Echidnas are really cool! Literally – their body temperature is lower than that of many other mammals. But the problem with all these quills is that leaves stick to them all the time!
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Whether considered a separate species from the domestic dog or not, the dingo is an important component of Australian ecosystems. As apex predators, they help regulate populations of prey species, such as kangaroos and wallabies. There is also increasing evidence that healthy dingo populations suppress foxes and potentially exclude them from some habitats, thus contributing to the conservation of some threatened native species. However, dingoes are persecuted throughout much of their range on mainland Australia because of their perceived impacts on livestock. In many regions baiting programs for dingoes and ‘wild dogs’ are institutionalised, disrupting the important ecological roles that dingoes play. Since European settlement wild (feral) dogs have interbred with dingoes, and mainland populations are no longer pure. Nevertheless we regularly see dingoes at Girralong and on a quiet evening you may hear them howling on a distant ridge. This handsome fellow looks dingo enough for us!
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Nature NotesDocumenting some of our wildlife and nature observations. Archives
October 2019
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