Raymond Island

One our way back to Melbourne to begin our shipping preparations, we visited a few locations that we skipped on our first visit to the southeast tip of Australia. The first up is Raymond Island.  A well-populated island covered with holiday homes, this island has a unique feature. When the wild populations of koalas were at risk, a number of them were introduced onto the island. The resulting  koala explosion means that you can see them lounging about most anywhere there are eucalyptus trees on the island. Koalas are the only animal that can survive on an exclusive diet of eucalyptus leaves. This is partly due to their unique digestive system, which is shared by some very unique microbes, which are passed from mother to joey.  Being marsupials, koalas give birth and nurse their young in a pouch. After which, they will cling to their mothers.
 
If you look close you will see her joey in her arms.


Here is a juvenile, still hanging out with mom.




Their diet of fibrous and resinous eucalypt leaves is very low energy.  So koalas spend about 16-18 hours a day sleeping.  The remainder is spent chowing down on leaves.


Here is the favored position: a fork in the branch, and curled up to stay warm.






Males are a bit larger and have a scent gland on their chest to make it easier for females to find them.  It is a very unique smell and is noticeable for quite a ways downwind.  During mating season, males make a loud and low-pitched howling bark at night. It is quite bizarre the first time you hear it. 




They have serious claws and teeth and can move fast if they really want to. 






We also spotted a couple of echidnas cruising for ants. 




Fun Fact (by Jen): In Australia, instead of body shops or collision repair centers, the repair shops are most commonly called "smash" repairs. So, instead of having a crash, you have a smash.