Australian Animals - Wild & Free - not in zoos

Pippan wrote in post #19468390
The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.
Rudyard Kipling

Near Winton, in western Queensland.

Camels (technically Dromedaries) are not native to Australia but are now living throughout the arid inland of our continent, with an estimated population in the order of one million. They are descendents of camels brought to Australia by Afghan and Pakistani cameleers, who used them to provide transport services during the 19th century for colonists who were spreading into Australia's outback. Camels (and colonists) do a lot of damage to fragile ecosystems but are present in numbers too large to control, and are loved by many in the outback.

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That's crazy. One million. I would never have known there were any in Australia.

Pippan wrote in post #19468390
The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.
Rudyard Kipling

Near Winton, in western Queensland.

Camels (technically Dromedaries) are not native to Australia but are now living throughout the arid inland of our continent, with an estimated population in the order of one million. They are descendents of camels brought to Australia by Afghan and Pakistani cameleers, who used them to provide transport services during the 19th century for colonists who were spreading into Australia's outback. Camels (and colonists) do a lot of damage to fragile ecosystems but are present in numbers too large to control, and are loved by many in the outback.

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One million is too many. I've heard that every year there are about 25000 removed or killed to maintain the population?

Lyn2011 wrote in post #19468802
One million is too many. I've heard that every year there are about 25000 removed or killed to maintain the population?

There is some culling and a small industry in exporting live camels back to places like Saudi Arabia, where their genes provide 'fresh blood' to camel populations used for racing, and for meat. I understand Australia has the world's largest population of wild, undomesticated and unowned camels. A few are caught and trained up for tourism purposes too, but none of this is on a scale that even goes close to making a dent in the increasing population of these feral animals. In drought times they are invading towns like Kaltukatjara, near the Northern Territory/Western Australia border west of Uluru (where I worked in the '90s) and wreaking havoc with water supply and other infrastructure. Here is a short video that shows some wild mustering of camels in that area.

Pippan wrote in post #19468807
There is some culling and a small industry in exporting live camels back to places like Saudi Arabia, where their genes provide 'fresh blood' to camel populations used for racing, and for meat. I understand Australia has the world's largest population of wild, undomesticated and unowned camels. A few are caught and trained up for tourism purposes too, but none of this is on a scale that even goes close to making a dent in the increasing population of these feral animals. In drought times they are invading towns like Kaltukatjara, near the Northern Territory/Western Australia border west of Uluru (where I worked in the '90s) and wreaking havoc with water supply and other infrastructure. Here is a short video that shows some wild mustering of camels in that area.

Thanks for the info Pippan. It's a pity that not more is done for our country.

Lyn2011 wrote in post #19468814
Thanks for the info Pippan. It's a pity that not more is done for our country.

Yes, in a couple of centuries we've managed to completely stuff up the continental-scale productive garden that had taken millennia to create.

Pippan wrote in post #19468807
There is some culling and a small industry in exporting live camels back to places like Saudi Arabia, where their genes provide 'fresh blood' to camel populations used for racing, and for meat. I understand Australia has the world's largest population of wild, undomesticated and unowned camels. A few are caught and trained up for tourism purposes too, but none of this is on a scale that even goes close to making a dent in the increasing population of these feral animals. In drought times they are invading towns like Kaltukatjara, near the Northern Territory/Western Australia border west of Uluru (where I worked in the '90s) and wreaking havoc with water supply and other infrastructure. Here is a short video that shows some wild mustering of camels in that area.

Some typical uninformed responses to that video.
Sympathy for the poor camel doesn't magic the environment.
We have deer here doing unpleasant things but their cuteness overtakes emotions and the rest follows

On a recent walk in the Lamington National Park, we came across this Lamington spiny crayfish cruising along the bottom of the shallow creek bed. They are very shy and retreat to deeper water, hiding under submerged rocks when disturbed. They can be quite difficult to spot in the darker parts of the rain forest.

They can often be seen in creek crossings or on the damp forest floor during summer. These colourful crustaceans have been known to travel more than a kilometre overland between freshwater streams. You won’t find them anywhere else in Australia!

They are rare and protected under Queensland law from poachers. Which holds a hefty penalty for anyone caught poaching them!

