COMMANDER ZORRO'S KOALA MAGIC TIME PORTAL ADVENTURE

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COMMANDER ZORRO'S KOALA
MAGIC TIME PORTAL ADVENTURE

BLIMEY....DO YOU
SEE THAT MATES?

IT'S A CAT!

GUESS IT'S TIME
FOR OLE'KOALA
DUNDEE TO CHECK
THIS OUT!

HEY YOU, MATE!

YOU TALKING WITH ME?

WITH MATILDA KOALA AND A TASMANIAN
DEVIL WITH A ......WELL BLIMEY......
A BIRD IN TOW!

I DON'T SEE

ANOTHER CAT UP THE TREE

WELL, I'M COMMANDER ZORRO. I COULD SAY I WAS
BUILDING SAND CASTLES IN MY SANDBOX, BUT
ACTUALLY I'M HERE TO HAVE A CHAT WITH
MATHILDA.... AS FOR MY COMPANIONS...TAZ IS A
BIT STRANGE...LIKES TO BRING HIS FRIENDS ALONG.

NO ACCOUNTING FOR TASTE I GUESS...BUT WHAT'S A
COMMANDER ZORRO AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM? CERTAINLY NOT
FROM THESE PARTS...DON'T GET TOO MANY TALKING CATS HERE!

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE TALKING CAT PART..BUT I'M FROM THE
MAGIC TIME MACHINE UPW BUTTERBYE. THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS
AND I ARE HERE TO EXPLORE PLANET EARTH...JUST GOT BACK FROM
ANCIENT EGYPT AND DECIDED TO TAKE A WALK ABOUT ON YOUR TURF.

LOOKS LIKE MATHILDA IS CATCHING UP ON A FEW WINKS. DON'T
WANT TO WAKE HER. WE DO HAVE A HABIT OF BEING A BIT TOUCHY
IF WE'RE AWAKENED. LET MY MATE WALTER FILL YOU IN....HE'S THE
PROFESSOR IN THESE PARTS.....

FINE BY ME, I'M ALL COMFY....TAZ?
GUESS YOU COULD SAY HE'S
SPINNING FOR JOY.

We Koalas have been around for more than 20 million years.
During that time, the northern half of Australia was rainforest.
And before 50,000 years ago, we inhabited the southern regions
of Australia.

WALTER TAKE IT AWAY!

What about your diet of eucalypts? I understand that eucalypt leaves are low
in protein, high in indigestible substances, and contain phenolic and terpene
compounds that are toxic to most species.

We kind of fill an ecological niche. In fact we didn't specialise in
a diet of eucalypts until the climate cooled and eucalyptus
forests grew in the place of rainforests.

In theory we have very little competition for this food and the
leaves contain strong smelling oils that act as a bug repellent, so no parasites!
Though we do smell a bit like strong cough drops.

We tend to rest between 18 and 20 hours a day and spend
about three of our five active hours eating. We eat about
500 grams of eucalypt a day or I should say night, because
we prefer to eat at night.

Tell you what mate....let's take a walk about and meet some of

the folks.....then I'll tell you something that will knock your socks off!

KOOL! Let's rock..............

Can I take em'? Please...please.....please?

Oh, all right, Billy Bob.....Zorro, I'll see when you get back.

Be sure to move your mouse over the photos for the Koalas story..

TAZ.......run back real quick for special surprise......
what surprise you have for TAZ?

Taz.....it's not that kind of surprise, OK?

Professor?

UMmmmmm....yes. Take a look at these and tell Me what they are...

Looks like feet ana fingerprints to me....Ah yes, but who's ?

Someone with long nails and in need of a manicure?
Or got their fingers dipped in ink and tried to make pretty patterns?

Very funny...ha....ha....Ok.....let's try again.......now try to concentrate......

I have no clue Professor. I give!

Around 80 million years or so ago, the main lines of mammals split into
marsupials and, well, into all the others. In most parts of the world, the
marsupials were quickly out-competed by the rest of the mammals and either
became extinct or, as in south America, retreated to small, isolated outposts.
It was only in Australia that the marsupials did the 'out-competing'.

Remember Koalas are NOT bears but MARSUPIALS, which means our that
young are born immature & develop further in the safety of a pouch.

The Koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates)
that has fingerprints.!

At some point, a small mutation in the fingers of one of our distant
ancestors gave us a slightly better grip on trees.

So what has that got to do with the feet and the fingerprints?

I'm getting there! Keep your pants on!

In fact, a very similar mutation gave a primate thousands of miles away on an
unconnected continent the same advantage. Enough to make a difference to
these creatures' lives, each evolved ridges and lines on its hand in a very similar
way. And that primate was........... NO! .....YES!

Koala fingerprints are so similar to human fingerprints that even with an
electron microscope, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two!

So the feet are Koala's feet....and the Fingerprints? Which is which?

The fingerprint on the left is a Koala's and the one on the right is a Human's.

So life's pretty good for you guys, right?

WRONG !
We are considered Vulnerable or Threatened which is one step below
ENDANGERED!

Koalas are in serious decline suffering from the effects of habitat
destruction, domestic dog attacks, bushfires and road accidents. The
Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are less than 100,000 koalas
left in the wild. In fact, not many Australians have seen a Koala in the wild!

Australian scientist Maciej Henneberg had stumbled upon a perfect example
of convergent evolution. This means that different species in different parts of
the world develop the same physical characteristics for the same purpose. Just
like your ape ancestors, we,the koala, have developed fingerprints in order to
achieve a better grip while climbing. Of course, it's nothing strange for another
animal to have fingerprints, many of the primate relatives have them, and
chimpanzee prints are very similar to humans too - but it is mind-bogglingly
astounding that such a distant relative could have developed the same physical
characteristic in total isolation.

Koalas could be wiped out in eastern Australia within 12 years! Urban and
agricultural sprawl has been infringing on our habitat to a dangerous degree.

Did you know that it is estimated there were up to 10 milliion koalas at the
beginning of the 20th century, and only 100,000 exist now?

Our forest habitats - which provide us with the eucalyptus leaves that sustain
us are being cleared for development or cultivation. Australia has one of the
highest land clearing rates in the world! 80% of our habitat has already
disappeared.! Cars and domestic dogs also pose a threat when we wander at
night.

GOSH....... That sound pretty serious........What can be done?

People of this Planet need to respect the global environment, all the creatures,
the flora and the fauna which also inhabit the same planetary biosphere.

Our message is simple Commander Zorro......

REMEMBER......
EXTINCTION IS FOREVER!

We do not want to go the way of the Dodo !

Speaking of Dodos, we better find Butterbye!
for that matter the rest of the crew!

But first,
I've got a kool gift and a very kool Koala site for you to visit......

Just click on Taz for your gift..
Taz happy to give gift....

Australian
Koala
Foundation

Click on Daisy Koala
to zoom you to a
really kool site, the

WELL, MY TIME ADVENTURERS REALLY NEED TO FIND THE OTHERS!

I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT ALONG WITHOUT ME BEFORE.....

Hey Zorro.........Can' t leave yet......WHY? Got to try one of our Pie Floaters.....

Pie what? Well...I never turn down an invitation to food!