Kananook
Kids
Many small creatures visit and make their homes in Kananook Creek and the nearby reserves.
Our Kananook Creature facts will simply amaze you! Try your skill at our Kananook Quiz! Or maybe you'd like to colour a Kananook Poster to give to a friend?
The Lizard with the Amazing Blue Tongue
When
threatened, these lizards will inflate their lungs, causing the body to
swell and making them appear larger. The blue tongue lizard may turn towards
their aggressor with mouth wide open, displaying a startling blue tongue
and pink mouth. They then exhale, creating a hissing noise and causing
the body to deflate.
Blue tongue lizards eat a variety of plant and animal materials including fleshy leaves, flowers and fruits, large insects and snails.1
Blotched Blue-tongue Lizards do not have a venomous bite, but they are capable of biting very hard.
individuals are vulnerable to being preyed on by dogs and cats and poisoned
by snail baits.
The Royal Spoonbill
The
Royal Spoon Bill has an amazing spoon shaped black bill and white feathers.
Very long legs enable the spoonbill to wade through the water.
When breeding, long white feathers grow from the back of their heads.
The spoonbill eats fish and other water creatures including crab, shellfish, and frogs. It catches them by making a side-to-side movement with its bill.
Amazing Spider Web Facts
The
silk thread of a spider web has been estimated by scientists to be at
least five times as strong as steel, twice as elastic as nylon, waterproof
and stretchable.
The Amazing Burrowing Fish
The
Blue Spot Goby will dig a burrow beneath a stone or tree root, and may
be seen with only its head protruding from the burrow. Females lay up
to 150 eggs which are attached to the underside of the roof of the burrow.
Males remain with the eggs, fanning and defending them.
Blue Spot Goby
Light tan to greenish above, lighter underneath. 5-6 brownish blotches
on upper body. Size max 7cm generally up to 3.5 cm in Victoria. NOTE:
If you are a budding artist and can produce a better likeness..please
send us an E-mail!
Eyes, and other amazing features, of a Dragonfly
Dragonflies spend most of their lives as larva in water. Larval dragonflies
breathe by sucking water into their abdomen.
Mostly they are slow moving and rely on camouflage for protection.
However, when threatened, they can squeeze the water out with enough
force to jet propel themselves forward. 
Adult
dragonflies have four powerful wings that can operate independently
or together enabling flight speeds of up to 5o kph. Few other insects
can match the speed and maneuverability of the dragonfly.
Dragonflies have enormous eyes with tens of thousands of tiny lenses. The head of a dragonfly can swivel almost 360 degrees to provide panoramic vision.
Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and other insects.
The Very Hungry Short Finned Eel
Short finned eels have been known to go without food for up to 10 months!
Eels eat fish, worms, insects, small crustaceans, molluscs and water plants.
Mature eels can be up to a metre long and may vary from 6 to 24 years
of age. Eels spends most of their life cycle in fresh water and migrate
downstream to spawn at sea when mature.2
More truly amazing eel facts can be found in a Skipton Primary School student project at: http://www.skiptonps.vic.edu.au/eels.htm
BRAIN
STRAINKANANOOK QUIZ! TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
(TRY NOT TO PEEK AT THE ANSWERS! )
HINT: You can find some of the answers in this web site HINT: Click the drop down arrow to select your answer.