Benz World Blog » Carnivore

Walking William

Jason Benz — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 00:23:29 +0000

This is William, a 6-year-old cheetah being walked at Australia Zoo in Queensland. I was a little surprised to see it as cheetahs are not listed on the zoo map. They must be kept out of sight until it is time for their walk. Captive animals are controversial, however, when it comes to cheetahs, the species survival may now be dependent on captive breeding. This cheetah came to Australia from the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre in South Africa which has bred over 800 cheetah cubs and was largely responsible for cheetahs being removed from endangered species list in South Africa. A study of wild cheetahs in the Serengeti found 60% of all cubs were taken by lions in their first 8 weeks.

Butterbum Thornbill

Jason Benz — Sun, 21 May 2017 22:45:21 +0000

This is a Yellow-rumped thornbill, Also known as a Butterbum to Australian bird watchers. They feed on insects and seeds. They can also mimic the calls of other birds. I guess this makes them multilingual. This one was photographed on The Spit, Gold Coast, Queensland next to the set of the new Aquaman movie.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Tasmanian Devil

Jason Benz — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:34:49 +0000

We met this Tasmanian Devil at Australia Zoo on the sunshine coast in Queensland. They are Australia‘s largest living carnivorous marsupial. Scientists have been calling for them to be reintroduced to the mainland however they will find that cats and foxes now dominate their space in the food chain.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

UPDATE: After 3000 years a group called Aussie Ark reintroduced devils to the mainland in 2020.

Elusive Echidna

Jason Benz — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 08:10:16 +0000

I have been looking for an echidna to photograph since arriving in Australia in 2011. Echidnas and Platypus are the last survivors of an ancient branch of the evolutionary tree. Although they are warm blooded mammals they lay eggs like birds and reptiles. This was taken at Australia Zoo in Queensland this weekend. The search for a wild echidna pic continues…

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Barn Swallow

Jason Benz — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:28:49 +0000

This is a juvenile Barn Swallow. We saw it while waiting for our boat to Keppel Island in Queensland. These birds are relative newcomers to Australia and have spread around the world on the back of modern human civilisation. They benefit from forest clearing for agriculture and will follow farm machinery to catch disturbed insects. They like an open country with high vantage points, although they evolved to nest in cliffs they find barns very handy.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Carpet Python

Jason Benz — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 12:58:01 +0000

This is a Coastal Carpet Python. At up to 4 meters, it is the largest subspecies of Carpet Python and is found in Queensland and New South Wales. They are effective rat catchers but also eat bats, birds, lizards and even small dogs. Although they are not venomous I was glad this one was behind glass at Australia Zoo.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Bengal Tiger

Jason Benz — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 02:39:09 +0000

This is an eight year old Bengal Tiger called Mika. She was born at Mogo Zoo in New South Wales and was the runt of the litter. She now lives with her brother and sister at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Although keeping large carnivores in captivity is a little controversial, these animals look healthy and the handlers appear to put a lot of effort into keeping them physically and mentally stimulated. Such is their dedication that three handlers have been hospitalized in less than a year after curious tigers attempted human tasting.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Tree Snake

Jason Benz — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 08:20:17 +0000

This is a common tree snake which we encountered on Keppel Island, off the coast of Queensland. They come in a range of colours including black, brown, blue, grey, green and yellow. Although it is harmless, without an immediate identification and the fact that Australia contains all of the top 10 most venomous snakes in the world I decided to give it the respect it deserves as it slid under the chair I was sitting in.

Shark Christmas

Jason Benz — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 08:25:40 +0000

This shot was taken at Clam Bay on the far side of Keppel Island. We trekked for 2.5hrs to get there and hoped to find at least one boat with some other snorkellers to share the reef with. Alas we found ourselves alone. After exploring the coral for about an hour we walked down the beach only to discover we had been sharing the water with six sharks. We suspect they were one of Jaws’ less bitey cousins judging by their proximity to the shore.

Masked Lapwing

Jason Benz — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 08:59:37 +0000

This bird is one of a family of Masked Lapwings which have become our latest neighbours since we hit the road again in our van. Tonight is our first stop in a place call Tiaro. It is a free campsite behind a friendly local pub, with showers and bounded by horse pasture. It is also half a day’s drive from our start point in Southport and puts us within striking distance of Keppel Island and the Great Barrier Reef.