with Junior Reporter Polly Deppeler
Queensland has many beautiful animals. But not all of them have a huge population! The Sunshine Coast has many endangered animals and a few of these could go extinct in the next 30 years.
The Green Sea Turtle
The green turtle is one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the different species. Did you know that they are called the Green Turtles because of their green fat? Green Turtles are found mainly in Topical and Sub-Tropical waters. Like other turtles, this turtle will travel long distances for migration and feeding grounds.
Fun fact! Did you know that turtles always go back to the same breeding ground as the one they were born on!
Green turtles graze on sea grasses and algae, which maintains the sea grass beds and makes them more productive (much like mowing the lawn to keep it healthy). Sea grass consumed by green turtles is quickly digested and becomes available as recycled nutrients to the many species of plants and animals that live in the sea grass ecosystem. Green turtles are classified as endangered, green turtles are threatened by over harvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites. If we don’t protect these beautiful creatures, they could become extinct.
Richmond Bird-Winged butterfly
The Richmond Bird-Winged butterfly is the largest Subtropical Butterfly in Australia. It was once abundant from Maryborough in southern Queensland to Grafton in northern New South Wales, breeding in rain forest habitat wherever the food plants were plentiful. The adult male bird wing has a wingspan of about 12-13cm and is basically black, with green stripes and spots on both sides of the wings, and patches of green on the hind wings. The adult female is up to 14-16 cm, and black with white patches on both wings and a yellow band on the lower edge of the hind wings. Both male and female have a distinctive red patch on the body beneath the base of the wings and a green stripe on top of the thorax. This beautiful butterfly will feed on nectar from flowers of many native plants, including native frangipani, Pavetta, Black Bean and Lillie Pillies as well as many different Exotic plants. Habitat losses from forestry, farming, residential clearing and burning and, more recently, mining are the principal threats to the Richmond birdwing. Currently, ongoing loss of riparian habitat and invasion by weeds, and mining of volcanic rocks for road base continue to threaten this butterfly. In Queensland, the Richmond bird wing is listed as vulnerable, sharing the same conservation status as the Koala so we need to protect both of these creatures.
The Koala
The koala is the largest arboreal herbivore found in Australia, with a lifestyle adapted to life in the trees. It lives of eating Eucalyptus leaves and sleeping. Koala’s can sleep between 18 and 22 hours! Koalas have large, furry ears, a prominent black nose and a very small tail. The northern and southern populations differ in appearance – the southern ones are heavier, with males reaching 12kg and females 8.5kg, while northern males reach a maximum of 8-9kg and females 5-6kg. The southern population has darker fur with brown colouring, and the fur is longer and thicker; these are adaptations to the cooler climate. The northern population is a lighter grey colour, with more prominent light ventral colouring. The threats are habitat loss, modification and fragmentation of habitat, vehicle strikes and predation by domestic and feral dogs. Koalas are apart of Australia and need to be protected at all costs!
There are many other animals in Queensland that need protecting. If we don’t protect these beautiful animals, they could become extinct in the next 30-50 years.
