#East Australia

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Get Foxy with the Grey-headed Flying Fox

Pteropus poliocephalus, better known as grey-headed flying foxes, are a species of megabat native to eastern Australia. They are typically found in rainforests, woodlands, and swamps, but they have also become common in more agricultural and urban areas, particularly those that maintain large groves of trees. They are semi-migratory, moving when food availability diminishes, and can travel over 1000 km (620 mi) over the course of a season.

Like most bats, grey-headed flying foxes forage at night. They feed exclusively on fruit, pollen, nectar, and tree bark-- most commonly from figs and two species of eucalyptus tree-- and may fly up to 50 km (31 mi) in a single night to find food. Although they are quite large, P. poliocephalus can fall prey to eagles, goannas and snakes, particularly as pups or juveniles.

Because they do not feed on insects, these bats do not use echolocation to navigate. Instead, they use a large range of calls to communicate with other members of their colony, which can contain several hundred members in the summer. Winter colonies are slightly smaller, and segregated by sex, but individuals and families within these groups will stay together for several generations.

Mating occurs between March and May, when males stake out territories and compete to attract females. After mating, mothers seclude themselves in a female-only colony and gestate a singe pup about 6 months after breeding. Weaning takes an additional 5-6 months, after which juveniles separate from their mother. Daughters typically stay within their mother's winter colony, while sons join the male colony after a year's time. Individuals take approximately 30 months to become fully mature, and may live up to 10 years in the wild.

The grey-headed flying fox is notable for being the largest of Australia's bat species. Adults can be anywhere from 600-1000 g (21.5- 35.2 oz), with a wingspan of up to 1 m (3.3 ft). As their name implies, the body is covered with burnt orange fur, and the face is large and fox-like, with none of the large ears or distinct nasal apparatuses that distinguish other bat species.

Conservation status: P. poliocephalus is considered Vulnerable by the IUCN. Populations are declining largely due to habitat destruction. Many individuals are also killed by farmers, who consider them to be pests.

Photos

Vivien Jones

Shane Ruming

Andrew Mercer

[nando161mando]

Guadalajara, Mexico @antifastreet

[filibusterfrog]

east coast woes (one day apart)

[mysharona1987]

Australian doctor reveals what it's like in Gaza as UN backs ceasefire

Warning: he gets graphic.

Would mainstream USA news ever let this air?

[thebrightestwitchofherage]

Synagogues being burned down is becoming common .

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A post shared by @thepersianjewess

If it was a mosque or a church, this would be trending

[travelmanposts]

Matagarup Bridge, Perth, Western Australia: Matagarup Bridge is a suspension pedestrian bridge crossing over the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. Situated approximately half-way between Heirisson Island and the Goongoongup Bridge, it provides pedestrian access between Burswood and East Perth. The bridge connects visitors to the Burswood Peninsula, including the Perth Stadium, with public transport and car parks in East Perth and the Perth central business district. Wikipedia

[unteriors]

Wolai Avenue, Bentleigh East (Melbourne), Victoria.

[vintagecamping]

A family camping in East Alligator River

Kakadu National Park

1977

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

Welcome 2025!

Dusky Sea Snake (Aipysurus fuscus) AKA Timor Reef Snake

Timor Sea between Australia and Indonesia

Status: Endangered

[troythecatfish]

The Jewish Council of Australia issued a statement that accuses Israel of misappropriating the Star of David

The statement noted that "Israel's soldiers have been documented emblazoning the Star of David on Palestinian prisoners, graffitiing it on the walls of houses they loot in Gaza, and using tanks to sear it into the rubble of what used to be recreation parks for families." It therefore said that "these actions place all Jewish people at risk by tarnishing us with these egregious human rights abuses."

Source: Mintpress

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Abroad with the Broad Shelled Turtle

Chelodina expansa, more commonly known as the broad shelled turtle, is one of the largest freshwater turtles in Australia. The length of their shells can reach up to 50 cm (19.6 in), and their neck accounts for an additional 60-80% of their total length. Because of this length, C. expansa tucks its head in sideways as opposed to pulling it directly into its shell. At maximum, females reach a mass of 6 kg (13.2 lbs), while males only typically weigh about 4 kg (8.8 lbs). The top of the shell, or carapace, is dark brown or green, while the underside is a light cream; the same is true for the broad shelled turtle's head, neck, and legs. The feet are webbed, and have large claws which help adults to dig or fend off predators.

