Australia’s lyrebird got its name from the shape of its tale, which is said to resemble the lyre, an ancient Greek musical instrument mastered most notably by the god Apollo. But the lyrebird could also have been labeled the liar bird for its masterful mimicry. The lyrebird (found in the same part of Australia from which Kangaeroo hails) can copy just about any sound, including human voices, with near perfection. Lyrebirds are just one of myriad birds found in Australia. Birdlife down under is amazing! Birds come in all shapes, sizes, colors and types. Nothing can beat the amazing cacophony…
Koalas are a gorgeous symbol of Australia. Contrary to a once-popular belief, the koala is not a bear. It is, in fact, a marsupial, most closely related to the wombat and kangaroo than it is to anything ursine. Back in the mid-1980s, koalas set off a frenzy among Japanese when they were first brought to zoos here. Like the country itself, though, Japan’s koalas are aging and the country’s koala population has dwindled below half of its peak in the late 1990s. Koalas generally sleep for 22 hours a day, so the animals in these photos are essentially in action…
Having looked at the emu, one of the stars of the Australian coat of arms in our previous post, it would be rude not to look at the other half of the emblem, the kangaroo. Roos are also the national animal of Australia. And here’s a gallery of greys to help make your day. (Of course, we shouldn’t forget that kangaroos are also the inspiration for this site, kangaeroo, the thinking kangaroo.
Emus are huge, flightless birds endemic to Australia. They’re also featured on the country’s coat of arms, together with the kangaroo, with both creatures selected because they are physically incapable of taking a step backward, meaning they can only advance. Emus are one of Australia’s myriad glorious birds and trail only the ostrich as the world’s largest birds. They’re also capable of running up to 50 km/h! The link with dinosaurs also becomes pretty obvious just by looking at these creatures. Emus are also known to have controlled the late British comedian Rod Hull.
オーストラリアの最も有名な車ブランドであったホールデンが2020年いっぱいで廃止となることは親会社であるジェネラルモーターズ社の17日発表で分かった。 1908年に始まったオーストラリア国内製造が2017年に終わったが以降シボレー車が輸入されてホールデンブランドで販売された。 しかし、販売数が伸び悩み、結局GMがホールデンブランドを廃止することを断行した。 一時、オーストラリア製造業の象徴であったホールデン車が事実上存在しなくなる。 販売終了後、約10年間メンテナンスのために200人程度を雇用する予定はしている、とGMがいう。