By; Morgan Kempton
The Australian grasslands are home to many amazing animals. It is home to over 460 different species of birds, 110 mammal species, 225 fish species, and contains nearly 40% of Australian’s reptiles. It is a very important and unique biome.
One species naïve to this biome is the Emu, the largest bird in Australia. It is from 5 to 7 feet tall, and though it has wings cannot fly. the emu eats mostly fruits, insects, flowers and caterpillars. It’s natural predator is the Dingo.
“Emu.” Emu. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
Another native species is the Long-tailed planigale, found across Australia. This carnivorous marsupial is one of the smallest mammals in the world, with a 5.5 to 6.5 cm body and 4.5-6 cm long tail. A physical adaption has allowed it’s head to become become flattened, and there for allows the marsupial to crawl through narrow crevices and cracks in the soil. It has grey-brown hair and a long tail.
“Long-tailed Planigale.” Www.bing.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
One more species is the Dingo, a doglike animal that was introduced to the environment 3000 to 4000 years ago. They breed once a year and usually have a litter of about five pups, though the lead female will usually kill the other females’ pups.
Dingos.” Www.nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic, n.d. Web.
A fairly popular animal that calls the Australian Grasslands home is the elephant. This animal has both physiological adaptions that make it super strong so that can rip the bark off of baobab trees and get the water inside. These adaptations are very useful in the common droughts of Australia.
“Elephant and Baobab Trees.” Www.flicker.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
There are many more animals in this amazing biome such as the Meerkat, wallaby, and Wombat.
“Meerkat Family.” Www.technobuffalo.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web
“Wallaby.” Www.bestanimalsfacts.com. Bing Imges, n.d. Web.
“Wombat.” Www.pintrest.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
This is a graph showing a relationship between the population of the Dingos, a predator, and the population of the emus, the prey. The populations of the predator and the prey are very closely linked, and can largely impact one another. When the number of prey increases, the number of predators will increase as well, because there is more food. The problem is that the population of predators eats all the prey, and therefore starves to death. Now that the number of predators has gone down the prey’s population increases, because there are less predators to eat them.
“Predator Prey Relationship.” Bing Images. N.p., n.d. Web.
While there are many animals in the Australian grasslands, not all of them were there originally. Some of these species are called “Invasive” meaning they can upset the balance of the natural ecosystem.
The cane toad is an example of one of these invasive species. They were first introduced to Australia to eat a population of beetles that were eating all the sugar cane plantations in Puerto Rico, and while they did succeed in eating all the beetles, they started to eat any other prey they could, such as small birds and lizards. They also have poisonous glands on their heads, so if anything tries to eat them that predator will be poisoned and soon die. Their eggs are also poisonous.
Cane Toads.” Abc.net.au. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
The feral pig is another invasive species in Australia. These pigs were introduced as a food source in the 19th century, and it didn’t take long for them to become a colony. The feral pigs were, and still are, a big problem for the plants of Australia. The pigs survive by eating the roots of trees, so they can kill a lot of the saplings before they can grow into trees. Sadly, the vegetation is not the only thing suffering because of the feral pigs. These pigs can carry many exotic livestock diseases like foot-and-mouth.
“Feral Pigs.” Www.jpeg-feral.org.au. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
“Australian Grassland Food Web.” Www.bing.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web
This is a food web of the Australian Grasslands. As you can see, the three predators on top of their own food chains are the Dingo, the wedge-tailed eagle, and the Laughing Kookaburra. The secondary customers are the Maggie, echidna, emu, and frilled lizard, then the primary customers are the blue-faced honey badger, termites, kangaroos, and wombats. As you go up the food web, the trophic level increase. This is because the primary producers absorbed it, then the primary consumers eat the plants, and the carnivores, or meat eaters eat them.
Impact on Food Chains.” Www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au. Blue Plant, n.d. Web.
This simple food chain is one of the many that have been affected by us humans. Over years our actions have had a huge impact on the food chains, though it may not seem very obvious how. The reason they have changed so much is because they are so sensitive. For example, if someone used an insecticide to kill the bugs on their crops, then the predators that would normally be eating those bugs have just lost a lot of food, and their numbers decreased. Another way we affected a food chain is when humans hunted the Tasmanian tiger to extinction, its prey, the Tasmanian devil’s population increased.
“Tasmanian Tiger.” Www.huffingtonpost.com. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
“Tasmanian Devil.” Www.abu.net.au. Bing Images, n.d. Web.
For the last part of our project, our group came up with a new species that could thrive in the Australian tropical grasslands. Our species is a close relative of the mole, with a similar appearance. It is a couple inches larger and its fur is a sandy color so it can camouflage, and escape from its predators. This herbivore lives in underground burrows that it can make with its extra-long claws, perfect for digging, and living underground makes it easier to escape the fires that usually appear in this land. It also has a second eyelid, like a seal does to help it see underwater, but this creature’s second eyelid helps it see through smoke. It also has long teeth so it can bite into trees and suck out the water in times of drought. Our creatures niche, or role in this habitat is as food for larger predators. We have named the creature the Sandy hook-clawed vampire mole, after its sandy fur and ability to suck water out of trees.
Bibliography
“Australia; Places We Protect.” Www.nature.org. the Nature Conservancy, 2015. Web.
(“Long-tailed Planigale.” Www.Australianwildlifeconcervancy.org. Australian Wildlife Concervancy, n.d. Web)
https://www.australianwildlife.org/wildlife/long-tailed-planigale.aspx
(B, Nina. “Emu.” Www.blueplanetbiomes.org. Australian Savanna Animals, 2000. Web.)
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_australianimal_page.htm
“Grasslands and Grassland Animals.” Www.enchantedlearning.com. Enchanted Learning, 2000. Web.
(ttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml)
“Earth Floor; Biomes, Tropical Savanna.” Www.cotf.edu. ETE Team, 28 Apr. 2005. Web.
(http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/savannaha.html)
Cane Toads.” Http://savanna.org. Savanna Explorer, n.d. Web
(http://savanna.org.au/all/canetoads.html
Feral Pigs.” Www.savanna.org.au. Savanna Explorer, n.d. Web
http://savanna.org.au/all/feralpigs.html
http://www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au/biology-impacts-of-food-chains-on-the-ecosystem/.aspx
Impact on Food Chains.” Www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au. Blue Plant, n.d. Web.