Baby Animals Down Under Full Episode

Australia is home to an eclectic collection of unique and unusual animals. From extraordinary marsupials, impressive flightless birds and an amazing array of scaly reptiles. They're utterly fascinating and so are their irresistible babies. From the outback to the coast and everywhere in between. The wilds of Australia are filled with an incredible mix of captivating youngsters. Come on a journey as we discover how these babies grow, explore, and learn to survive in their remarkable natural playgrounds. Welcome to the wonderful world of baby animals down under. Australia is a land of extremes with its red centre, sandy beaches, And dense forests that hug large sections of the coastline forests cover about 17% of Australia's landmass. They include steamy tropical rainforests, cooler temperate rainforests, plus extensive stretches of eucalyptus forests. Some of Australia's best-known baby animals call these lush neighbourhoods home, such as baby koalas. These bundles of fur are literally one of a kind, as there is only one species of koala found on Earth. Their relatives, possums, also live amongst the trees. In addition, there are baby tree kangaroos playing hide and seek in their mum's pouch. It's a game that can also be played high in the canopy by flying fox pups, kookaburra chicks, and baby butterflies. Down on the forest floor, Cassowary chicks prefer to run around and test out their racing stripes. Let's head into the forest and take a look at the first chapter of these babies' lives. Getting ready for the arrival of a new bundle of joy takes zero preparation time for koala mums, as they come naturally equipped with a cosy cot. Found in eucalyptus forests in eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas are marsupials or pouched mammals. Their famous pouches known as marsupiums are like built-in bedrooms for the babies or joeys. Nothing says welcome to the forest like a warm soft haven, especially one that comes with furry hugs. It takes at least five months before these furry bundles make an appearance outside their mother's pouch. At this stage, they're called pinkies. This pinky, in care at a wildlife sanctuary, gives a rare glimpse into their early development. But while this little one waits for its fur to grow, it's got other jobs to do, like growing claws and developing its eyes and ears. A newborn joey usually crawls into the pouch then latches onto one of its mother's teats to suckle. But here this one's being fed a special formula. These famous little Australians make their big forest debut at 22 weeks of age. They only pop their heads out of the pouch. By 24 weeks the joeys have a full coat of fur and they're ready to show it off or just show off. When the babies are this age, koala mums have to be very patient. Another group of pouched animals that live up in eucalyptus trees are Australian possums, such as ringtails and brushtails. Their babies, or joeys, usually show up in spring and autumn. It's a rare treat to see a young joey outside its pouch. This little one in care is about five months old. A few weeks later, And its fur coat has come in. In the wild, this is the stage when the joeys start riding around the forest on their mum's back. Another mammal that gets a unique view of its forest home is the flying fox, one of the largest bats in the world. Babies are notoriously good at turning a new parent's world upside down. But for these mums, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Camps of flying foxes, or fruit bats, are often seen roosting in tropical and subtropical forests. Flying fox mums go through a five to six month pregnancy, then give birth upside down to a single pup. Gravity defying cuteness. For the first few weeks of life, these little bundles cling tightly to their mothers. It's such a tough way to come into the world. Being spoiled with non-stop leathery hugs. Life in these topsy-turvy nurseries is pretty noisy as flying foxes are very chatty. When they're about a month old, the pups graduate to kindergarten trees, safe roosts where youngsters are parked while their parents fly off and forage. Eventually, these babies will grow up to be the largest flying mammals in Australia. But first, their small wings need to grow. Before this pup can take to the sky, it needs to figure out its flying equipment. For a beginner, these big wings are tricky. Like all good parents, its mum is close by to give her support. From a leathery winged parent to a feathery flyer. Becoming a parent is a joyful time, and cockatoos aren't shy about spreading the happy news. Their raucous laughter can be heard ringing through open forests in eastern Australia. These large members of the kingfisher family often nest high up in old termite mounds or tree hollows. After 24 days incubation, there can be up to four chicks to care for. A crib with a spectacular view. Kookaburra parents don't raise their chicks alone. Their offspring from the last couple of seasons act as helpers. With lots of windows to peep out of, the chicks start to take in their forest home. Moving from the eucalyptus forests to the tropical rainforests of far north Queensland in northeastern Australia, where an unusual kangaroo can be found. While most kangaroos hop around on the ground, Lumholtz's tree kangaroos take things to the next level. By bounding up in the branches getting a glimpse of an adult is rare enough but to see a baby is very special. Its cozy pouch is like a front row seat, the best place to pick up tree climbing tips from its talented mum. She's got all the moves thanks to her natural climbing gear, strong forearms, short wide rear feet for climbing, plus a long tail for balance. Joey's hang around in their furry dressing rooms for about 10 months before taking to the leafy stage outside. Further down in the understory, small delicate mothers are busy dropping off