A picture of a giant robot helping Russia revolutionaries storm the winter palace in 1917, was accidentally used in an Australian history exam. Some students wasted time in trying to figure out what the giant robot was, thinking it was a statue of a Russian politician or a battleship.
12 Cuddly Facts About Koalas
Awwwwwwwww.
Koalas are adorable marsupials native to Australia. You very likely won’t see them ever unless you visit a zoo or visit the country.
So what are they really like? Here are 12 facts to help you get to know the cuddly critter a little better.
12. Their Name Means “No Water”
The word koala comes from aboriginal Australian words for “no water” because the adorable animals don’t actually drink water – they get all the liquid they need from their diet of leaves.
11. They Eat a Lot of Eucalyptus Leaves
Their little bodies have adapted to handle eucalyptus, even though it’s toxic to a lot of other species. In fact, they eat very little aside from eucalyptus leaves.
10. Koalas Sleep a Lot – for a Good Reason
Eucalyptus leaves have little to no nutritional value, so they sleep 18-20 hours per day to save their energy.
9. Not All Koala Fur Is Made Equal
Australia is home to three different types of koalas. Southern koalas have the thickest fur because of the harsher winters have to endure.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
8. Koala Babies Are About the Size of a Gummy Bear
They measure roughly 1 centimeter right after birth and spend the next few months growing inside their mother’s pouch.
7. They Have a Very Strong Liver
This helps help withstand the toxin inside eucalyptus leaves much better.
6. Their Nose Knows if Eucalyptus Is Extra-Toxic
Koalas can smell eucalyptus from really far away, and they know if leaves are fresh or old just by smelling them. They also know when their food is more toxic than usual.
5. Koalas Have Distinctive Fingerprints
Humans don’t have a monopoly on fingerprints. Koalas are unique mammals in that they too have the distinguishing marks.
4. Their Butts Have Extra Padding
This helps them get sleep wherever they want.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
3. Koalas Are Protected from Humans
Australia has anti-cuddling regulations to protect koalas from exploitation.
2. Some Moths Only Eat Koala Poo
The scat moth only eats koala poo until it becomes an adult.
1. The Koala Population Is Considered Vulnerable
Though koalas aren’t listed as endangered (they’re considered vulnerable), various factors including human activity, fires, and deforestation, are decimating their population. Particularly after the most recent Australian fire season, koalas may even be functionally extinct in some areas, meaning there are too few of them for the population to successfully find each other and breed new generations.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
What were you surprised to learn about koalas? Leave a comment below.
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This Organization Turns Empty Parking Lots into Safe Places Where the Homeless Can Sleep at Night
Homelessness is a problem across the entire world. Walk or drive through any city across the globe, and you’ll see down-on-their-luck men and women sleeping in doorways, on park benches, or anywhere else they can try to find some momentary peace.
An Australian charity organization called Beddown is looking to give that country’s homeless population safe places to sleep by providing pop-up accommodations in parking lots that are vacant overnight.
Posted by Beddown on Monday, September 30, 2019
Beddown partnered with Secure Parking, one of Australia’s largest parking lot operators, to do a two-week trial run for the program in the city of Brisbane.
Norman McGillivray founded Beddown after he got the idea while walking through an empty parking lot one night. He thought that the space could be better used as a makeshift homeless shelter than by just sitting empty night after night.
Thanks to @cossdog16 for capturing our set up. #homelessness #homeless #streetlife #storyofthestreet #beds #globalshift #queensland #brisbane #nsw #sydney #victoria #melbourne #southaustralia #adelaide #westernaustralia #perth #northernterritory #darwin #tasmania #australia #nonprofit #selfesteem #community #usa #uk #quality #endhomelessness #timelapse
On their Instagram page, the founders of Beddown said,
“We will look to get as close as we can to a proper comfortable bed to provide the homeless with a great night’s sleep is our ultimate goal. Sleep deprivation is a massive issue for our homeless, so being in a place that offers shelter and is safe, secure and comfortable we believe will have a big impact on those who use Beddown.”
