in the 60’s and Tilligerry Habitat Ass has restored and revegetated the degraded land, by propagating from seed in the Nursery on site. This Nursery is also open to the public and welcomes visitors.   

The Tilligerry Habitat experience starts at the Environment Centre which is made from straw bales. It contains an Arts and Crafts Gallery, Souvenir’s, Educational displays, the Local Visitors Centre, and has space for audio/visual presentations and small functions. It has a large deck looking out across the reserve where filtered water views of the bay may be seen through the swamp mahogany forest.

Visitors can book a tour of the of the reserve with our trained guides, who will tell them about koalas, the eco systems, Worimi people, bush tucker and other flora and fauna of the Tilligerry Habitat. Self guided tours can be done at any time.

Anyone can become a member of the organisation.

To continue our work we need Volunteers

IF YOU HAVE TIME ON YOU HANDS WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU HELP US BY VOLUNTEERING FOR THIS WORTHWHILE ORGANISATION.

CALL IN OR

PHONE 02 49845677