Australia's
Wildlife:
explore its diverse wonders
| Wildlife
consultancies -
fauna surveys, customised
interpretive computer programs etc. by the
Araucaria team |
Wildlife
conservation
- wildlife conservation in Australia
Sustainable
wildlife tourism Araucaria's
conservation
projects |
Wildlife
behaviour :
introduction
and links to
interesting websites |
Wildlife Ecology: brief
information and links to
interesting websites |
Wildlife
Art and
Photography:
links to interesting websites |
Wildlife
behaviour
 Why do animals do the
things they do?
The answers usually involve staying
alive (ecological needs) or
contributing to the next generation
(courtship, raising young):
- How
does
a particular animal find its food?
Why does it need this kind of
food? How do young animals
learn what to eat?
- How
does it avoid
being eaten by others?
- How
does it behave
towards other members of its
species? Cooperation, avoidance,
aggression, social grooming ...?
- How
does it behave
towards other species?
- How
does it find a
mate? How does it care for its
young?
- Does it
see what we
see? Does it have senses we
don't have?.
- Play
behaviour - does it play? How? Does
it learn anything by playing?
Useful
links to information on animal behaviour
Animal
behaviour is one of the topics explored
in the Scenic
Rim Wildlife Ecology Centre
 Wildlife
Ecology
Ecology is
the
scientific study of animals, plants,
fungi etc. in its natural (e.g.
rainforest) or modified (e.g. farmland
with scattered trees)
environment, and their interactions with
each
other.
If an animal is to survive it needs:
- resources
- food, water, shelter etc.
- to
avoid being eaten, or infected by too
many parasites and disease
organisms
- to
avoid extremes of heat, cold, and
other climatic conditions
If
the species is to persist in the region,
at least some of the animals
will need to:
- live
long enough to
reach reproductive age
- find a
mate (although
some insects can give birth without
a mate)
- find a
suitable place
to give birth or lay eggs
- possibly
(depending
on the species) have enough
resources to continue caring for the
young
until they can live independently
Interactions
between
animals/animals or animals/plants can
include:
- one feeds from the other:
predator/prey,
herbivore/plant, scavenger/carcass or
parasite/host
- competition between two animals
seeking the
same food, nesting hollow or other
resource
- mutualism (mutually beneficial) -
e.g. birds,
fruitbats or insects drink nectar and
pollinate the flowers they
visit, fruitbats, ants and many birds
eat fruit and disperse seed
through the forest or heathland
The
above may sound simple, but different
animals do things very
differently, and the answers to
questions may be quite complex.
Some
useful links:
Ecological
research is one of
the topics
explored in the Scenic Rim
Wildlife
Ecology Centre
 Wildlife Art and
Photography
Some useful
links:
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have seen on
wildlife, birding, island and
outback tours.