Posted by Beddown on Monday, September 30, 2019
Beddown also provides other services in the overnight parking lots, including access to doctors, dentists, and hairdressers. Because the two-week trial in Brisbane was a success, Beddown is now looking to expand to other cities in Australia.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this program succeeds in Australia and then spreads to other parts of the globe. It’s a great idea that could definitely help out a lot of people who are struggling.
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Australians Have Been Eating a Fish Previously Unknown to Science
Australians already confront crazy-looking (and deadly) animals on a daily basis, so it probably never occurred to them to question a fish that tasted pretty okay and didn’t kill anyone once ingested.
They probably didn’t expect to find out, though, that literally no one had ever heard of or seen the fish before, anywhere in the world.
Well, at least not before 2000, when a fisherman sent pictures of a mystery grouper to fish expert and Queensland Museum curator Jeff Johnson. But even though he saw images of the strange fish a few more times over the years, it wasn’t until 2017 that he got his hands on a physical specimen.
How do you identify a possible new species of fish if the fisherman ate it for dinner? Find out how Queensland Museum ichthyologist Jeff Johnson finally got his hands on a rare species of cod specimen after a 15 year quest. Read more: https://t.co/nPlng6ukhJ #qldmuseum
— Queensland Museum (@qldmuseum) October 16, 2019
He nabbed 5 of them, actually, at a Brisbane fish market, and set to work identifying the apparently yummy swimmer.
“As soon as I saw them, I thought they were probably a new species, so I purchased all five and began the hard work of formally proving they were a new species,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been told they are quite tasty.”
He and museum geneticist Dr. Jessica Worthington Wilmer worked together to confirm his suspicions, and the new species was named Epinephelus fuscomarginatus.
The new subspecies of grouper isn’t so distinctive looking that people with untrained eyes would notice it straight away, and given that most groupers are fairly generic-looking fish, it’s understandable – if slightly worrying – that no one consuming it gave it a second thought.
The Epinephelus fuscomarginatus is about 27 inches long and lives about 750 feet down along the center of the Great Barrier Reef.
This grouper, interestingly, is not the only species to recently be discovered on its way to someone’s plate. In 2011, a new species of shark was discovered in a Taiwanese fish market, and in 2018, a different shark, thought to be extinct, showed up in a market in Mumbai.
In 2010, researchers discovered a species of monkey that sneezes when it rains, but lost their specimen when the locals in Myanmar ate it.
Oops. Dinner takes precedence over science, you know. I’m not even mad.
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Australia once had a floating hotel…
Australia once had a floating hotel that now lies decrepit and forgotten, in North Korea.
A Woman Woman Born with Two Vaginas and Two Wombs Becomes a Mother of Four
In all seriousness, I had never heard of such a thing. Two vaginas?
34-year-old Australian Lauren Cotter was born with uterus didelphys, meaning she had two cervices, two uteruses, and twi vaginas. It is a birth defect that affects 1 in 3,000 women, and it can cause excruciating periods and abnormal bleeding. It can also cause infertility and/or miscarriages.
Lauren was diagnosed at the age of 16 after she went to the doctor for her excruciating menstrual cycles. The doctor performed a pelvic exam and ultrasound to come to the diagnosis. He also told her that conceiving children would be difficult, if not impossible.
Posted by Lauren Cotter on Friday, January 18, 2019
She decided to have surgery to correct her double vagina, which would give her a more fulfilling sex life. When she was 17, she met her future husband and shared the news that pregnancy may not be an option.
“From quite early on, Ben and I discussed having children and it was clear that he really wanted to be a dad,” she told PA Real Life.
“I knew I had to be open and honest and tell him that might not be a possibility for me.”
So what happened? They married and tried anyway.
“We have found it easy to fall pregnant,” she said. “I am not sure why, or if it has anything to do with my two vaginas.”
