Tag feet

Dusky Pademelon

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The Dusky Pademelon (Thylogale brunii) is a small macropod marsupial mammal. It belongs in the Macropodidae family of big-footed mammals. It is also known as the Dusky Wallaby or the Aru Island Wallaby. 

The Dusky Pademelon looks like a mini-kangaroo. It is a stocky marsupial with brown fur with light patches and a white underbelly. It has large ears, a black nose and large brown eyes. It has a short, flat tail. It has two big hind (back) feet with two smaller front feet that act like hands. Its paws are dark-brown to black, with sharp claws. 

It grows to about 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall, with a tail measuring about 50 centimetres (20 inches). 

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Red-Necked Wallaby

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The Red-Necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) is a medium-sized macropod marsupial mammal. Macropod means big feet, and a marsupial mammal has a pouch for its baby. It is also known as the Bennett’s Wallaby.

The Red-Necked Wallaby is a stocky marsupial with reddish fur on its neck and shoulders, a black nose, a flat tail, two big hind (back) feet, black paws, and a white stripe on its upper lip. The rest of its body has soft grey fur.  

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Zygodactylous Feet – Chameleon Feet

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The Chameleon has zygodactylous feet. Zygo means paired, joined, or fused, and dactyl means digit (finger or toe). Scientists would like a more appropriate word, because the chameleon does not have true zygodactylous feet, like the parrot.

It has five toes on each foot. The toes are grouped into two fascicles (a bundle of structures).

Two or three toes in each fascicle are fused together, which makes its feet look like tongs (the tongs people use in the kitchen to pick up food).

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Pied Currawong

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The Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) is a medium-sized Australian bird. It looks like a crow, but it is only distantly related to crows and ravens.

The Pied Currawong is black with white bars on its wings and tail. It has booted feet (feathers on its legs). It has a hooked tip on its long, sharply-pointed beak. It has bright yellow eyes.

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Smith’s Bush Squirrel

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The Smith’s Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) is also called the Tree Squirrel or the Yellow-Footed Squirrel. It is a common African bush squirrel – it is a rodent mammal.

The Smith’s Bush Squirrel has pale grey to brown short fur. Its head and legs are a rusty colour. It has large dark eyes, small ears, and short, black whiskers. Its chest varies from yellowish to buff or white. Its belly is white, and its feet are yellowish. Its tail is long and bushy.

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What is the difference between a dewclaw and a spur?

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What is the difference between a dewclaw and a spur? 

A dewclaw is a small digit on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles. The dewclaw is at the back of each leg, above the ankle or foot. The dewclaw is mostly on the front feet, but can also be on the back feet. When the animal is standing it does not make contact with the ground.

Dogs, domestic cats, wild cats, lions, and cloven-hoofed animals, such as pigs and deer, have a dewclaw. Giraffes and horses do not have a dewclaw.

A spur is a bone covered in horn that grows out of an animal’s body. Spurs grow on the hind (back) feet. Some birds have spurs on the edge of their wings.

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Tasmanian Devil

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The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a marsupial mammal from Tasmania, Australia. It is a dasyurid.

The Tasmanian Devil has black fur with irregular white patches on its chest and rump. It has a muscular build with a large head, thick neck, and a medium-sized thick tail. Similar to a hyena, its front legs are slightly longer than its back legs. It has five long toes on its front feet and four toes on its back feet, with long non-retractable claws. It has long whiskers on its face.

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Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret: what’s the difference?

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What’s the difference between the Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, and Great Egret?

The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), the Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia or Mesophoyx intermedia), and the Great Egret (Ardea alba melanorhynchos or Casmerodius albus melanorhynchos) have all white plumage (feathers).

The Little Egret has a black beak. The Intermediate Egret has a shorter, thicker yellow beak that may turn red or black in the breeding season.  The Great Egret has a long, thin, yellow beak that may become darker in the breeding season.

The Little Egret does not have a black line underneath its eye. The breeding adult Intermediate Egret has a black line underneath its eye, but it does not extend past the eye. The Great Egret has a fine black line from its beak to beyond its eye (like eye-liner underneath the eye).

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CREATURE FEATURE: Koala

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The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal (tree-living) marsupial in the Phascolarctidae family, found in eastern and southern coastal Australia. It is related to the wombat. It is not a bear.

The Koala has soft, short silver-grey to brown fur. It is a rounded, short animal with a large head with round, fluffy ears. Its underbelly is white. It has no tail. Its nose is black and distinct, and covered with leathery skin. It has curved, sharp claws for climbing trees. The first and second digits on its fore-paws are opposable, enabling it to grasp tree branches. The second and third digits on the hind-paws are fused together. Males have chest glands, which are visible.

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Brahma Chicken

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The Brahma Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a large, fancy breed of domestic fowl.

The Brahma Chicken, originally from Asia, is brown with black tail feathers, although the colour can vary. The colour varieties are buff, light, or dark. The light Brahma Chickens have a lot of white feathers with black neck feathers, called hackles. The dark Brahma Chickens are dark grey. Buff Brahma Chickens are a golden brown colour.

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Yellow-Throated Longclaw

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The Yellow-Throated Longclaw (Macronyx croceus) is a small African bird, found in East Africa and West Africa.

The Yellow-Throated Longclaw has a bright yellow chest and throat, with a distinctive black band (called a necklace). Its upperparts are brown. It has white tipped outer feathers and fine black stripes on its side feathers. It has long, pale brown legs with long hind (back) claws.

The Yellow-Throated Longclaw walks with long steps. It crouches when approached, then stands tall and outstretched, as if to make itself appear taller.

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White-Breasted Cormorant

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The White-Breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus) is a large wetlands bird in the Phalacrocoracidae family of short tailed cormorants. It is also known as the African Great Cormorant or the African Great Black Cormorant.

The White-Breasted Cormorant is black with white cheeks, throat and chest. Its feathers are glossy with some green iridescence. Its tail is short and black. Its beak is grey, its eyes are green, and its webbed feet are black.

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Why do some pigeons have feathered feet?

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Most pigeons have scales on their feet (and not feathers).

However, some pigeons have a genetic variation (or two) that gives them feathers on their legs and feet (a lot of feathers or a little bit).

Foot feathering comes from variations in two genes: slipper and grouse. A bird that has the feathery versions of both slipper and grouse have an extreme form of foot feathering, called muff.

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