So many new animals!
Almost everyday, I see an animal I've never seen before. I carry my camera almost everywhere with me in the event that I can catch one of these guys in digital format to share with all of you, but it's usually pretty hard to make them stay in one place while I dig through my bag to get my camera out.
The animals are so different and exotic looking to me that every time I see a new one, I feel like I'm seeing something that's near-extinct, something that nobody's seen in the wild for the last two decades, something that hasn't been caught on camera in over 45 years! I get so excited and start scrambling for my camera, because WHAT IF THIS IS THE LAST ONE OF THESE STRANGE-LOOKING THINGS THAT EXISTS??
And then passers-by smirk and tell me it's a common brushtail possum. Not just a brushtail possum, but a common brushtail possum... I looked it up - the "common" wasn't just to spite me, it's actually in the name. I did not find the last living wild Kirwaddledoopinger. Just a common brushtail possum that was trying to steal chocolate from a lunch bag at the base of a tree on campus.
Common brushtail possum on campus
Other animals that I've seen but haven't got on camera yet:
-Wallaby
-Kangaroos - I saw my first one 2 days ago! A mom with her young joey. I never realized how ridiculously amusing bouncing animals are! We all know kangaroos bounce, but to actually see them bounce into the bushes is hilarious.
-Frilled lizard (unfrilled at the time) - Apparently these are actually quite a treat to find. Locals were excited to hear that I got to see one already.
-All sorts of cool birds: sulphur-crested cockatoos are everywhere, black cockatoos, laurakeets are incredibly colorful and beautiful but their squawk can be quite annoying, and lots of other cool birds that I have not yet identified. Oh! But the seagulls here sound different - they have an accent!
Posted by Whitney 03/08/2008, revised 03/10/2008 by Whitney