Spotted a fun setup at one of the UQ orientation booths featuring a koala, an echidna, a python, and a small crocodile.
The Koala: Absolutely adorable. Their entire daily schedule consists of munching through eucalyptus leaves at lightning speed—reminiscent of Flash the Sloth from Zootopia—and then immediately passing out on a tree branch.
The Echidna: Along with the platypus, echidnas are the only two surviving monotremes on Earth. They are mammals that lay eggs and have a pouch. While their quills look like a hedgehog's, they actually aren't that sharp if you stroke them in the direction they grow.
The Crocodile & Python: Their skin was surprisingly smooth to the touch, probably because these two were still pretty young.
Being cold-blooded, they seemed super chill and barely moved when brought out into the sun from the shade, letting everyone pet them. But after baking in the sun for a few minutes, their energy levels started loading up.
As a warm-blooded mammal, I sometimes envy cold-blooded animals for being able to eat one meal and call it a month. But then again, they probably envy our ability to get up and move around whenever we want, regardless of the temperature.
It reminds me of how lions in Africa will sometimes steal a crocodile's prey right in front of its face early in the morning. The poor croc hasn't soaked up enough sunlight to charge its battery yet, so it just has to sit there helplessly and watch its breakfast walk away.