With her diagnosis, Lauren understood there would be complications, but they stayed strong.
“We knew it might be a bumpy road and tried not to get our hopes up too much,” said Lauren.
In 2014, their first daughter, Amelie, was born via C-Section, completely healthy. Lauren and her husband decided to try again. About a year and a half later they had no trouble. The crazy thing was that Harvey was born from her left womb when Amelia was born from the right!
“I carried Amelie in my right, and just assumed the left one was a dud,” said Lauren
Harvey was born prematurely at 4 pounds, 12 ounces and had difficulty swallowing. But after 3 weeks he was released in good health.
After that, the Cotters felt it best to go on birth control due to her medical history
“The [birth control] pill was giving me migraines and I couldn’t use [an IUD] coil, so in the end, the implant was the only option left,” she said.
Posted by Lauren Cotter on Sunday, May 12, 2019
But low and behold, she became pregnant with TWINS! Apparently, this family has no problems with infertility.
“‘Shocked’ doesn’t begin to cover it. During 17 years together, Ben and I had only ever got pregnant when we’d planned it. Now, here we were, having surprise twins. My doctor was very honest and said he couldn’t know how the pregnancy was going to play out.”
The doctors ordered her to bed rest for 19 weeks in order to help with any potential complications. But luckily, Lauren didn’t seem to suffer any. After 37 weeks, Maya and Evie were born each weighing about 5 pounds.
Ben and Lauren are through the moon with their family and decided to take measures to prevent future pregnancies; Lauren had her fallopian tubes tied. She said, “Ben and I are one super-fertile couple, and now we’re happy with things just as they are.”
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In Australia, a man escape…
In Australia, a man escaped prison so many times that a special maximum security prison was built for him. After it, the Governor made a promise to him “If you get out again, I’ll forgive you”. And of course he escaped again, and the Governor kept his word and set him free.
13 Memes That Show Us Why Australia Might Be Better Than the USA
Have you ever been down under? Because things there are pretty awesome.
- First, that accent is amazing… especially when it comes to making people more attractive. It’s like an English accent, but sexier. I get the shivers just thinking about it.
- Second, the weather and the beaches… wow. Enough said.
- Third, the way they respond to tragedies actually makes sense! Who would have thunk it?
So, without further ado, here are 14 times Aussies got the upper hand on the United States, and there’s not much we can do about it.
1. Colors equals value with their currency… so no need to look at numbers!
Photo Credit: Whisper
2. Speaking of money, look at all those cute animals on their coins!
Photo Credit: Whisper
3. Two words: Chicken Salt. It’s better than ANY other salt.
Photo Credit: Whisper
4. They never get in conversations like this…
Photo Credit: Whisper
5. Yeah… why is it ROOMmate?
Photo Credit: Whisper
6. No tipping means no worries…
Photo Credit: Whisper
7. Lots of subsidized education means that student loans aren’t NEARLY as bad…
Photo Credit: Whisper
8. Gravy the way gravy should look… brown NOT grey…
Photo Credit: Whisper
9. No fake cheese. No canned cheese. Just REAL cheese.
Photo Credit: Whisper
10. Metric system is soooooooo much better!
Photo Credit: Whisper
11. Hershey’s has ruined chocolate for the US. #truth
Photo Credit: Whisper
12. Aussies know how to Kmart, but our Kmarts don’t even know how to Kmart.
Photo Credit: Whisper
13. Aussie coffee is REALLY good, so none of that shit is needed.
Photo Credit: Whisper
Alright, who wants to go Australia with me? Because I’m getting on the next flight.
Anybody been? Let us know in the comments! We want to commune with all your mindz!
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Take a Look at This Village Designed Specifically for Patients with Severe Dementia
To see someone struggling with dementia is a grueling experience. That’s why places like HammondCare in Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia, are so important and groundbreaking.
