Forest Vertebrates

By State Forests Ecologists

THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM

A forest is a complex ecosystem made up of both living things such as trees and birds, and non-living things such as fallen logs, water and rock. The living parts of forest ecosystems form dynamic communities whose composition changes over time as a result of interacting and living together. Some living things like trees are huge, while others, like bacteria are so small they are not visible to the naked eye.

All living things in the forest are part of a huge, complex and interacting web of life. Each living thing has its role in the health and growth of a forest. Vertebrates, or animals with backbones, are part of the forest web of life.

State Forests researchers study the animals of the forest to discover more about where they go, what they do and how they live. State Forests scientists also research how changes in the forests (from logging, fire and grazing) affect the animals. This information helps foresters better manage State forests for the conservation of the many species of wildlife.

FROGS

The availability of moisture in a forest is very important for frogs as they do not drink. They obtain the water they need through their skin which is permeable, that is it allows water to enter. However, water is also lost through their skin. A frog will dry out rapidly and die if its skin is not kept moist. One reason why frogs are mostly nocturnal is to avoid excessive moisture loss from being exposed to the sun’s heat.

Frogs can eat almost anything, but insects form a major part of their diet. They prefer moving prey and can capture their prey by flicking out their tongue and bringing it back into their mouth in a fraction of a second. Their tongue is attached to the front of their mouth and folds back. The top of their tongue is coated with sticky secretion that acts like old-fashioned fly paper, catching their prey as it reaches out and touches the prey.

Frogs are pursued by many creatures, particularly in the tadpole stage when they are eaten by aquatic insects and fish. Snakes, lizards and birds are the frog’s greatest enemies. Frogs attempt to avoid predators by defensive mechanisms such as camouflage where they remaining very still and lighten or darken their skin colours to suit their surrounds. Other frogs flash the ‘dangerous colours’ of black and yellow or jump quickly away from predators (one Australian species can jump up to three metres). Other frogs increase their body size by inflating their lungs or they pretend to be dead or excrete toxic fluids. Each frog has two or three defensive or camouflage mechanisms that suit its environment.

Leaf Green Tree Frog

Tree frogs make up one half of all the frogs found in forests. They are specially equipped for their habitat by having flattened disks on the end of their toes that allow them to climb and perch on trees. One of the smaller green tree frogs, the leaf green tree frog, is normally bright green but can change rapidly to dull olive green. This frog occurs on the east coast from Gippsland in Victoria to Queensland. It is usually found on low shrubs and vegetation beside creeks.

Tusked Frogs

The tusked frog is an unusual species. The males are larger than the females and they have a larger head, different belly pattern, and much larger tusks on the lower jaw. The males use their tusks to fight for calling territories. The colour of this frog varies from olive green to black. It is widespread on the coast and tablelands of northern NSW and southern Queensland.

REPTILES

Reptiles are cold blooded, egg-laying vertebrates that have a dry scaly skin and are commonly adapted to live in warm and dry situations. They commonly hide during colder weather and come out from shelter to warm themselves in sun-light before their daytime activity. During warm weather reptiles can be particularly active at night.

Blue-tongued Lizard

The blue-tongued lizard is relatively common and widely distributed over much of eastern Australia. Often found in backyard gardens this ground-dwelling lizard feeds on a variety of insects, snails and native fruits and berries during daylight. It shelters at night in hollow logs and under debris.

Eastern Water Dragon

This reptile is predominantly grey or grey-brown in colour and up to almost one metre in length. The eastern water dragon inhabits the banks of creeks and rivers along most of the east coast of NSW and Queensland. It is a semi-aquatic (water-dwelling) and arboreal (tree-dwelling) animal. It feeds on a variety of insects and aquatic animals, including frogs and small ground animals. When disturbed it will drop into the water where it can hide for long periods.

