Wildlife News with Donna Brennan
Wildlife Volunteers 5441 6200  www.wilvos.org.au

In the wild there are many fallacies floating around about our  native animals.   

One common fallacy is that if we touch baby birds, the parents won’t accept them back.  Fact is, most parents do welcome their chicks home. Some species may be a little more nonchalant. We always try to reunite chicks with their families, if uninjured.  They are installed in a ‘’man-made’’ nest, and observed to ensure they are fed.

Another issue is with identification of snake species without consulting an expert in the field.  Colour is not the predominant identifying trait, as this can vary greatly in the same species. Even more disturbing is thinking that young snakes are safe to handle.  A tiny snake can still inflict a fatal bite. 

Echidnas are incredible intelligent, as they have shown by their mere existence.  They can’t bite, and have no poisonous spines or spurs.  Their defence is being able to roll up into a ball and be ‘spikey’!  

Their fellow egg-laying monotreme, the platypus, can inflict some pain.  The males have spurs, so to avoid this venom, rescuers handle with care!

In Australia our scorpions don’t inflict lethal stings but can cause considerable pain.  If you think you’ve seen a scorpion dancing, you are not hallucinating.  It is part of the mating ritual. The male deposits sperm on the ground and then holds the female pincers as he leads her to the spot, where she collects the sperm.  This leads to 20-30 young scorpions.  All fascinating creatures!