DNA evidence, these researchers say, shows that human and kangaroo DNA is far more alike than expected, and that we went our separate ways on our evolutionary paths perhaps about 150 million years ago.
It is endlessly fascinating to think that we humans share common ancestors with every living thing on Earth. With the kangaroos: a kangan, or, better - a humaroo.
You've no doubt heard of the "dream job" being offered by the Queensland, Australia, tourism board:
An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months.
The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.
In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef, take care of "a few minor tasks" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
Image used by permission of Lesley, of Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art, Queensland, Australia. Thank you kindly, LS.
Lesley graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1982 after gaining a Degree with Honours in Design, specialising in Printed Textiles.
After teaching art in a High School for ten years in Scotland , Lesley immigrated to Australia where she has taught adults drawing and silk painting at TAFE Colleges. Lesley is currently teaching art in a private College in the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Excellent photos at this blog from the Northern Beaches.
I don't know if he has it on his blog (or on his other one - link to come), but this is a great video that he took of two lorikeets on his deck - with a mirror.
The was the very first post on this blog. The photo was taken by yours truly in Canberra, New South Wlaes, Australia (of course) in October, 2006.
Still hard to believe little ol' me took this shot.
And there wasn't a lot of magnification either, though I did crop it some.
Taken on the South Alligator River, Kakadoo National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia, October, 2006.
Yes, it's Wallaby scat. Very possibly from a Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby (they even have a photo of some scat). I was in Kuringai Chase National Park north of Sydney at the time. And I tell you what, I was very excited to see this scat.
Hans just emailed a photo he took of a bug he found in his home in Dee Why. Anbody got any guesses what it is? Christine says it could be an immature cicada, come out of the ground earlier than it should have.
Whatever it is, she's a beaut, I reckon. Here's a closer look.
The bird with the best name on the planet. The voice will be in my head forever.
Eastern Gippsland Water Dragon, Tidbinbilla Nature Preserve, east of Canberra, October, 2006. If you're in the area, go. Very much worth it. Saw a Red-Bellied Black Snake there. Venomous. Beautiful.
The only thing I don't understand is that stripe that goes up to its ear. Took a lot of photos of the many dragons we saw, but they all had the stripe going right up to the eye, which is one of their distinguishing features. This one only went to the ear. May be a different species. Or just a freak.
Well, dang, I just found out. It's a Gippsland Water Dragon, not an Eastern. Google wins again. Here's a good shot of the Gippsland, and info.
Took this at Sculpture by the Sea in November. Entered it a contest there, was one of the five finalists for the day. But I didn't win. Dang it.
Walking through the suburbs of Sydney one night in October I heard this "ooo ooo ooo" sound:
Too dark to see, I pointed the camera at the sound and snapped:
I got lucky. It was a Tawny Frogmouth, probably about 16 inches from tip of the tail to head.
Here's a closer look:
More here. And more images of the messy-face Frogmouth here.
Took this photo at Hans and Kellie's house in Dee Why. It's a shark egg. They lay them near kelp beds and the eggs get lost and tangled up therein and so are protected from the eight gazillion things in the ocean that would love to eat them.
Who knew?
You can find the dried up and hard shells, if you're lucky, washed up on certain beaches.
At the top you see the beginning of the long curly stringer that comes off the top of the egg - about seven inches long. It allows the egg to attach to the kelp. We didn't know what kind of shark it came from, but a little googling tells me it may be from a Crested Horn Shark. Here's the shark with its horns. And this is cool.
Bonus: This one never "hatched." You can feel the weight of the little shark embryo inside.
Crocodile basking in the setting sun in the shallows of the South Alligator River, Kakadoo National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia. Photos taken from a boat, October, 2006.
Photo by Me
East of Canberra got out of the car for some reason or other, saw this little guy not far from the road digging a little hole. I don't know what type of lizard he is. I'll try and find out.
Look at the back legs on that sucker.
There was a bad feeling in the genes of the universe on the day this sign was deemed necessary.
From a recent trip to Australia and the Northern Territory: The Comb-crested Jacana, according to the very knowledgeable and perfectly-talkative guide on the South Alligator River in Kakadoo National Park (part of the Yellow Waters cruise), has the longest feet, per bird size, of any bird in the world. Allows in to "walk on water."
The first post on this blog is, oddly enough, kangaroos. They're boxing.
We'll have other cool stuff like this for your marsupugulistic and other interests as we get cool stuff in.
This was taken in Canberra in October, 2006.
