Thought it would also be worth mentioning my favourite Australian creature (and my second favourite animal) – the wombat. A funny story about one…
Just after I left school, four friends of mine (from Qld) went for a trip down to the snow. On the way they encountered a wombat in one of the alpine pastures and thought it’d be a great idea to try and catch it (DO NOT try this!!!).
Anyway of the four in the car, three herded the poor unsuspecting animal towards a large stormwater pipe, which went under the road. The plan was to scare the animal into the pipe and have the 4th member of the party (a 100kg + rugby player) grab the wombat as it emerged from the other end! So the stage was set. The wombat was chased into the pipe and the three “herders” raced across the road to check on their success. Only to see the wombat ambling away down the paddock and the rugby player lying flat on his back!
When asked what had happened the rugby player explained that he had been waiting for the wombat, heard it coming, but hadn’t seen it until the last few seconds, as the tunnel had been very dark. As the animal emerged he set himself, however the wombat ran straight through him – hitting him with such force that he landed flat on his back.
On reflection the rugby player said he couldn’t remember having been hit that hard on a rugby field! And that impact from a little ball of muscle weighing just 35-40kg was extraordinary!
Fortunately the wombat escaped unscathed and my friends gained a little more respect for our native wildlife. Both very good outcomes!
By BRIDGE8 under license from Mangorolla CIC 2024
While there are many stunning creatures – for me Otters are just extraordinary! They are incredibly well adapted to their environments, inquisitive, amazing escape artists (when in captivity) and they just seem to love life!
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This is really hard to answer. Platypus for the confusion they caused when discovered. Crocodiles for their cryptic nature… each species has its own fascinating thing
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