The corals of the Great Barrier Reef: illustrated
WEBJun 30, 2017 · All illustrations by Brittney Klein. Three-quarters of the world’s 798 coral species can be found on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and they come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colours. There are more than 600 coral species in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which covers 344,400sq.km of ocean. Corals are colonies of tiny polyps ...
A guide to all six species of quoll - Australian Geographic
WEBFeb 27, 2017 · The largest species, the tiger quoll, eats birds, reptiles and mammals such as bandicoots, possums and echidnas, while the smaller species eat mainly insects, birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, small mammals and fruit. Quolls are also known to eat carrion, and will scavenge around campsites and rubbish bins. Quolls are generally solitary, except ...
A guide to Australia’s possums and gliders - Australian Geographic
WEBJul 25, 2019 · Illustration credit: Kevin Stead/Australian Geographic. With a scientific name that means the pygmy acrobat, the fast-moving feathertail glider is the smallest of the gliding possums, weighing only 10–15 g. The most characteristic feature is its exquisite, 8 cm long feather-like tail that is the same length as its body.
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.
Fact File: Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
WEBGreat white shark. This is the world’s largest predatory fish. Adult whites are long-lived and can reach truly huge proportions during their 70-plus years. Being top-order predators – at the pinnacle of marine food chains – adult great whites aren’t threatened by any other marine animals. They do, however, face great risk from humans.
Everything you need to know about snakes - Australian Geographic
WEBFeb 22, 2016 · The amethystine python (aka the scrub python) is by far the longest snake in Australia, it grows up to 6m. They inhabit the rainforest regions of far north Queensland. There are over 3500 species of snakes found worldwide. WA’s anthill or pygmy python is the smallest python in the world.
20 Aussie frogs you need to know about - Australian Geographic
WEBOct 10, 2017 · Some people believe the large adults control mouse and cockroach numbers. 3. Red-eyed tree frog. Litoria chloris. Red-eyed tree frog (Litoria chloris). Illustration credit: Kevin Stead/Australian Geographic. Size: Males to 62 mm, females to 68 mm. Habitat: In forest pools and streams after spring and summer rains.
Fact File: Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) - Australian Geographic
WEBFruits, seeds, plant shoots, insects and other small animals, and animal droppings. Average lifespan. Between 10 and 20 years in the wild, sometimes up to 35 years in captivity. Size. Between 1.6 and 1.9 metres tall. Thundering through the outback at speeds of up to 50km per hour, the emu might be Australia’s largest flightless bird, but it ...
A guide to Australia’s penguins - Australian Geographic
WEBApr 26, 2018 · A little penguin (Eudyptula minor).Image credit: shutterstock Only a tad bigger than a bowling pin, little penguins (sometimes called fairy penguins) are the smallest penguin species in the world. These petite paddlers make their homes along the coast of southern Australia, with colonies located on Montague Island and Sydney’s Manly Beach in NSW, the St Kilda breakwater in Melbourne ...
Tsunamis: how they form - Australian Geographic
WEBMar 18, 2011 · Tsunamis: How they form. Underwater volcanoes erupting, icebergs calving and in rare instances meteorites hitting the ocean have all produced the giant waves in the past. But very large underwater earthquakes are responsible for about three-quarters of all tsunamis. “Broadly speaking earthquakes have to be a magnitude six or above to trigger ...