The king of beasts took this year’s top prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is co-owned by the Natural History Museum (London) and the BBC. The photo, of female lions and their cubs resting on a rock face in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, was taken by Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, […]
Tag: Australia
Google Earth spurs discovery of a ‘new’ chameleon species
Google Earth has spurred the discovery of another new species. In this case, the creature is a pygmy chameleon, one of four previously unknown Rhampholeon chameleon species described from the remote ‘sky islands’ in Mozambique. The Mount Mabu pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon maspictus) was discovered after Google Earth images of a tract of forest led Julian […]
Thousands join protest against Western Australian shark cull
Under the catch-and-kill policy, introduced by Western Australian premier, Colin Barnett, in January, baited drum lines are dropped offshore from the state’s most popular beaches. Only sharks three metres or longer are targeted, but critics claim smaller sharks and other species will be caught as well Under the catch-and-kill policy, introduced by Western Australian premier, […]
Sea eagle steals camera near crocodile meat trap
A sea eagle has recorded unusual footage of WA’s remote Kimberley after stealing a video camera and taking it on a 100 kilometre journey. Aboriginal rangers had set up the motion-sensor camera at a gorge on the Margaret River in May, to try and capture images of fresh-water crocodiles. Gooniyandi ranger Roneil Skeen says the […]
DNA tests reveal new dolphin species (photos)
With the help of DNA tests, scientists have declared a new dolphin species that dwells off the coast of northern Australia. The discovery was made after a team of researchers looked at the world’s humpback dolphins (in the genus Sousa), which sport telltale humps just behind their dorsal fins. While long-known to science, the new, […]
Koalas face ‘huge’ fall in numbers as climate change bites, study warns
Koalas could suffer a “huge reduction” in numbers unless Australia changes its land management practices to help mitigate the impact of climate change, a study has found. The research, led by the University of Sydney, involved the tracking of 40 koalas via GPS over three years on farmland around Gunnedah, in north-west NSW. The results […]
Birds and frogs of Bowra Sanctuary
A sudden cold snap in Sydney this weekend provided a good reason to stay indoors and to catch up on some trip reports. In May 2012 I had the opportunity to visit AWC’s Bowra Sanctuary in southern Queensland for a few days. Bowra is an internationally known hotspot for Australia’s threatened birdlife. The 14,000 hectares […]
Beaches without people
Australia’s Top End beaches are off limits for swimming. And for a good reason. If a Saltwater crocodile won’t get you, a Box jellyfish probably will. As a result, in contrast to the rest of Australian coastline, Northern Territory beaches are often virtually empty. And what happens if you take people away from the beach? […]