their babies. Many butterfly species can be seen flitting about Queensland's rainforests, such as Ulysses butterflies, Richmond bird wings and orchard swallowtails. Parenting is not big in the butterfly world, the eggs being left to develop on their own. They are the first stage in the almost magical process of metamorphosis, which starts the moment these tiny caterpillars hatch. First, they make a meal of their eggshell. Then, they head further afield to munch on their birthplace. They're not the most attractive babies, and that's intentional. Orchard swallowtail larvae disguise themselves to look like fresh bird droppings. It's a form of mimicry that can help these youngsters survive. As they mature, the caterpillars grow defensive spines and a bright tentacle called an osmaterium that emits a disgusting smell if startled. Gross, but ingenious. Queensland's tropical rainforests also host one of the planet's most unusual-looking birds, the southern cassowary. This pair have just become parents. Compared to a chicken's egg, these are 10 times heavier, just what you'd expect from the third largest bird in the world. Her eggs look a bit like avocados. The green colour comes from biliverdin, common pigment found in green and blue eggshells. It's thought to help these nestfuls blend in with the leaf litter. Now that she's laid their eggs, the new parents break up. This is normal for cassowaries. The mums produce the eggs, then leave, and the fathers raise their young alone. Our dad is unfazed about being a single parent. He's turned this part of the forest into a daddy daycare, where he can sit and keep his developing babies warm for the next 50 days. Finally his time as a father begins. Like many youngsters, the hatchlings are fashion-forward. And they do not dress like their dad. Instead, they're into earthy stripes. Camouflage is always in fashion in the forest. Cassowaries are a precocial species, which means their babies hatch out well-developed. Right from the start, chicks are able to walk, but that doesn't mean they don't need their father. He'll keep a close eye on them until they're at least nine months old. In order for these youngsters to get bigger and grow, they're going to need lots to eat, unlike massive pantries, with something to please every hungry tummy. The shelves are jam-packed with the season's finest ingredients. Leaves are popular menu items for many forest residents, including koalas. But before joeys get to eat at the grown-ups' table, they start out on baby food. Like all mammals, mother's milk is served to the infants until they're about six or seven months old. Tree-top milkshakes for everyone. When they emerge from the pouch at five months, they do get a tasty addition to their milky diet. Pap, a runny mixture that's similar to poo, but is oilier and softer. Delicious. As unappetising as it might sound, PAP acts like a probiotic yoghurt. It's full of the bacteria the joey's gut will need to break down tough eucalyptus leaves. After enjoying regular meals of PAP, the joeys begin to get weaned off milk and start sampling the fresh produce that surrounds them with their first teeth. Grabbing a bite to eat can be a challenge. These two look like they're having an eating competition. The grand prize? Sharing a table for two gives the babies a chance to learn which leaves are best to dine on. As adults, koalas can devour up to a kilogram of gum leaves every day, too, as they're low in nutrition and very fibrous. Leaves are also a popular snack for growing tree kangaroos. In addition, they can munch on a variety of other plant materials, such as stems, fruit, and flowers. Possums of all ages enjoy dining by moonlight. Tonight, this mum and Joey have a reservation for two on the forest floor. Young brush-tailed possums are not fussy eaters. They are omnivorous, meaning they'll dine on plant material and protein. It's a self-service restaurant, and this hungry pair have found themselves a helping of fruit. It's well known that sharing food with family and friends is a sign of love and affection, something that makes the bond between these tight-knit mother joey pairs even stronger. Way up in the canopy at the flying fox camp, the mothers are busy filling up young hungry tummies. Apart from being fed upside down, there's something else that makes the nursing process unusual. The mums milk teats are located near their armpits, but baby bats could care less as the food is warm and served with hugs. When the pups are big enough to fly, they can start trying out the fruits of the forest. It's no coincidence why they're also called fruit bats. Sharp claws help them climb and grab food as they rummage for snacks. Flying foxes are real sweet tooths, also including nectar and eucalypt blossoms in their diet. Clumsy eating habits of flying foxes also helps their forest home. As they forage for food, they garden, pollinating flowers, dropping fruit and spreading seeds through their poo, all guano. Thanks to their gardening skills, these flying mammals are considered to be a keystone species. Creatures that boost the health and diversity of plant and animal life in many forest ecosystems. And all for the bargain price of some delicious fruit. Like with the cassowary family, our dad is taking advantage of the messy dining habits of his flying fox neighbours. The dropped fruits are like manna from the heavens of the rainforest. Getting off the floor might be considered bad manners, but not in this household. Fallen fruits are a favourite. Tagging along with dad is the best way for chicks to learn what's good to eat. It's going to take a while before it can down food like it's papa. Cassowaries make swallowing huge mouthfuls look easy. Having a big beak and a long neck helps, while fruit is a favourite. Chicks also peck at insects and other bite-sized creatures for protein. When they're fully grown, these huge birds