Geckos

Geckos are nocturnal lizards up to 15 cm long. They feed almost exclusively on insects. Their ability to shed their tails in a dangerous situation is well known, although once lost their tail can regenerate. Many other lizards can also do this.

Red Bellied Black Snake

A common snake, the red-bellied black snake is found in most parts of Australia near streams and swamps. It is shiny black with a dull red or pink belly. It feeds mainly on frogs.

Lace Monitor

Often also called a goanna. Growing up to two metres in length, armed with powerful jaws and tearing teeth and protected by a tough scaly skin, the lace monitor has few predators or rivals. It lives in all eastern forests and woodland areas and is equally at home in trees as on the ground. Lace monitors are carnivores, eating anything they can catch and any dead animals they find. They are often found around forest picnic areas and garbage dumps where they feed on scraps left by visitors.

MAMMALS

Long-nosed and Short-nosed Bandicoots

Bandicoots are found in wet coastal forests of eastern Australia. These animals are solitary in habit, ground dwelling and nocturnal. The pre-sence of bandicoots in an area is indicated by inverted cone-shaped holes that they dig in the ground in their search for insects, earthworms and plant material.

Grey Kangaroo

The grey kangaroo is the largest mammal likely to be seen in State forests with large males weighing almost 70 kilograms. It feeds on grass during early morning and late afternoon in clearings and by the roadside in both native forests and plantations throughout NSW. It rests in the shade of trees during the hottest part of the day.

Wombat

The wombat is a marsupial that is closely related to the koala. The common wombat lives in forests along the coast and ranges of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and parts of South Australia.

Wombats are large animals with enormous strength, making them very capable diggers. They build their burrows in areas undisturbed by agriculture that are often long and deep with many separate branches. They spend  their days in their burrows, venturing out at night to feed on grasses, roots and herbs.

Marsupial Mice

These soft-furred and delicate little marsupials are active predators, living on insects, other invertebrates, and lizards. They are found in coastal forests and shelter in logs or hollows in the ground.

Swamp Wallaby

The swamp wallaby is a medium-sized mammal, commonly found in thickets and in the moist gullies of east coast forests. It is a very shy animal, spending most of the day in the heavy under-growth, venturing out to graze on grass and to browse on shrubs in forest openings at dusk.

Eastern Swamp Rat

Distributed widely along the south-eastern coast, this rat lives in marshy country, digging burrows into the banks of the creeks. It constructs tunnel-like runways through the undergrowth. This animal feeds mostly on grasses, fruits and seeds and a small amount of insects are also eaten.

Southern Bush Rat

The southern bush rat is found in many Australian habitats, ranging from rainforest to coastal heaths in eastern Australia and south-western Western Australia. This rat is nocturnal and feeds on all kinds of vegetation.

Fawn-footed Melomys

These animals range in size from large mice to medium-sized rats and are distinguished by their tails, that are mostly hairless. Their tail scales form a beautiful mosaic pattern, unlike the rings of overlapping, shingle like scales as on other rats. These animals are adapted for a climbing, arboreal (tree-dwelling) life. They favour rainforest fruits and berries. They occur in moist forests in coastal NSW north of Sydney and in Queensland.

Little Forest Bats

These comprise at least five different species of tiny insect-eating bats. Most are common in the forests of eastern Australia. During the day they roost in tree hollows, usually entering ‘torpor’ to saving energy. The bats emerge from their hollows at dusk and are often seen flitting across the evening sky as they hunt for small flying insects. They find their way at night by using sonar, a high frequency sound that humans cannot hear.

Flying Foxes

These unusual animals are actually fruit bats but are called ‘flying foxes’ because of the fox-like appearance of their heads and their often reddish colouring. Flying foxes spend their days hanging closely in large numbers called ‘camps’ and are active at night (nocturnal), flying in enormous numbers just after dusk in search of blossoms and fruit. They feed on all kinds of soft fruit and nectar but depend on the blossoms of native trees for most of the year.

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