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Invertebrate- Worm- Round Worm

Round worms or sometimes known as Nematodes are a type of worm. These worms are truly remarkable, they can be found almost anywhere. From land to water, from rain forests to high up in the mountains, and even in Antarctica even in the human body! These are just a type of worm there is thousands of different smaller species with in this particular group of invertebrate. Most round worms are only 2.5 millimetres in length and sometimes even microscopic. Round worms are slender and their heads are actually very distinctive. They have either 3 or 6 lips and have a set of small teeth behind the lips. These worms only have 1 layer of cells which is covered by a thick collagenous cuticle, sometimes the collagenous cuticle can be made up of 3 layers.
I got my information from:
http://www.wettropics.gov.au/pa/pa_lowly_worm.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode

Invertebrate- Echinoderms- Beaded Sea Star

Beaded sea star comes in a few different colours, such as; pink, pale purple, brown and yellow. The small white dot on the beaded sea stars front is the inlet to the water vascular system. Every echinoderm has one but it is usually a lot harder to see where as on the Beaded sea star it is rather easy find. The largest that these sea stars can grow up to is 6 inches but these are still pretty small. Underneath their feet they have a large number of small suction cups which are used to collect oxygen which they need in order to live. The Beaded sea star is declining in population due to humans polluting their water and the over harvesting of the Beaded sea stars food. If we don’t change our ways there is a big chance that these animals could become extinct.
I got my in formation from:
http://www.julianrocks.net/echinoderms/UniophoraGranifera.htm
http://www.poineerschooldistict.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=2913&PHPSESSID=c1cc889686cd2b1981c3aa4bfb0d2ff4

Invertebrate- Sponge- Red Beard Sponge

The Red beard sponge a red or orange sponge that branches out, sought of like some plants do. Each of the Red Sponges branches is about 6 millimetres in diameter. This sponge can grow up to 20 centimetres in height. They have pores all over the sponge that take in water to keep it alive and then when it is taken from the water it dries out and turns into a brown colour.
I got my information from:
http://www.exoticsguide.org/species_pages/c_prolifera.html

Invertebrate- Molluscs- Knobbed Whelk

The Knobbed whelk is the second largest species of busycon whelk, being able to grow up to 305 millimetres. The shell of the Knobbed whelk is dextral, in other words the shell is right handed. If you held up the shell with the spiral end up and the opening facing you, the opening will be on the right hand side. The Knobbed whelk lives between deep and shallow water depending on the time of year. During Summer and winter they live in the deeper parts of the water, which can be up to 48 meters below the water’s surface. Then during autumn and spring they move to the shallow waters. When they are in the shallow waters they hunt for oysters, clams and other bivalves. When the Knobbed whelk opens the shells to eat its prey, the put the edge of their own shell to wedge open the preys shell and then they use their proboscis to eat their victim.
I got my information from:
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knobbed_whelk

Invertebrate- Cnidarians- Neon Jellyfish

The Neon jellyfish is a jellyfish that can grow to only be 13 centimetres in length. The creature is so delicate and fragile that they can break into pieces just from the impact of swimming into a net. The Neon jellyfish has no kind of pigments in its body which neither produce light nor do any other jelly fish for that matter. It was the 159th jellyfish that was discovered in Australia, it was discovered by a woman named Lisa Gershwin. And in her opinion this species of Jellyfish is just splendid. She found it on the 16th of March 2009 and there is very little known about this amazing new species of jellyfish.
I got my information from:
http://www.jellyfishfacts.net/neon-jellyfish.html
http://www.thistasmania.com/tasmanias-neon-jellyfish-find/

Invertebrate- Athropod- Daddy Long Legs

The Daddy long leg is a spider which can be found in damp dark areas but they can also be found in warm dry places. They Daddy long leg is a spider that is harmless towards humans due to their very small fangs that are unable to penetrate a human’s skin. Their body is about 10 millimetres in length and they have 8 legs which can grow up to 50 millimetres depending on the size of their body. One peculiar thing about this type of spider is that it can have 6 or 8 eyes. A Daddy long leg makes a web that is messy and tangled and uses it as a home and to trap its prey. Trapping their prey is very simple, prey lands in web and can’t get out, Daddy long leg wraps the prey in a web and then makes its lethal bite to kill the prey then it eats right then and there or leaves it and eats it later.
I got my information from:
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_weavers/Pholcidae.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pholcidae