can gobble down about 5kg of food a day. Cassowaries might seem like greedy eaters, but their dining style actually helps the rainforest that surrounds them. These massive flightless birds have more than 200 rainforest fruits on their menu. As they roam, they deposit undigested seeds far and wide, which promotes plant growth and diversity, while also providing food to other forest animals. No need to fertilise. Thanks to their horticultural skills, cassowaries are also considered to be a keystone species. Young or old, it's a free service this prominent family are happy to provide. Growing up is hungry work, it's work that these tiny eating machines take seriously as they munch through the food plants they hatched out on. Goodbye birthplace, hello lunch. Caterpillars have a pair of tooth-like mouthparts called mandibles that cut through plant material in a side-to-side motion. During this larval phase, these babies go through a series of developmental stages or instars. During an instar, they feed and grow, then molt or shed their skin so they can graduate up to the next instar. It's a bit like outgrowing a pair of pants . Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars have to change their wardrobe five times before they can start their magical transformation. To reach their goal, these ravenous babies just have to keep doing what they do so well. Part of growing up is learning, and a forest is like a leafy playground. A place for baby animals to build their strength and master the survival skills they'll need in the future. Baby koalas are lucky enough to have life coaches close at hand to pass on invaluable lessons, like how to jump safely from branch to branch. Koala joeys also need to learn about their noses, one of their most important features. Looks like this little one thinks its mum's is a toy. Nice and squishy. As much fun as a nose is to play with there's a lot more to them than meets the eye. Baby koalas need to learn to sniff their food. Apart from being tough to digest, gum leaves also contain toxic compounds such as terpenes. They're what give eucalyptus oil its refreshing scent. A koala's strong sense of smell helps them detect which leaves have lower concentrations of these toxins and are safer to eat. The fun really starts for joeys when they hit the 24-week mark. They now weigh 500 times their birth weight, about half a kilo. The perfect size for adventures. Small climbs are a great way for beginners to branch out. This little one is a bit nervous. So mum shows how it's done. Piggybacks give these babies a chance to learn from mum. Then, when their confidence grows, it's on for young and old. First to the top wins! Koala mothers often switch gears. Why walk when you can cruise around in plush comfort? From their perch, the little ones can learn more about their home. One food tree is never enough. So these marsupials move around their forest home on a regular basis. Using their sense of smell, they are careful to check if a tree is already occupied. Koalas might look placid, but they do fight over territory. These walking tours are usually quite slow as their limbs are better suited to vertical travel. The ground is not, however, a safe place for koalas, an important lesson for joeys to learn early. If danger approaches, adults can bound along at speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour to escape. Strong limbs and sharp claws quickly get this pair up and into a new tree. One activity that joeys require no special training for is napping. Babies are treated to a soft bed of fur as adults They simply find a tree fork to enjoy a comfortable rest, thanks to their thick fur and a pad of cartilage that cushions their rear end. Plus, their marsupial cousins, possums, also learn the ways of their world up in the canopy. Like many Australian animals, brush-tailed possums are nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day, which means joeys attend night school. Watching from the back seat is how these babies learn their way around and which forest treats are good to eat. It's a quick education. At nine months of age, these youngsters will be mature enough to make their own way. It's the start of a new day and classes are about to begin at Cassowary College. Our dedicated father has a lot to teach his brood, but there will be no flying lessons. They have no need, as they are ratites, a type of flightless bird. What he does show them is how to use their leg power. Today, he's taking them on a school trip to the stream. For Dad, this is an easy walk, but not so much for the chicks on their little legs. Eventually, these mini cassowaries will grow to stand up to two metres tall. Being in a new part of the forest broadens their horizons. There are new foods to try. Learning where to grab a drink is also important. And what youngster can resist playing in the water? But the best part of this excursion is getting to spend good, quality time with their dad. They really look up to him. Although southern cassowaries live in the oldest rainforest on the planet, the Daintree, the modern world has still crept in. Busy roads pass through sections of their tropical home. Cassowaries have no road smarts, which makes their young especially vulnerable to this danger. So it's up to local motorists to learn to slow down and look out for these birds. After all, they were here first. It's thought these ancient creatures have been around for about 60 million years. Every passing day brings fascinating changes to baby animals. As koala joeys grow up, both their looks and behaviours mature. Watching them climb up the eucalyptus, it's hard to believe these agile youngsters start out as small as a jelly bean. Size isn't the only giveaway that a joey is growing up. The older they get, the lighter their fur. By 36 weeks, the joeys weigh between one and two kilograms. Quite the load for their loving