Alfalfa — Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), also known as lucerne, purple medic and trefoil is a perennial flowering plant cultivated as an important forage crop. In the UK, where it is not widely grown, it is known as lucerne. Alfalfa lives from three to twelve years, depending on variety and climate. It is a cool season perennial legume, sometimes growing to …

Acacia — Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1773. Acacias are also known as thorntrees or wattles, including the yellow-fever acacia and umbrella acacias. There are roughly 1300 species of Acacia worldwide, about 960 of them native to …

Wombat — Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately one metre (3 feet) in length with a very short tail. The name wombat comes from the Eora Aboriginal community who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area. They are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. Wombats dig extensive burrow systems …

Wallaby — A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod (Family Macropodidae). It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name. Very small forest-dwelling wallabies are known as pademelons (genus Thylogale) and dorcopsises (genera Dorcopsis and Dorcopsulus). The name wallaby comes …

Tasmanian Devil — The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), also referred to simply as ‘the devil’, is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil is the only extant member of the genus Sarcophilus. The size of a small dog, but stocky and muscular, the Tasmanian Devil is now the …

Tasmanian Wolf — The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Native to Australia and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (due to its striped back), the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or simply the Tiger. It was …

Squirrel — A squirrel is any member of the rodent family Sciuridae–with the exception of the marmots, Marmota; prairie dogs, Cynomys; and chipmunks, Eutamias and Tamias–and typically has a slender body and a long, bushy tail. The name is more commonly used to refer to those forms which live in trees, although it is equally suited to terrestrial types. It …

Spiny Anteater — Echidna also known as “spiny anteater”, is a mammal belonging to the Tachyglossidae family of the monotremes. It is the only surviving member of its genus in the latter order, together with the platypus. There are four species, living in New Guinea and Australia. The echidna is named after a monster in ancient Greek mythology. Echidnas are …

Sloth — The living sloths are a mere 6 species of medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South America belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. Most scientists call the sloth suborder Folivora, while some call it Phyllophaga. Both names mean “leaf-eaters”, the first is Latin-, the second Ancient Greek-based. This article mainly deals …

Shrew — Shrews are small, superficially mouse-like mammals of the family Soricidae. Although their external appearance is generally that of a long-nosed mouse, the shrews are not rodents and not closely related: the shrew family is part of the order Soricomorpha. Shrews have feet with five clawed toes, unlike rodents, which have four. Shrews are also not to be confused …