i thought kangaroos were very violent.....they've got really big claws and punch real hard ya know.....(saw that on discovery channel)



here's a militant squirrel....XD

You took that photo or you just copy it from a site, Sou? And yeah, that fact with kangaroos is true. I heard that it's strong enough to kill a person (?)

um....my aunt took d pic of d pcock but the pic of dis squirrel is copied.(since its exactly like the ones that keep roaming around my house)
Edit:is it necessary to post the pics that u took? cant we post the pics of local animals taken by someone else?

Hyrax in our garden!

he's kinda scary!
look at those canine teeth!

@Sargon, what's a hyrax? I've never heard of it before.

@Soumy, it depends on the setting. Like all wild animals, if you bump into one in the wild, look out! Accidental encounters with wild kangaroos are VERY rare. They are very alert and are afraid of us. As soon as they realise someone is approaching, they're outta there! They'd only attack you if you were very close and caught them by surprise. But if they grow up around people, they get used to them and ignore them for the most part.

Their tails are very strong, and they can balance on them to make use of their two incredibly powerful legs. So yes, they can do a lot of damage. One of the worst things is to hit one while driving, and have it come through the windscreen - wild 'roo trapped inside the car with you.

On the opposite side, though, I've had a lot of them for pets while growing up, and when they're tame, they're the most beautiful, peaceful creatures I've ever come across.

I'd be VERY surprised if they punch. Their claws ARE big, but their forearms are very thin and not very strong. Those would be better for grabbing an opponent and pulling him towards you so you can bite him or get him in position for a good kick.

Shaz,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrax

They are only in certain parts of the world, I think mostly in the middle east?

The framing of the hyrax with the flowers is a pretty look in the picture. It is neat that you have them in the garden.

Well, we just had one of THESE pay us a visit - must have decided it preferred to be inside with the air conditioning than outside in the 33C/91F temps.

For some reason, taking a picture of it wasn't foremost on my mind, so you'll have to make do with the one on that link. Thankfully, it was happy to hide behind our tv unit while we found ourselves a catcher and he made his way over.

Oh wow, I love snakes but I'd have been a little worried to be around one of those venomous ones.

I hope it didn't go after anyone in your family.

Oh, after I posted you added to yours. Glad your family is okay!

Yes, that was an ... exciting ... afternoon. Mark and I were both barefoot, and in the same room, and it was moving around pretty quickly. Thankfully, it was more interested in hiding from the cat than actually attacking anyone (except the cat). I found myself thinking "do people REALLY jump up on chairs in situations like this?" and wondering whether the lounge or the coffee table would be the better option.

Australia is a scary place D:

Not where I live.

Stereotypical Australia:
Miles and miles of dust and bush in every direction. Petrol stations every 1000kms. Crazy bald guys riding kangaroos wearing giant brown hats with wine corks hanging off.
"G'day mate!" "Snag another prawn on the Barbie, mate," "Crikey mate, don't let the crocs bite off your legs!"

Hardly any of that happens in Melbourne, where I live. You'd be more likely to find something like that in Alice springs. I've never been there though, so I wouldn't know.

But what about the snakes? D:

Whoa.
Was it THAT big?

Thankfully, this one wasn't fully grown. Bigger than the "little" ones they'd been playing with earlier, but still deadly if you got bitten.

@Sargon and Shaz:
I'm glad I didn't get one of those in my house. I occasionally find small lizards in my back yard, but there are never any snakes anywhere near where I live.