Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2020 i Australian Geographic

IT’S PROBABLY too early to think of what benefits COVID-19 might bring, while the pandemic continues to take its deadly toll. But it’s one of the best aspects of human nature that we try to find good in the face of adversity. A quick flick through this issue of Australian Geographic reveals a theme that recurs time and again in our conservation and science reporting, the involvement of ordinary private citizens in essential research projects run by academic institutions. Once the preserve of the qualified research community, essential long-term field observations are now being carried out by members of the public, thanks in part to a combination of special smartphone apps, data-gathering websites and a fast-growing artificial intelligence capability that can quickly analyse vast amounts of data and imagery. In…

In September, we reported on a new scientific paper that found the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree contains the same toxins as those of spiders and scorpions. JANET CROWE Thirty-five years on, I still remember my first agonising sting! I can easily believe the toxins are similar. GARY O’DONNELL I’ve been stung twice. You will never forget it and it can last a few weeks or more. LAURIE BIMSON My dog backed up on one to do her business. She was scraping her bum for a while. JOMA MACK The leaves may look perfect for bush toilet paper. DO NOT be fooled. JOY BROOKS Dreadful pain! Never forgotten.…

WITH ITS WINGS severely clipped by the current pandemic, the aviation industry is enduring a turbulent time, making 16 November 2020 particularly poignant. It’s the 100th anniversary of Qantas, which, as one of the most iconic Australian businesses, has helped define our domestic and international identity. Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (QANTAS at first, then later rebranded as Qantas) was registered on 16 November 1920 in Winton, central western Queensland, by two Gallipoli veterans–Paul McGinness and Hudson Fysh. With financial backing from grazier Fergus McMaster and with engineer Arthur Baird on board, the company took off. Air travel appealed to the Australian imagination, and, being a pragmatic response to the country’s vast landscape, it was adopted enthusiastically. The company began operations in 1921 with two open-cabin biplanes flying…

I’D LOVE TO HAVE a dollar for each time someone has asked me, “Isn’t Lake George connected to a lake in China, or is it Siberia?” According to this far-fetched, yet surprisingly oft-touted, theory, the water levels in Lake George, an ephemeral body of water located between Goulburn and Canberra, “go up as the water levels in [insert random name of another lake in China or Siberia] go down, and vice versa”. Of course, any suggestion freshwater lakes in different hemispheres are linked is fanciful rubbish. So just what does cause the lake’s fluctuating levels, which have mystified many travellers since ex-convict-come-explorer Joseph Wild first set eyes on this “inland sea” on 19 August 1820, to fluctuate so wildly? In the 200 years since Wild’s visit, the lake, which, when…

I USED TO THINK pterodactyls were two-legged flying dinosaurs. Yes, they could fly, but they were not dinosaurs and they had four legs. Pterodactyls were part of a larger group called pterosaurs–literally “flying reptiles”. Although they existed at the same time as dinosaurs, about 200–66 million years ago (mya), pterosaurs were a completely different group. They were widespread across Earth, with at least 110 known species in more than 85 genera. Pterosaurs did not have feathers. Instead, their wings were flexible membranes of muscle, skin and related tissues. This membrane stretched from the ankles, up along the sides of the rather short pterosaur body and out to the wing tips. Some of them–notably Quetzalcoatlus spp.–were the largest creatures ever to fly, with wingspans of 10m and more–bigger than a modern-day…

Naked eye The brilliant planet Jupiter is in the early western evening sky. Only Mars (in the north) and the brightest star, Sirius (rising in the east), come close to its brightness. Although not as luminous, its fellow gas giant, Saturn, trails Jupiter by a few degrees and also stands out. Binoculars Two smaller companion galaxies to the Milky Way–the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds–lie high in the southern evening sky and are visible to the naked eye. Binoculars reveal the LMC has an obvious central bar with many bright star clusters and nebulae, notably the Tarantula Nebula at the eastern end. Small telescope The drawing closer of Jupiter and Saturn reaches a spectacular climax in December. The Moon looks impressive next to them on the 17th, the start of…

WA Walk wildflower trails, Rottnest Island November is the ideal time to enjoy Rottnest Island’s wildflowers, including carpets of purple-blue Rottnest daisies and coastal pigface. One way to enjoy the island’s 1500 wildflower species, many of which are adapted to windy and salty conditions, is along the 45km Wadjemup Bidi walking trail. The daisies are particularly abundant in the dunes behind Henrietta Rocks and Parker Point. For more info: Call the Rottnest Island Authority on 08 9432 9300 or visit rottnestisland.com QLD See wild koalas, Magnetic Island Although koalas in many places fared terribly this year, the population of up to 800 on Magnetic Island, a 25-minute ferry ride from Townsville in northern Queensland, remains relatively healthy. This is one of the best places to spot wild koalas up close.…