The facility that recently opened in Cardiff was designed specifically for patients suffering from severe dementia. It’s laid out like an actual village, complete with houses and shops, and can accommodate 99 residents. The HammondCare village in Cardiff is based on similar villages in Europe, where dementia patients have been found to have a much better quality of life.
HammondCare will be opening a new dementia specific village at Cardiff this August. We are looking to recruit up to 150…
Posted by HammondCare on Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Angela Raguz of Hammond Residential Care says, “There is a growing body of evidence that people living in functioning homes have better outcomes for quality of life, they are less likely to be transferred to hospital inappropriately, and are less likely to have the wrong medications being given.”
Raguz adds, “For people with dementia, it is really important to give them a continuing sense of things they are familiar with. The idea of the built environment is that we design environments that enable a person to see or sense where they would like to go.”
Small, domestic, familiar, fresh cook kitchens, outdoors… All important design principles for dementia care. Hear more from @HammondCare's Angela Raguz at about 8.20 on the @TheTodayShow from the new Cardiff dementia care home – Open Day on today as well! pic.twitter.com/O5rNVy7OyG
— Peter Hallett (@PeterAHallett) August 7, 2019
The residents are allowed to live freely, and nurses are on staff 24 hours a day. According to Raguz, it allows patients to have their independence while having on-hand care if needed. Patients have their own small homes with kitchens and living areas, and outside they can visit shops, small parks, and even a hairdresser.
And while it seems like this kind of service would only be reserved for the wealthy, “No one, regardless of their financial circumstances, is excluded from being able to access this type of care. If you don’t have money, it’s not a reason not to call, or to come and have a look. The care is provided to all equally.”
Yesterday, HammondCare welcomed visitors to the Cardiff Open Day. Visitors had the opportunity to explore our…
Posted by HammondCare on Thursday, August 8, 2019
Amen to that. This is a great idea.
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15 Photos Of Interesting Creatures in Australia
The great nation of Australia: it’s known for a lot of things, including Crocodile Dundee, kangaroos, and INSANE WILDLIFE.
And these photos are the proof that you might just want to admire Aussie from afar if you happen to fear all kind of scary creatures.
Take a look:
1. NO!
Errrmm hello Mr Batman :-/ . EDITED: BATWING is Fine and dandy… He dried off and flew away as soon as it was night time. HE WAS NOT SICK JUST WET!
Posted by Kristy Garbutt on Sunday, December 21, 2014
2. Holy sh*t
Lizards in Australia from WTF
3. Not in a million years
Believe it or not, this is one of the least dangerous spiders we have in Australia from WTF
4. Buff
5. Horrifying
This is how Australians ensure their electricity meter doesn’t get read. from WTF
6. Hitchin’ a ride
68mm just fell in the last hour at Kununurra. Flushed all the cane toads out of my brothers dam. Some of them took the easy way out – hitching a ride on the back of a 3.5m python. pic.twitter.com/P6mPc2cVS5
— Andrew Mock (@MrMeMock) December 30, 2018
7. About to explode
Dead whale off bunbury yesterday
Posted by Mark Watkins on Thursday, July 28, 2016
8. Look at that
9. Ugh
10. Hell no
A massive earthworm found in Queensland, Australia. from natureismetal
11. Can’t even put gas in your car
Filling up your fuel tank in Australia? Yep that’ll try and kill you too from WTF
12. WTF?
Mother and girlfriend found this on the beach today. Any idea what it is? from whatisthisthing
13. ALWAYS
Why you gotta always "check your shoes" in Australia from WTF
14. Yikes!
A photo sent in for an ID today
A hatchling brown snake found a hide out in a child’s lunch box! Not really what you…
Posted by Snake Catchers Adelaide on Monday, February 26, 2018
15. That’s enough
This is why you Always have to check the toilet in Australia.
Posted by Meanwhile in Australia on Friday, February 20, 2015
Do you wanna go to Australia? Or did these pics convince you otherwise?
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