Australia's most dangerous animals - Australian Geographic
WEBMar 28, 2013 · Tracking down the world’s most venomous snake, the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), took the crew to a remote desert in south-western Queensland. “The inland taipan is unbelievably elusive,” he says. The remote location is one reason there have been no recorded deaths by this species, even though one bite contains enough venom to kill several humans.
A guide to Australia’s fairy-wrens - Australian Geographic
WEBMar 27, 2019 · The lovely fairy-wren looks very similar to a superb fairy-wren, but it has a very short tail in comparison. It is one of four chestnut-winged fairy-wrens, which includes the variegated, blue-breasted and red-winged fairy-wren. It’s endemic to north-eastern Queensland and is recognised as the most arboreal (living in trees) species of fairy ...
Australia’s five black cockatoos - Australian Geographic
WEBMar 22, 2019 · Australia’s charismatic black cockatoos are true icons. Our five species – the Baudin’s, Carnaby’s, red-tail, yellow-tail and glossy black – hide away high in the gum trees, feeding on delicious gumnuts, cawing loudly and distinctly. All black cockatoos fall into the genus Calyptorhynchus. While there are other black-coloured ...
Fact File: Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa)
WEBAverage lifespan. Around two years. Size. Up to 12cm. When it comes to dangerous threats within our ocean, a tiny, ring-patterned creature with eight floppy legs isn’t the first to spring to mind. But the reclusive yet highly-venomous blue-ringed octopus has enough poison inside it to kill 26 humans – and there isn’t a known anti-venom in ...
The world’s 10 most devastating volcanic eruptions
WEBHere are 10 of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in human history: 1. Mt Tambora, Indonesia, 1815 (VEI 7) Mt. Tambora is the deadliest eruption in recent human history, claiming the lives of up to 120,000 people. On 10 April 1815, Tambora erupted sending volcanic ash 40km into the sky. It was the most powerful eruption in 500 years.
A guide to the sea snakes of Australia - Australian Geographic
WEBEmydocephalus annulatus. Range: Found around Australia from the Timor Sea to the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Philippines and New Caledonia. Length: 80cm–1m. Threat status: Least concern. This fish egg–eating specialist has relatively weak venom. Males have a spike-like, elongated scale on the upper lip, which is used to scrape eggs off ...
Fact File: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) - Australian Geographic
WEBAverage lifespan. Between 13-18 years. Size. 60-85cm long and between 4kg and 15kg in weight. There’s nothing more Aussie than a koala up a gumtree, and these iconic marsupials are a well-loved species that are found nowhere else in the world. With their habitat sadly under threat, and numbers declining, the koala is the last surviving member ...
Gympie-Gympie: Once stung, never forgotten - Australian …
WEBJun 16, 2009 · One of the world’s most venomous plants, the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree can cause months of excruciating pain for unsuspecting humans. Marina Hurley’s dedication to science was sorely tested during the three years she spent in Queensland’s Atherton Tableland studying stinging trees. The entomologist and …
Australia’s 10 deserts - Australian Geographic
WEBApr 20, 2016 · Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology therefore uses three formulas to define our deserts, which make up a whopping 18 per cent of Australia’s entire landmass. Listed from greatest size to smallest, these are Australia’s ten …
Wombat bums: there’s more than meets the eye
WEBNov 3, 2020 · Wombat bums: there’s more than meets the eye. A wombat's backside is made up of four fused plates surrounded by cartilage, fat, skin and fur. Image credit: Colin Munro / Alamy Stock Photo. Not simply designed for sitting, a wombat’s bum is its best defence against attack. Scientist Alyce Swinbourne is the unofficial expert on wombat bums.
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