补充阅读 Animals in Danger in Australia

Animals in Danger in AustraliaGREATER BILBYHABITAT: Semi desert areas of central Australia.DESCRIPTION: It has a thick layer of soft underfur covered by thick, long hair. The beautiful coat is pale grey, with black rosettes and small spots, and a black streak along the spine; the underparts are whitish. The body length is about 1 to 1.3 m and the tail length is 0.8 to 1 m. The animal is mainly nocturnal, and there are usually two to three cubs in a litter.THREATS TO: Introduced animals like foxes and cats.MALLEE FOWLHABITAT: The mallee fowl lives in the southern semi-desert areas of Australia.DESCRIPTION: The mallee fowl is mottled black, brown and white. It has a short tail. The crown and nape of the neck are black. The back is circular and it has a straight, long neck. A feature on this bird is a distinctive black mark from the centre of the neck to the centre of the breast. The average mallee fowl is 60 cm. in length and weighs up to 15 kg. THREATS TO: Introduced animals like foxes and cats and loss of habitat for agriculture.CASSOWARYHABITAT: Cassowaries live in the coastal tropical rainforest of Queensland. DESCRIPTION: Normally black with silky feathers and blue neck getting darker from the head as it leads down to the bodyTHREATS TO: Loss of habitat for agriculture.BRIDLED NAILTAIL WALLABYHABITAT: Found in forests and scrubland west of the Great Dividing Range that runs down the East Coast of Australia.DESCRIPTION: Coat of three shades gray, black and white. The body length of the male is 70 cm and the females length is 54 cm. A marsupial, it has one joey a year which spends most of its first year in the mothers pouch. It has a Bridle line running from the centre of its neck down behind the forearm on each side of its body. There is a horny pointed nail on the tail tip. THREATS TO: Introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats along with habitat loss for agriculture.DUGONGHABITAT: The Dugong is found along the Indian Ocean Coast of Northern Australia.DESCRIPTION: The Dugong when fully grown is about 3 m. long and weighs about 295 kg. It has a whale like body with greyish skin. This graceful sea mammal feeds on sea grass, mainly at night. Dugongs tend to live and migrate in groups. It has a notched tail and bristly upper lip. The male has two small tusks because they are a distant relative of the elephant.THREATS TO: Number depletion due to being killed for their meat, oil and hide in the early 1900s.FRESH WATER CROCODILEHABITAT: Found in freshwater rivers and water holes in northern Australia. DESCRIPTION: A small to medium sized grey or greenish brown crocodile with the male reaching up to 3 m. and the females up to 2.3 m. in length.THREATS TO: Hunting for their skins.GREEN TURTLEHABITAT: Tropical and sub-tropical waters in northern Australia. DESCRIPTION: The Green Turtle will grow in length up to 1 m. and reach a weight of up to 180 kg. Colouring does vary, but the Green Turtle commonly has a colouring of dark green or brown on its upper surface, with irregular markings. It has distinct horny shields on its carapace (just above the head). The Green Turtle has large, tough-skinned front flippers.THREATS TO: Reduced numbers due to extensive hunting in the late 1800s and early 1900s.SPOTTED TREE FROGHABITAT: Found in vegetated, rocky, swift flowing streams in mountainous areas between 200 and 1110 m. above sea level DESCRIPTION: A medium-sized species. (Females are 61 mm and males are 50 mm in length). The back of the frog varies in colour between pale brown, bright green to olive-grey, with or without darker blotches and usually with numerous small raised warts. The underbelly is pale, often with pale orange towards the rear and under the hind limbs. The toes and fingers are distinctly flattened. THREATS TO: Human activities such as road buildin