Kids Corner - Interactive activities

WALLABIES!

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR JUNIOR GRADES
SUGGESTED ORAL DISCUSSION

QUESTIONS:

  1. About how big is a baby wallaby when it is born?
  2. What are babies wallabies called?
  3. Do they have any fur when they are born?
  4. Where do they grow up?
  5. What is their food while they are in the pouch?
  6. Does the mummy wallabies pouch face to the front or the back of her?
  7. Why do you think it faces towards the front?
  8. Do wombat’s pouches face towards the front or the back?
  9. Why do you think they face towards the back?
  10. Where do rock-wallabies live?
  11. Why do you think they like steep rocky places?
  12. About how old are joeys when they first come out of their mother’s pouches?
  13. Do they have fur by then?
  14. Can they still drink their mother’s milk from outside of her pouch?
  15. How many babies can a mother wallaby have at the same time?
  16. As they get bigger, some parts of the joeys stick out of the pouch. Which parts sometimes stick out?
  17. When they are learning to hop, they wobble about a lot, trying to get their balance. Has anybody seen them learning to hop? Could you show us please?
  18. Lots of our beautiful wallabies are in danger. Can anyone tell me why?
  19. Does anyone know how we can help them?
  20. Can you choose names for new joeys at Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary?

ANSWERS:

  1. About the size of a jelly bean!
  2. Joeys.
  3. No.
  4. In their mother’s pouch.
  5. Their mother’s milk. Later they can nibble grass as well when they lean out of the pouch.
  6. It faces the front.
  7. a. So that the mother wallaby can protect her baby where she can see it.
    b. So that it won’t fall out as she hops and bounds along very fast.
    c.The joey can also see her nibbling grass and learn to copy her.
    d. It gets the joey used to what it feels like to hop forward so that later on it will be easier to hop itself.
  8. They face backwards.
  9. Wombats dig a lot and a backward facing pouch means the baby won’t get so much dirt in its face.
  10. In steep rocky areas of Australia and New Guinea.
  11. There is plenty of protection in the caves and cracks of the rocks from the hot sun, cold nights, strong wind and rain and from other animals that might harm them.
  12. Around 6 or 7 months old.
  13. Yes. They need fur when they come out to keep them warm. Their mother knows when her joey is ready and will loosen the muscle around her pouch to let her joey get out for a little while at first, then more and more each time as the joey gets stronger.
  14. Yes, they can pop their head into the pouch for a drink.
  15. She can have three! One in her tummy, a tiny one in her pouch and a third one outside the pouch, still drinking her milk.
  16. Their heads, tails and feet often stick out.
  17. N/A – children’s participation.
  18. a. From losing so much of our Australian bushland. We need to stop cutting down the trees and plant more.
    b. From animals brought to Australia from other countries – like dogs, cats, foxes, goats and cattle.
    Some of these animals attack the wallabies and others eat their food.
  19. Children everywhere can help save the wallabies by raising some money to help the Wildlife Sanctuary at Waterfall Springs. That is where lots of new baby joeys are being born where they are safe. Ask your parents or teachers to show you the page on this website giving lots of ideas for fun ways to raise some money to help.
  20. Yes! The carers at Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary really need your help to think of some wonderful names for the new joeys. Please email them to info@waterfallsprings.org

 

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