Ben's Animal Friends' Facts

Cownley Farm Animal Facts

"Check out some cool and interesting facts about all the animals, birds and insects that are featured in my new book. 'Ben the Outside Dog.'
Let me know via my facebook page or my blog if you learnt something new that you found really unique! And if you also know something more about the animals featured that you think I have missed off! I always love to hear from you."

Ben the Outside Dog as a puppy

Ben The Outside Dog

Ben's breed of dog is Kelpie

Kelpies are Australian dogs

They can be nicknamed ‘Farm Dogs’ which is what Ben the Outside Dog is

They are also known as Australian Sheep Dogs

Kelpies are a medium sized dog with a long and narrow head with prick ears and have an athletic appearance

Another famous Australian Kelpie like Ben is 'Red Dog.' Books and movies have been written about him.

Coat colours of Kelpies can be black, black and tan, red, red and tan, blue, blue and tan, fawn, fawn and tan and cream

The Australian Kelpie is a working dog that demands a great deal of exercise, needs plenty of space and happiest when they have a job to do. Their energy levels are extremely high!

They are highly intelligent, easily trained and very keen to work. They will work tirelessly and enthusiastically

Their all-weather coat allows them to live where it is hot as well as where it is cold.

They will be content to live outdoors with adequate shelter.

They are ready to respond immediately to any signal given by their masters, even from a great distance

Ben the Oustide Dog as an older Kelpie

The Australian Kelpie is not aggressive, but a protective dog. He will guard his family and their belongings when necessary, regardless of the risk to himself.

They are excellent at herding and are the most popular and successful working dog. Kelpies are devoted one-man dogs but far too work-oriented and energetic so are great as Outdoor Dogs, not Inside Dogs.

How many of these traits can you see in Ben of the Australian Keplie in Ben the Outside Dog?

The Masked Lapwing Masked Plover and often named Spur-winged Plover

A large, common bird native to Australia

It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms and has several distinctive calls.

Now they are spread throughout New Zealand, where it is known as the Spur-winged Plover and they are most commonly found around the edges of wetlands

Commonly a male and a female are found together and they are almost identical.

The nesting pair defends their territory against all intruders by calling loudly, spreading their wings, and then swooping fast and low, and where necessary striking at interlopers with their feet and attacking animals on the ground with a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of the wing.

Huntsman spiders

Huntsman are large, long-legged spiders with a large popluation throughout Australia

Huntsman Spiders are found living under loose bark on trees, in crevices on rock walls and in logs, under rocks and slabs of bark on the ground, and on foliage.

Many of them enter houses. They are also notorious for entering cars, and being found hiding behind sun visors or running across the dashboard!

"Huntsman Spiders' give my Master a fright when they run along the windscreen after hiding behind the sun visor of his Ute!"

Crows
Crows are often quite fearless, although they can be wary of
man. They are fairly solitary, usually found alone or in pairs. They will eat almost anything, including other birds, fruits, nuts, mollusks, earthworms, seeds, frogs, eggs, nestlings, mice and carrion. The origin of placing scarecrows in grain fields resulted from the crow’s incessant damaging and scavenging, although crows assist farmers by eating insects otherwise attracted to their crops

Free Picture: Kookaburra ID: 135143 © Phil Campbell | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Kookaburra
The laughing kookaburra is well known both as a symbol of Australia’s birdlife and as the inspirational “merry, merry king of the bush” from the children’s
song.

Noisy early morning and evening choruses have earned the laughing kookaburra the nickname “bushman’s clock.

They live up to 20 years old.

The laughing kookaburra has dark brown wing plumage and a white head and underside. Dark brown eye stripes run across its face and its upper bill is
black. Its reddish-colored tail is patterned with black bars.

Millie the Inside Dog
Millie is a Maltese Dog which is a small breed of dog that descends from the country Malta.
Maltese are bred to be cuddly companion dogs, and thrive on love and attention.
They are extremely lively and playful, and even as a Maltese ages, their energy levels and playful demeanor remain fairly constant.
They also adore humans, and prefer to stay near them. The Maltese is very active within a house, and, preferring enclosed spaces, do better as an Inside Dog. For this reason, the breed is a prized pet of urban dwellers.
Some Maltes suffer from separation anxiety from their Masters.

"There's more than 1 billion pigs on the planet at anyone time?! That's a lot of Mrs Pigs'!"

Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-size canids (slightly smaller than a medium-size domestic dog),
with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or brush).
Th most common fox is the red fox, just like Mr Fox in Ben the Outside Dog

Rosella

Rosellas are colourful Australian Parrots

Their diet is mainly seeds and fruit.

Galah

A Galah is one of the most commmon and widespread cockatoos in Australia.

The term galah is derived from gilaa, a word found in Yuwaalaraay and neighbouring Aboriginal languages
Galahs are about 35 cm (14 in) long and weigh 270–350 g. They have a pale grey
to mid-grey back, a pale grey rump, a pink face and chest, and a light pink
mobile crest.

Free Picture: Rooster003 ID: 141073 © Andrei Calangiu | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Free Picture: Two Moths ID: 187309 © Deni Barbay | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Free Picture: Beatle. ID: 268451 © Chrisharvey | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Free Picture: Grasshopper ID: 189164 © Kuanchong Ng | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Free Picture: Koala Bear ID: 81316 © Bob Denelzen | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Mudeye/ Dragonfly nymph. Photographer:M BulbertRights:© Australian Museum

Free Picture: Horse ID: 144227 © Lidian Neeleman | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Horses
The size of horses varies by breed, but nutrition also of course influences it.
The modern domestic horse lives to 25-30 years old. Horses' bodies enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have well-developed balance and a strong fight or flight response. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down!

"There's a famous song in Austalia about a Kookaburra. Do you know it?"

Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is
he.

Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be!

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gumdrops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra
Leave some there for me.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra,
That's no monkey, that's me.

Free Picture: Pig ID: 82615 © Tiberius Dinu | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Pigs
Pigs are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals.
They are highly social and intelligent animals.

Infant pigs are called Piglets.

With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domesticated pig is one of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.

More Animal Facts coming soon....

Free Picture: Cow ID: 254385 © Elisa Locci | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Cows

Cows or Cattle raised for human consumption are called beef cattle.

Cows or Cattle bred specifically for milk production are called milking or dairy cattle
Cattle are often raised by allowing herds to graze on the grasses of large tracts of rangeland.

Cows when they speak, 'Moo.'

The average sleep time of a domestic cow is about four hours a day

Free Picture: Mother Cow ID: 119625 © Louise Carduner | Dreamstime Stock Photos

"Did you know that Cow urine is commonly used in India for internal medical purposes? It is distilled and then consumed by patients seeking treatment for a wide variety of illnesses. I hope it works!"

Chickens and Hens
Chickens are domesticated birds
There are more chickens in the world than any other living bird with over 24 billion!
Humans keep chickens as a source of food for their eggs and their meat.
On my Farm, the Master's Wife collects their eggs everyday.
Female Chickens are called Hens. They lay lay the eggs. Chicks are the baby chickens. Male Chickens are called Roosters or Cocks.
All chickens in Australia are called chooks as well as chickens. We like to be different in Oz!