Australian Wildlife
Ethan does not typically get along well with non-avian animals so after spending such a long time in Asia and finally adjusting to the local fauna I was worried about how he would react as he traveled farther south of the Wallace line. It could have gone better. Without further ado, here are some of the animals that Ethan had to deal with during his time in Australia.
Here is an Australian Water Dragon. Ethan was perfectly fine with this guy. It is a nice, normal lizard from the same family as the gliding lizards he would see in Asia.
This Goanna was a bit bigger but Ethan still seemed okay with it. After all, it is just another monitor lizard.
Here is a venomous Tiger Snake that was right outside Ethan’s door. He was mainly focused on getting out of the snake’s way so he was unable to photograph it in its entirety but fortunately he managed to recreate it for you using the magic of modern technology.
When Ethan saw this Echidna, he thought it was unnatural and was greatly disturbed. The Echidna evidently had a similarly unpleasant reaction to the meeting and buried its head in the ground after which Ethan was able to convince himself that it was just a quirky porcupine.
One of the Ethan’s most frequently encountered animals was the Gray Kangaroo. They would often stand on their hind legs and watch him silently before creepily hopping away. These encounters left him shaken and he clearly viewed this bipedalism as a defiant challenge to the sanctity of his very humanity. At first he was filled with rage at this seeming act of hubris but as he came to understand the kangaroos raw power, the anger turned to resentment and in the end he was left embroiled in a bitter contemplation of his place in the grand hierarchy of existence.
No, no, no. This was the worst thing that Ethan had ever seen. A writhing mass of flesh…
Ethan feared for his life when this massive boomer showed up.
Ethan was thoroughly intimidated and decided to hide behind a couple of fences until the coast was clear.
This Kangaroo spent several minutes staring at Ethan while slowly scratching its arm in the creepiest way possible. Truly the stuff of nightmares!
That’s a bit better. This Bennet’s Wallaby seems more docile and is certainly smaller but it could still probably take Ethan in a fight.
A Pretty-Faced Wallaby and a Swamp Wallaby. Which is which?
This Quokka is a bit creepy looking but at least he is small enough for Ethan to fend off if it decided to set upon him. Hopefully he doesn’t have any friends.
Here is a critically endangered Western Ringtail Possum. Ethan might have more sympathy for it if it would stop its horrible shrieking.
Ethan can’t decide if this Honey Possum is cute or nasty. It’s definitely a little nasty.
A ferocious Tiger Quoll, the second largest marsupial carnivore.
The Numbat was the one Marsupial that Ethan actually wanted to meet. They are diurnal, just like him and none of them have pouches, also just like him.
This Numbat even took a momentary break from scurrying to pose on a log which more than made up for the weeks of psychological torment inflicted upon Ethan by the other Australian animals.