Things that go bump in the night
If you live on a bush block, you will inevitably hear the sounds of various critters going bump, grunt, squeal or scream in the middle of the night. For those of you who have watched one too many horror movies, these sounds might conjure up paranoid images of axe wielding, mask wearing homicidal maniacs – argh… I’m even getting scared just talking about this stuff!
The reality is however, that when the sun goes down and we move to the safety, warmth and security of our homes, many animals are just waking up and staring their day – I mean night! Take for example the Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). An hour or so after the sun goes down these amazing local critters get active, searching for leaves, fruit, insects, smaller animals and pet food – practically anything really! They make a sound somewhat like a cross between a bark and a cough, which If you were really paranoid you could presume to be a potential burglar with asthma – however these guys are only a threat to your fruit trees and are such charismatic neighbours that it would be stingy not to share a little with them – unfortunately I can see the stream of venomous, possum hating correspondence on its way now!
A wild sound that might scare you in the middle of the night (or day for that matter) and that surprisingly comes from one of our favourite cuddly Aussie icons, are the grunts, growls and howls that can emanate from the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). When a male Koala wants to sweet talk the ladies or indicate that you are not welcome on his territory he makes a series of calls that sound like they come from some bizarre donkey/ lion hybrid. The depth of sound appears to be completely out of proportion to their size and obviously designed to carry through the forest.
The howl of the Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is a sound we may be more familiar with, as it’s deeply etched in our evolutionary memory as the call of a potential predator. Sometimes we can hear the call of these and “wild dogs” (Canis lupus familiaris) on the range, so watch out for your livestock. Perhaps the most disturbing of calls, if you are unfamiliar with them, are the screams of various animals such as the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio prorphyrio) and the feral Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes).
Yet again the wonder of the internet gives us the opportunity to verify and check the calls and noises that many animals make. But as always the best way to get to know your local wildlife (just don’t be tempted to feed them), is to get out there on a moonlit night, go for a stroll and familiarize yourself with the sights and sounds of your local bushland.
