a partial list of animal companions i had
as a child, age approx 4-12, in Oyster Cove, Tasmania, and East Gippsland,
Victoria. classification is of individual, recognizable animals or groups of
animals "collected" for close-observation of behaviour or life-cycle
in terrariums/aquariums, and/or lived with as deliberate "familiars"
in my immediate environment, rather than just observed in passing in the garden
/ in the wild. I have only included animals that weren’t ‘acquired’ via commercial
transaction, but approached personally, by collection (mostly temporary) and/or
re-visitation over days/months/seasons in the immediate environment they (and
I) lived in. Many of the individuals of these species were admired for their
beauty and/or emotionally connected with, some were regarded as being as close as (if not closer than) human friends, and some received full burials upon death.
Garden Mantis (Orthodera ministralis)
False Garden Mantid (Pseudomantis
albofimbriata)
Common Grass Blue (Zizina labradus)
Common Garden Katydid (Caedicia simplex)
Gum Leaf Katydid
(Torbia viridissima)
Green Grocer Cicada (Cyclochila australasiae)
Emperor Gum Moth (Opodiphthera eucalypti)
Longicorn Beetle (Phoracantha obscura)
Black Field Cricket (Teleogryllus commodus)
Wanderer Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Mottled Cup Moth (Doratifera
vulnerans)
Saunders' Case Moth (Metura elongatus)
Garden Skink (Lampropholis guichenoti)
Eastern
Water Dragon (Physignathus
lesueurii)
Mosquito Fish (Gambusia affinis)
Eastern Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
