Does your partner like having the heater on? Or maybe they like it off?
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Either way, Topics reckons loads of couples must be having the annual winter tiff over how warm or cold their homes are.
It's called temperature control, pardon the pun. The Tasmanian devils at Aussie Ark's Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary are masters of temperature control.
They have the capacity to thermoregulate to stay warm. Wonder if they're having a barney with their partners over exactly how much to thermoregulate!
Anyhow, as this picture shows, the first snow of the year has fallen at the sanctuary. Aussie Ark called the snow a "milky duvet" and a "white Christmas in July".
The staff say the devils are "feeling right at home".
"The sight of our Tasmanian devils enjoying themselves in the snow warms our hearts. They seem to be appreciating the cold way more than the keepers," Aussie Ark president Tim Faulkner said.
Perhaps, then, it's the Aussie Ark staff who are having a barney over temperature control in the office.
Tim says the blanket of snow occurred "right in the midst of Tasmanian devil breeding season and just a few weeks following first pouch checks".
"The organisation has so far confirmed 36 Tasmanian devil joeys," he said.
"The little ones are taking advantage of the warmth in their mum's pouches."
Joeys Bring Hope
Meanwhile, two endangered brush-tailed rock-wallaby joeys have been born at Aussie Ark's Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary.
The joeys have been spotted poking their heads out of their mother's pouches.
Aussie Ark president Tim Faulkner said the joeys were "healthy and being well looked after by their mums".
"The birth of these joeys is a fantastic achievement for Aussie Ark and the species."
Brush-tailed rock-wallabies were among the species affected by the summer fires.
Tim said the joeys offer "a glimmer of hope for the future of the species".
The NSW government Saving Our Species project worked with Aussie Ark on a captive breeding program for the brush-tailed rock-wallaby.
Deb Ashworth, of the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, said the joeys were "yet to take their first hops", but would have "an important role to play in the long-term conservation of their species".
"The brush-tailed rock-wallaby was once common throughout its range in NSW. Sadly, as a result of predation by foxes and wild dogs, competition with feral goats and ongoing drought conditions, these beautiful wallabies are now considered an endangered species in NSW," she said.
Tim said the joeys would be protected from foxes and other predators at the Barrington sanctuary, until they're old enough to be released into the wild or enter the breeding program.
- topics@newcastleherald.com.au
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