Legion generously stopped for a photo moment during his dinner :)
Thank you for commenting on my photos, I read and appreciate every one.
You can clearly see the double thumb on his left hand if you haven't seen that before.
So I assume Koalas don't typically have double thumbs! How interesting! Is he called "a polydactyl" as some cats-with-thumbs are called? This is a nice Koala-action shot! Very sweet!
@Weezilou oh every koala has a double thumb on the hand and a single thumb on the feet. They are true opposable digits, though the ones on the feet have no claw.
@rookynook it often surprises people to know that you would not want to cuddle a wild koala at all - they are terrified of human interaction and their claws and teeth do serious damage! Having said that, a sick koala will very often seek out humans as tho they know we can help. If they tolerate being picked up they are usually near death. Final side note on this - the koalas kept in zoos that people can hold for a photo are so stressed their average life span is around 3 years (instead of 12). Still I agree they LOOK cuddly :) I work in koala rehabilitation as a volunteer as well as regenerate their habitat on my own property. So glad you are enjoying these!
@sarasotab at the moment there are 8 regular koalas. They come and go as my property is only part of the colonies territory. Usually at least another 8 or more koalas travel through each year, probably looking for somewhere they can settle in. The amount of habitat left for them is seriously low and they are listed as vulnerable (which means will be extinct within the next 50 years). I use nose pattern recognition to identify them. You can see Legion has a whitish dot between nostrils, and that extra whitish dot above his left nostril? Makes him so easy to identify quickly :)
@rookynook oh and yes thank you, the heat wave is over, it's just hot now not REALLY hot ;)
The pattern of his fur reminds me of a gentleman wearing a fine suit! You can see him really clearly in this picture! Choose a good leaf or two, Legion!
@gigiflower well spotted :) Legion is the picture of health. however he is probably around 3 years old now (long story how I use my Sherlock Holmes powers to figure that one), and he does not have breeding rights in the colony. I'm really interested watching him mature on over the next 6 months and to see what happens when the next breeding season starts again around September. Watch this space 😆
@gigiflower here's the inside scoop - babies this year I believe are most likely to be the progeny of Zorro. (more Sherlock Holmes deductions). There has been a lot of really interesting boy stuff going on, and I believe Legion has been like a pre-adolescent in it all (meaning old enough to know I better keep right out of whatever this is).
He may become a big player next year - koala colonies and alpha male status is really interesting stuff!
Wonderful shot. As are all of yours. And I do appreciate your title, as well as all your informative narratives. How high up is he? And what camera/lens do you need to use to capture him so close up?
@mbrutus thank you :) I have a Canon Powershot SX60. So very much an amateur photographer, but luckily I have wonderful subject matter :)
In this photo he isn't too high up actually, probably about 15 m - much more of a challenge when they are 30 m up!
@koalagardens Thanks for the explanation. Don't know how much you might crop, but that's still quite a ways up to get in so close. And you do have wonderful subject. Do they hang the signs around their necks that say, "Will pose for food."
@rookynook oh and yes thank you, the heat wave is over, it's just hot now not REALLY hot ;)
He may become a big player next year - koala colonies and alpha male status is really interesting stuff!
The pov. and the ``leaving out`` create a different view and world. This is mainly my kind of photography . Be warned .
In this photo he isn't too high up actually, probably about 15 m - much more of a challenge when they are 30 m up!