Cheers

Dennis

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nardes wrote in post #19469809
On a recent walk in the Lamington National Park, we came across this Lamington spiny crayfish cruising along the bottom of the shallow creek bed. They are very shy and retreat to deeper water, hiding under submerged rocks when disturbed. They can be quite difficult to spot in the darker parts of the rain forest.

They can often be seen in creek crossings or on the damp forest floor during summer. These colourful crustaceans have been known to travel more than a kilometre overland between freshwater streams. You won’t find them anywhere else in Australia!

They are rare and protected under Queensland law from poachers. Which holds a hefty penalty for anyone caught poaching them!

Cheers

Dennis

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That's awesome in every way Dennis.
Never heard of them.
Very colourful.
You certainly captured it beautifully.

avondale87 wrote in post #19469813
That's awesome in every way Dennis.
Never heard of them.
Very colourful.
You certainly captured it beautifully.

Thanks Richard, I managed to sneak up on the crayfish using my advanced fieldwork and cutting-edge tracking skills before it spotted me and submerged and hid under a rock.

I was pleased that the fill-in flash did not produce any unwanted reflections on the murky creek.

Cheers

Dennis

I came across this Land Mullet sunning itself in the Lamington National Park on a recent visit.

Although it has a fishy name, the Land Mullet is actually the largest member of the skink family of lizards. Large adults can reach 50cm or more in total length. The name comes from the smooth, shiny, black fish-like scales that cover the body. They are among the largest skinks in the world.

Found mostly in the rainforests along Australia’s eastern coast, most of its days are spent basking in the sun, trying to get its core body temperature up. It spends the majority of its time in isolation, and only seeks other land mullets when it’s time to mate.

Land mullets tend to be shy and elusive creatures, so they’re not that easy to spot in the wild.

Cheers

Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19470014
I came across this Land Mullet sunning itself in the Lamington National Park on a recent visit.

Although it has a fishy name, the Land Mullet is actually the largest member of the skink family of lizards. Large adults can reach 50cm or more in total length. The name comes from the smooth, shiny, black fish-like scales that cover the body. They are among the largest skinks in the world.

Found mostly in the rainforests along Australia’s eastern coast, most of its days are spent basking in the sun, trying to get its core body temperature up. It spends the majority of its time in isolation, and only seeks other land mullets when it’s time to mate.

Land mullets tend to be shy and elusive creatures, so they’re not that easy to spot in the wild.

Cheers

Dennis

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interesting and quite special. Looks well fed
Another animal I've never heard of. Keep them coming Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19469809
On a recent walk in the Lamington National Park, we came across this Lamington spiny crayfish cruising along the bottom of the shallow creek bed. They are very shy and retreat to deeper water, hiding under submerged rocks when disturbed. They can be quite difficult to spot in the darker parts of the rain forest.

They can often be seen in creek crossings or on the damp forest floor during summer. These colourful crustaceans have been known to travel more than a kilometre overland between freshwater streams. You won’t find them anywhere else in Australia!

They are rare and protected under Queensland law from poachers. Which holds a hefty penalty for anyone caught poaching them!

Cheers

Dennis

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Very special, how large is it?

nardes wrote in post #19470014
I came across this Land Mullet sunning itself in the Lamington National Park on a recent visit.

Although it has a fishy name, the Land Mullet is actually the largest member of the skink family of lizards. Large adults can reach 50cm or more in total length. The name comes from the smooth, shiny, black fish-like scales that cover the body. They are among the largest skinks in the world.

Found mostly in the rainforests along Australia’s eastern coast, most of its days are spent basking in the sun, trying to get its core body temperature up. It spends the majority of its time in isolation, and only seeks other land mullets when it’s time to mate.

Land mullets tend to be shy and elusive creatures, so they’re not that easy to spot in the wild.

Cheers

Dennis

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Beautiful, another very special animal.

avondale87 wrote in post #19470017
interesting and quite special. Looks well fed
Another animal I've never heard of. Keep them coming Dennis

Thanks Richard, the animal posed nicely for me after checking out that I wasn't going to harm it.

Lyn2011 wrote in post #19470023
Very special, how large is it?

Thanks Lyn, this specimen was probably about 25 cms long (10 ins) although I understand they can grow up to 30 cms.

Lyn2011 wrote in post #19470024
Beautiful, another very special animal.

Thanks Lyn, it is quite special when they let you get close.

Cheers

Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19470014
I

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Great shot and great info!