While they spend the winter buried in the mud, the broad shelled turtle is most active during the summer months, from November to March. During this time they are almost entirely aquatic, rarely emerging from the water even to bask. This species lives throughout the river basins of eastern Australia, and can be found in rivers, dams, lakes, and wetlands with plenty of vegetation cover. C. expansa is entirely carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, aquatic insects, fish, and frogs via ambush, and carrion whenever it can find it. To locate prey, they have a keen sense of smell. Adults are not usually predated upon due to their thick shells and sharp claws, but eggs and juveniles are often prey for foxes, dingos, birds, rakalai, and large fish.

C. expansa nests in the winter, beginning in late February or March. Outside the mating season, individuals are generally solitary, but aggressive territoriality has not been observed. When mating time roles around, males seek out females to mate with; following the encounter, the female climbs out onto the bank and digs a nest for a clutch of anywhere from 5 to 28 eggs. To seal the nest, she then slams her body into the re-piled sand and mud, compacting it into a plug that will remain intact until the following year.

Incubation takes about 360 days, though some nests have been recorded as hatching at 500 days; this process is exceptionally slow due to the two periods of diapause, or developmental delays, that embryos pass through in order to survive the winter. Juveniles hatch in the spring, and emerge from the nest at the first heavy rain. It's unknown how long these turtles can live in the wild, but given their slow growth rate and adult invulnerability it's likely that they can live in excess of 20 years.

Conservation status: The IUCN consideres the broad shelled turtle to be Near Threatened, due primarily to habitat loss and high rates of nest predation by introduced foxes.

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Photos

Claire Treilibs

Catherine Heuzenroeder

Shanna Bignell via iNaturalist

[nando161mando]

Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Majed Bamya's address to the General Assembly

[ziskandra]

I would love to hear why East Richmond exists

Firstly: apologies it took me a couple of days to reply to this ask. I needed the time to untangle my complicated feelings toward East Richmond's existence.

One of the primary justifications that can be made for East Richmond's existence is simple: the early bird gets the worm. East Richmond was built in 1860, preceding Burnley's opening by 20 years. The route 70 tram down Swan Street hadn't been created yet either, and wouldn't be for several more decades. The real question, of course, is why it continues to exist, especially given how much rail infrastructure has disappeared over the years. This is a little bit more speculative on my part.

In the 1960s, the track between East Richmond and Burnley was quadrupled with the creation of an express track in both the inbound and outbound directions. Both stations are provisioned with infrastructure which allows for trains to leave the express track and continue their journeys via the non-express track. This means the section of track between Richmond and Camberwell is one of the few places in the metropolitan train network where express trains are actually express (i.e., capable of overtaking each other during ordinary train operations). Theoretically, other lines have junctions where some of the same capability should exist (holding a stopping all stations service on one platform so the express train can run ahead of it) but as the same infrastructure hasn't been built, there is no effective way to build a timetable that makes better use of the functionality.

It is also worth noting that prevailing wisdom suggests that it is always preferred to hold a train at a platform as customers tend to get antsy about being stuck on a stationary train that they can't get off 🥲.

Long story short, East Richmond station (and more importantly, the points/turnouts that have been grandfathered in because of it) has allowed for better timetable capacity for trains travelling through to Camberwell and Glen Waverley. At this point it would probably cost more money to get rid of it than to let it be, so East Richmond lives on to fight another day! I am also lead to believe it has surprisingly good patronage numbers given its relative lack of actual services.

[mysharona1987]

[apenitentialprayer]

When you have the chance, maybe say a prayer for the Australian independent bishop who was stabbed earlier today, along with his attacker. May Jacques Hamel and Thomas Becket pray as well.

[terry-the-insane]

Animal of the Day for November 18: Flying Fox (Genus Pteropus)

Flying Foxes are the biggest Bats in the world, with the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox having a 5'6 wingspan, you might be shorter than a bat. Luckily they are totally harmless, Flying Foxes are herbivores who mostly eat fruit instead of insects (or blood). They are also incapable of using echolocation.