Girraween Critters

[Mad Aussie]

Cunningham's Skink ... love these fella's ...
I found this one after a climb up the 'Pyramid' which you'll see in another thread when I get those photos sorted. He was right at the top with the best views of the whole area. Cunningham's skink is a large skink species native to south eastern Australia. It can reach up to 30 cm in length, as this one was, and is closely related with the more widespread and common blue-tongued lizards.
They have a distinctive keel on each scale, which gives them a slightly spiny appearance. Extremely variable in colour ranging from dark brown to black, with or without blotchy patches, speckles or narrow bands.
It prefers to live communally in the crevices of rocky outcrops or hollow logs. It is a diurnal omnivore with its diet including insects, flowers, berries, fungi, leaves and young shoots.

Cunninghams Skink by AstroVisual, on Flickr

Cunninghams Skink by AstroVisual, on Flickr


Grey Kangaroo
Just before we left for home we were treated to a visit by this group of roo's
The eastern grey kangaroo is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the great grey kangaroo and the Forester kangaroo. A big eastern grey male typically masses around 66 kg (weight 145 lb.) and stands almost 2 m (6.6 ft.) tall, making it the 2nd largest in Australia. The red kangaroo of the semi-arid inland is, at 85 kg, larger.

Like all kangaroos, it is mainly nocturnal and is mostly seen early in the morning, or as the light starts to fade in the evening. In the middle of the day, kangaroos rest in the cover of the woodlands and eat there but then come out in the open to feed on the grasslands in large numbers. The eastern grey kangaroo is predominantly a grazer, eating a wide variety of grasses, whereas some other species (e.g. the red kangaroo) include significant amounts of shrubs in the diet.

Grey Kangaroo by AstroVisual, on Flickr

Grey Kangaroo by AstroVisual, on Flickr

Grey Kangaroo by AstroVisual, on Flickr

And as a final treat ... one of the roo's had a joey who was about ready to leave the pouch for good I'd say ... like human's, kangaroo's have a lot of trouble with offspring that don't want to leave home!

Grey Kangaroo Joey by AstroVisual, on Flickr

[Lungelarry]

Some great shots here...esp. like the lizards.......

[Runmonty]

Great shots MA and thanks for the education on our local fauna.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks Larry

You learn something Runmonty?

[Yisehaq]

Great series and descriptions, MA!

[Mad Aussie]

Great series and descriptions, MA!

Thanks mate

[Marko]

Missed these and many others over the weekend - sorry - What a fun set Ma! Really dig the stories, variety of images! Who knew skinks were so cute? Last shot post one and the tonguing roo are my faves.