mums to cart around. These hefty youngsters will continue to piggyback until they're a year old. Then the free rides are over. As they mature, telling boys from girls often comes down to size. Females being smaller and lighter in weight. Young males become easy to spot after their first birthday when they start to develop a scent gland on their chest. The scent gland oozes a stinky, oily substance that these teenage koalas use to communicate. There's no need for a phone. Males rub their scent gland on trees as they move through their patch of forest, leaving a clear, smelly message to other koalas that this territory is taken. Over at the flying fox camp, After six weeks of being spoiled by their mums, it's time for the pups to go and hang out with their friends more. In their treetop? Grash! Not capable of flight until they're about three months old. So while they wait, they practice grooming their wings. Are big on grooming. Picking their wings keeps them clean. And all this flapping is not for exercise. It's how they fan themselves in hot weather. By the time they are strong enough to fly, another behaviour they need to learn is how to grab a drink. By belly dunking, Let's take a sip, when you can also make a splash. It's also another great way to keep cool. After taking the plunge, the bats will roost, then lick their fur to quench their thirst. Just one of the many life skills these young bats pick up as they grow up. Back near the kookaburra family's nest, one of the fledglings has spread its wings, exploring the wide open spaces outside its nursery. It's taken five weeks to get to this stage. Bird calls fill this patch of forest, but one catches its attention. Young kookaburras give laughing a try when they're about six weeks old. There's no harm in starting early. Telling a young kookaburra from an adult is as simple as looking at their beaks. Mature kookaburras have longer beaks and the bottom half or lower mandible is pale. Chicks have shorter dark beaks. The lower mandible will fully lighten up when they're about six months old. Another big change can be seen at the rear end. Eventually their stubby tail feathers will grow to be up to 17 centimetres long. The older they get, the more these birds start to look after themselves. Nothing like a quick splash to keep your feathers clean and fresh. While its older sibling dries off, the baby is upstairs, busy practising its singing. With this kind of inspiration, it won't be long before this youngster can join in on the laughs. The changes these creatures go through as they grow are close to miraculous. Going from minuscule eggs to magnificent butterflies. After stuffing themselves at a six-week leaf-eating festival, these chubby grubs are ready to pupate. The next big step in their life cycle. And this is where the magic happens. Inside a hard protective casing called a chrysalis. While they're busy transforming inside their changing room, a pair of silky threads or girdles anchor them in place. The warmer the weather, the shorter their stay at the Hotel Chrysalis. In summer, pupae take about 28 days to go through their final transformation. Keeping up with the cassowaries means a trip to the forest floor. Now the chicks are about five months old. They're like teenagers, and their fashion sense has changed. Babyish stripes are out, and long brown feathers are in. While they wait for their plumage to darken, the juveniles have some other accessories to develop. A cassowary's crowning glory is their casque, but this headgear doesn't start to grow until they're between one and two years of age. Six months, their necklaces, or wattles, also start to get more interesting. These fleshy pouches of skin go from being small and pale to bright, impressive appendages. Females showing off larger, more vibrant examples. Their feet also get an unusual upgrade. Cassowaries are normally shy, placid animals that use their clawed feet for scratching up food. But if threatened, adults are known to use them to protect their chicks or in self-defence. These natural weapons are the reason why humans class these creatures as the most dangerous bird on the planet. But to their growing chicks, they're simply the world's best dad. Saying goodbye to their parents and hello to the wider world is a big milestone for young animals. After spending months together roaming the branches, the close bonds between mother and joey possums start to give way. That time riding around on mum's back pays off though, as these juveniles really know their way around, especially in the dark. The best part about moving out? Setting up your own cool den. Flying Fox Camp. By the time they're about six months old, the young bats are ready to spread their wings and leave home. Flying foxes are nomadic, so while these travellers might not hang out with their direct family, they'll never be lonely, as they always gather and camp out for the day with hundreds of new friends. When it comes to moving out, butterflies do it in spectacular fashion. After emerging from their chrysalis, The new adults dry off their wings, Life is short for these colourful creatures, so they make the most of it. It's a very different story for cassowaries. They can roam the rainforest for about 20 years. Now that our chicks are all grown up, they'll spend most of their lives alone. That's what makes fatherhood such a special time for these birds. As for kookaburras, their family ties last a lot longer. Young kookaburras can stay around the neighbourhood to help raise the latest clutch of new siblings. Growing up, koala joeys enjoy very close relationships with their mums. By their first birthday, it's time for the youngsters to move on and find their own patch of the forest. Now that all of our forest babies have grown up, it's time to bid them farewell as they As they fly, Climb into the next adventurous chapter of their lives. Adulthood.