EVERY SUBSCRIBER to this journal automatically becomes a member of the not-for-profit AG Society. Your subscription helps us fund Australia’s scientists, conservationists, adventurers and explorers. To subscribe, call 1300 555 176 Who are the Australian Geographic Society? Patron: Dick Smith AC Chair: David Haslingden Secretary: Adrian Goss/Page Henty Directors: Kerry Morrow, Jo Runciman Advisory Council: Chrissie Goldrick, John Leece AM, Tim Jarvis AM, Anna Rose, Todd Tai THE SOCIETY runs sponsorship rounds in April and November, during which it considers applications and disburses grants that are funded by the Australian Geographic business. The Society also awards the Nancy-Bird Walton sponsorship for female adventurers, and hosts annual awards for conservation and adventure. Each year it gives in excess of $100,000 to worthy projects. Funding support Applications are now open for round…

PLATYPUS Ornithorhynchus anatinus IUCN: Near threatened (listed as endangered in South Australia) DISTRIBUTION: Down Australia’s eastern seaboard from Cape York to Tasmania SIZE: 43–50cm in length, 700g–2.4kg in weight SHORT-BEAKED ECHIDNA Tachyglossus aculeatus IUCN: Least concern (the KI subspecies is listed as endangered) DISTRIBUTION: Found throughout Australia and in some parts of Papua New Guinea SIZE: 30–45cm in length, 2–6kg in weight EASTERN LONG-BEAKED ECHIDNA Zaglossus bartoni IUCN: Vulnerable DISTRIBUTION: Found across the central mountain ranges of New Guinea SIZE: 60–100cm in length, up to 17kg in weight WESTERN LONG-BEAKED ECHIDNA Zaglossus bruijni IUCN: Critically endangered DISTRIBUTION: Found in the Vogelkop Peninsula, in the west of Indonesia’s West Papua province SIZE: 45–77cm in length, up to 16kg in weight SIR DAVID’S LONGBEAKED ECHIDNA Zaglossus attenboroughi IUCN: Critically endangered DISTRIBUTION: Known…

IF THERE was ever a year when we met the native animals in our backyards, it was this one. As COVID-19 confined us to home, and neighbourhoods became our only permitted outdoor destinations, we’ve grown more aware and appreciative of nature on our doorsteps. Cockatoo squawks and magpie songs became our daily soundtrack as we worked from home. In Australia we’re lucky to enjoy superb access to native landscapes and creatures. All our regional capitals boast great rivers and harbours near their centres and vast national parks within easy reach, often accessible by public transport. And our gardens can be havens for birds, lizards, possums and frogs. AG’s new book Urban Wild celebrates the native creatures surrounding us daily. Be inspired to discover what’s just beyond the front door–the birds…

THE 99TH KOALA By Kailas Wild DURING THE Black Summer bushfires, a desperate text from a wildlife carer prompted Sydney arborist Kailas Wild to throw his climbing gear into his ute and drive 1500km to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Almost half the island had been razed by flames and thousands of koalas were left stranded and starving in smoking, blackened trees. The 99th Koala details the life-changing seven weeks Kailas spent saving more than 100 koalas. Climbing fire-weakened trees and rescuing frightened koalas is exhausting, risky work, and Kailas is forthcoming about the crushing guilt he experienced every time a rescue went badly. But in such a dark time it’s the moments of elation, joy and hope that shine through in this extraordinary book. FROM SNOW TO ASH By…

YOU MIGHT KNOW of British mathematician Alan Turing, who invented the first programmable computer to crack the German’s secret Enigma code during World War II. But he was also responsible for publishing a mathematical concept in 1952 that explained the hidden order underlying how patterns form in nature, including spots and stripes on animals. Most birds, in particular, exhibit some degree of patterns and colours. Australia’s diminutive zebra finch, for example, was so named because of the zebra-like black and white bars on its rump and tail. But it also has many other colours and patterns, from a bright orange bill and cheek patches to fine white spotting along its reddish-brown sides. The zebra finch is Australia’s most abundant and widely distributed grass-finch species, occurring throughout most of mainland Australia.…

This expression is now known worldwide, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. But it’s our expression…coined here in Australia. The earliest recorded mention of contact tracing comes from the October 1910 edition of the Australasian Medical Gazette in an article about school epidemics. It talks of the importance of the school nurse in “swab-taking, contact tracing, and similar necessary details”. The dictionary definition is “the action or process of identifying individuals who have been in the proximity of a person diagnosed with an infectious disease”. Whether or not Australia gives the world a vaccine, we’ve already provided the name for tracking down those who have met a COVID carrier, because we’ve coined (and shared with the world) the term contact tracing. Got a question for Kel? Go to: ozwords.com.au…

FOR THE KOALA, this has been a shocking year. But with luck the disaster the species has faced will be the turning point that finally persuades Australians to truly value this national icon and do everything possible to bring it back from the brink of extinction. Since our cover feature on the beloved marsupial early this year (see Unbearable loss, AG 155), it has become clear that the impact of the bushfire crisis was worse than any of us dared think. The results of WWF Australia surveys released in July showed that up to 71 per cent of koalas died in six populations in northern New South Wales. These are some of the only detailed post-fire surveys done so far, and they hint at what to expect in other fire-hit…

At the beginning of the nightmare 2019–20 bushfire season, in early November last year, the Society pledged $50,000 towards bushfire relief. At that stage we could have had little idea of the devastation that lay ahead. So far, we have disbursed funds to the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital in Queensland, and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife to fund its wildlife carers program. Our next recipient will be the Forktree Project, led by Tim Jarvis. Tim was the first person to be awarded the Society’s gold medallions for both adventure and conservation, for his work as a polar explorer and in bringing attention to climate change by trekking to the world’s equatorial glaciers to show the extent that ice had retreated in recent decades. The Forktree Project aims to rehabilitate…

Subscribe or renew today with great savings and receive our latest beautiful photographic book, valued at $59.95. Be amazed by the incredible Aussie animals we share our cities, backyards and lives with. In this 240-page book we gather the very best backyard wildlife stories and photos, featuring contributions from the nation’s finest natural history writers, photographers and artists. We profile our common species, including advice and information on how to make your own gardens more wildlife friendly and encourage greater harmony with the incredible nature on our doorstep. CHOOSE YOUR OFFER OFFERS WITH A GIFT $69.99 for 6 issues via annual automatic renewal (credit card or direct debit) SAVE OVER $19–21% discount every 6 issues OR $129.99 for 12 issues SAVE OVER $49–27% discount Both offers include Urban Wild book,…

AS HE LOOKED FORWARD to his 94th birthday in May, Sir David Attenborough solemnly reflected on a very different planet from the one on which he grew up. “We need to reconnect with nature, for our own health–as well as the Earth’s,” he said. After a lifetime of bringing nature into our living rooms, Sir David wants us to get out of our armchairs and help save the natural world we’ve enjoyed watching on TV. Decades of relentless industrialisation, urbanisation and intensive farming have driven a wedge between us and our animal ancestors, he warns, and the disconnection between modern families and nature is getting worse. “I think it’s terrible that children should grow up without knowing what a tadpole is–just awful,” he says. “I can’t criticise other people on…

Sylvia Earle This esteemed marine scientist has been a lifelong advocate for the protection of the world’s oceans and creation of marine protected areas. In this episode she talks of the journey that led to her becoming one of the most respected voices for ocean conservation and how she hopes to inspire a new generation of young female ocean scientists and conservationists. Bradley Moggridge A Murri man from the Kamilaroi Nation (in NSW) and water scientist, Bradley has dedicated his life to finding ways, imbued with Aboriginal knowledge, to better manage Australia’s water in the age of climate change. Angie Scarth-Johnson At age seven, Australian rock-climbing sensation Angie was already climbing grades that other rock climbers spent years figuring out. Today, the 16-year-old is in a league of her own…

The success of Aussie Ark’s Tasmanian devil breeding program continues with captive-bred animals being released into large tracts of feral-free bushland in the Barrington Tops region of NSW. It’s hoped they will display normal devil behaviour and feed and breed their way to a healthy wild population that will help provide a bright future for this marvellous but endangered marsupial. The AG Society is raising funds for the purchase of individual trackers so young devils can be monitored after they disappear into the landscape. Already more than 300 devils born in captivity have been raised in this way to foster natural behaviour, helping ensure they maintain the skills needed to survive in the wild. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PLEASE DONATE TODAY Funds raised will help us learn more about how to…

“WE TEND TO think science was inexact 175 years ago. In meteorology, that’s not always the case,” says Mac Benoy, the Australian Meteorological Association’s citizen science project manager. “Some of the first formal weather observations in British colonies were carried out by the Royal Engineers who were central to the functioning of many British outposts. For example, the Adelaide Survey Department, under the guidance of Royal Engineer Colonel Edward Charles Frome, began formal recordings in 1839–most likely acting on a memorandum from the UK Colonial Secretary. The responsibility for Adelaide’s daily weather observations was then passed on to Arthur Henry Freeling from 1849. Trained as surveyors, Frome and Freeling understood the need for accuracy, with trained observers using standard instruments and taking exact readings at specified times. This explains why…

Dinosaurs of Australia from an inserted poster AG 122 Sep–Oct 2014 LIDA XING IS A palaeontologist and palaeo-artist based in Beijing, China. His science-based reconstructions of prehistoric creatures have featured in National Geographic and Nature as well as on numerous occasions in AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC. He earned his master’s degree in palaeontology from the University of Alberta, Canada; has done extensive fieldwork excavating feathered dinosaurs in China; and has published numerous academic papers on dinosaur tracks. On this occasion in 2014, Xing illustrated all of Australia’s then-known dinosaurs for a poster. Australia’s dinosaur species are unique, but our fossil record is meagre compared with other locations. Our ancient, flat landscape makes fossils hard to find and leaves them exposed to the elements. The potential for future discoveries, however, together with a…