Vertebrate- Amphibian- Crucifix Toad

The Crucifix Toad, also known as the Holy Cross Toad, can be found though out New South Wales in Australia and the southern parts of Queensland also in Australia. It likes to dig down into the grey soil and it tends to only come out after it has rained. It is a yellow toad that has red and black spots on its back, the skin on its stomach is white and smooth and grows up to 55 millimetres in length. When Crucifix Toads reproduce it happens after a heavy Summer rain, then the male calls out to the female and they reproduce while floating in the water. And then the eggs are laid on the top of the waters surface. The Tadpoles are a dark grey colour. Now days there are about 50000 adult Crucifix Toads left because of humans with their tourism. And also dirty water and the quality of it.
I got this information from:
http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Notaden/bennetti
http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=62

Vertebrate- Fish- Siamese Fighting Fish

Siamese Fighting Fish are an extremely popular breed of fresh water aquarium. These fish usually grow to about 5 centimetres but they are sometimes bigger depending on their species sometimes they grow up to 3 to 5 inches. These fish are well known for their amazing colours and awesome looking fins, just the way they move through the water makes them look so agile and delicate. Siamese fighting fish’s life span varies a lot on their environment and what they eat. Most live for about 2 to 5 years in captivity but mainly 2 to 3 years is how long they live for but if they are fed with anabolics they can live for up to 7 years. A lot of the time when males or females want to make themselves look bigger and more impressive they puff out their gill covers. Siamese fighting fish is carnivorous and they eat small insects such as fly’s, mosquitoes, and some others as well. They also eat worms such as blood worms.

Vertebrate- Reptile- Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon is a lizard; in fact it is the biggest of all the lizards in the world. They measure up to 3 meters in length and weigh 70 kilo grams. The Komodo dragon is found in only a few countries. (Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang in Indonesia. New research believes that the Komodo dragon use to live all across Indonesia and Australia, and then were completely wiped out by the human population. The Komodo dragon is a carnivore, it eats the meat of already dead animals but it has the ability to hunt and kill its own prey which is often birds and some mammals. The Komodo dragon has about 60 very sharp teeth, some of those teeth measure up to 2.5 centimetres. The Komodo dragon uses it’s forked tongue to pick up smells in the air, the can sell things that are up to 9.5 kilometres away.

Vertebrates- Bird- Kagu

The Kagu is a bird that is endangered and is extremely close to becoming extinct. The Kagu is about 55 centimetres long; it is a chunky bird and has an erectile crest. The Kagu doesn’t have a beak; it has a bill which is reddish orange colour, its legs and around its eyes is also a reddish orange colour. During the night the Kagu bird make a high pitch or rattling sound to communicate with other Kagu’s’ in the area. It tends to forage for which can be found on the forest floor such as snails or other insects. This amassing bird can be found in New Caledonia, but when dogs were introduced to New Caledonia the population of the Kagu plummeted and they were never really able to recover. When they reproduce they lay one grey blotchy egg, and then they parents take turns at sitting on the egg. Each bird sits on the egg for 24 hours then swaps with the other around noon. They only leave the nest during the morning to call to their partner and to have a quick search for food. The pair of them will incubate the egg for 33 to 37 days. When the chick hatches its parents and their older off spring help rare the chick.
I got this information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagu
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/309626/kagu

Vertebrates- Mammals- Naked mole rat

The Naked Mole Rat, also known as the Sand Puppy or Desert Mole, is a rodent that grows up to 8cm to 10cm and only weighs 30g to 35g. The Naked Mole Rat lives underground and is very well adapted to its living conditions. It has small eyes that have poor vision. They use the front teeth to dig, their bottom lip seals up under the back of their top teeth so their mouths don’t fill up with dirt. Their legs are small and skinny and are great for their underground existence, they can move backwards as fast as they can move forwards. They often live in clusters of about 75 to 80 individuals. When they reproduce they can have anywhere between 3 and 12 pups. The Naked Mole Rat can live for up to 28 years.
This information came from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat