p

YOU DON'T Up Fro GET ANY 1� SEP 1996 CLOSER I' (\l�, THAN THIS 'I If. N ith a propensity for lying around and not doing too much of W.g, you could be forgiven for thinking that Shin�lebacks (Tiliqua anythin as they are also known, are fairly unremarkable , rugosa), or Sleepy Lizards Even scientists have described them as re tiles in the scheme of things. by Professor Michael et�ologically boring. But a recent discovery Associate NATURAL KIND on the map! Bull has changed all that and put these large Australian skinks all because, year after year, they remain faithful And their new found fame is most lto one partner. Just how they manage to find each other after spending of the year apart is unknown, but one study pair has been getting together every year for the last 14 years! It's a world first and you can read all about it on page 34. Have you ever wondered why kangaroos hop? No other large mammal in the world has adopted this form of locomotion, so why have our macropods? Is it because they have Sleepy Lizard. found it to be a more efficient and energy-saving way of getting about? Professor Uwe Proske has investigated the mechanics of hopping and Freycinet Lodge is Tasmania's award winning presents us with his findings on page 56. This story is also special because it is Eco Tourism Lodge, situated on illustrated with a number of images by Jan Aldenhoven and Glen Carruthers. Tasmania's beautiful East Coast inside Freycinet National Park. They are the multi award-winning Australian team that brought us the highly Freycinet is truly Nature's playground, and acclaimed and spectacular documentary "Faces in the Mob". Their amazing we invite you to take part in our highly photos also grace our cover and poster. acclaimed Eco Encounters, Mountain Pygmy-p fit into the Close Encounters of the Natural Kind - ossums are furry little creatures that would a program of exciting activities including: palm of your hand. They certainly don't look big or tough enough to travel gr;_ Whale watching incredibly long distances for food, or to snow-covered granite live in 6 Photographic workshops boulderfields where surface temperatures ° C. can be as low as -20 But they � Diving do, and Dr Linda Broome has survived ct) Tasmanian devil watching many freezing nights (although more � Bush food encounters than once she wondered why!) to bring � Ornithological encounters us their story on page 40. For Dr Br � Orchid encounters ?ome it may have been no pain, no 1 gain, but for Dr Tim Heard who studies Make Freycinet Lodge part of your native Tasmanian holiday itinerary. There's so much stingless bees, that was definitely to see and do, we can promise you - not the case. As their name suggests one day just won't be enough. these For bookings phone (002) 57 0 IOI. bees d on 't use a stmg· to defend themselves For more information and a free colour and, as a result, their honey brochure, send your name and address to: c an b _ Mountain Pygmy-possum. e elljoyed without fear. Freycinet Lodge PO Box 225 d Kings Meadows 7249 TASMANIA. a· An that's just the beginning. You can also read about the newly ove �: �ed Sunset Frog, view a spectacular bunch of Western Australian wild fl ers m Photoart, and discover that you may be living closer to a Platypus th You t �� �ought possible. One thing is for sure, after reading this issue you Wi e rem . Freycinet Lodge mded how spec1 FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK • COLES are. · a 1 ht e · · animals, msects and plants of Australia really BAY A "WORLD OF -Jennifer Saunders ATURAL ACTIVITIES NATURE AUSTRALIA SPR ING 1996 1 , Articles

NatureSPRING 1996 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 6

Published by The Australian Museum Trust 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone: (02) 320 6000 Fax: (02) 320 6073 Trust President: Malcolm Long Museum Director: Desmond Griffin EDITOR Jennifer Saunders, B.Sc. SCIENTIFIC EDITOR Georgina Hickey, B.Sc. PHOTO RESEARCHER Kate Lowe DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Watch This!,Design METROPOLITAN MONOTREMES PRINTING Much to many people's surprise, Excel Printing Company a recent survey has shown that MARKETING AND SALES Platypuses inhabit the rivers Howard Dimond and creeks of big cities. It seems Phone: (02) 320 6331 they're not adverse to having us as neighbours as long as we ADVERTISING clean up after ourselves. Phone: (02) 320 6331 BY MELODY SERENA SUBSCRIPTIONS STINGLESS BEES Michelle Atzemis 28 Of Australia's 1,600 or so Phone: (02) 320 6119 species of native bees, only a Toll-free (1800) 028 558 few don't use their sting as a Fax: (02) 320 6073 weapon, live a highlysoc ial Annual subscription (4 issues) life and can provide a wealth Within Australia $A33 Other countries $A45 ofpollen and honey that is Two-year subscription (8 issues) painless to harvest. Within Australia $A63 Other countries $A83 Three-year subscription (12 issues) BYTIM HEARD Within Australia $A89 Other countries $A116 so New subscriptions can be made by credit card on the NATURE AUSTRALIAtoll-free hotline (1800) 028 558 or use the form in this magazine. U it has been removed, send cheque, money order or credit card authorisation to the address above, made payable to the 'Australian Museum' in Australian currency. All material appearing in NATUREAUSTRALIA is copyright. Reproduction in part or whole is not permitted without written authorisation fromthe Editor. Opinions expressed by the authors are their own and do not necessarily represent the policies or SLEEPY LIZARDS: views of the Australian Museum. NATUREAUSTRALIA is printed on archival quality paper suitablefor library PAIRED FOR LIFE collections. It happened by accident. What Published 1996 was meant to be an innocent IS SN-1324-2598 foray into the lives oflizard ticks turned into a world-first discovery � for reptiles and meant that no-one would ever look at � Sleepy Lizards the same again. NATUREAUSTRALIA (as ANH) is proud BY MICHAEL BULL winner of the 1987, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92 & '93 Whitley Awards for Best Periodical, and the 1988 34 & '90 AustralianHeritage Awards. HOPPING MAD LIFE AMONG Whena kangaroo wantsto Front Cover THE BOULDERS really move, it gets up on its, After weaning, young I'm the only Australian back legs and hops. While its female Eastern Grey mammal specialised on the move, it's using less Kangaroos to survive (Macropus the alpine environment; I'm energy than a four-le�ed giganteus) often go weight through a stage where c�pable of travelling long animal of similar they play with natural distances over difficult terrain; running at the same speed. objects. This female's and I love gorging on moths. How does it manage to be so favourite 'toy' was a Whatam I? efficient? lump of dry cow dung. Photo by Jan BY LINDA BROOME BY UWE PROSKE Aldenhoven. 40 56 2 ING J996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPR THE LAS T WORD Sizing up Ant-eaters;Quick Regular FeatureB Quiz; Roly-poly Salamander; RATS, REVENUE & RECONCILIATION Brontosaurus: Doubly Dead. RD N ATURALIS T What's THE BACKYA in a name? Well, if 6 you're a native Australian rodent, everything! REVIEWS Natural Hazards; BY RJCHARD BRAITHWAITE Photographing Australia's 80 Birds; Aliya: Stories of the Elephants of Sri Lanka; Australian Frogs;Other New Columns Titles. 72

RATBAGS OF 1 THE RAFTERS I Black Rats have lived and travelledwith humans for ce11t1tries,from South-East Asia to Europe and then onto return for Australia. And in P H O T O A R T all thisfree travel they have . give11tts sleepless nights, broken WILD FLOWERS electrical wiring, salmonella, Gifted photographer Jiri leptospirosis and the 'Black Lockman presents us with Death'! a breathtaking bouquet of BY STEVEVAN DYCK Western Australian wild 22 flowers. BY JIRJ LOCHMAN RAR E & ENDAN GERED 64 LETTERS SOCIETY PAGE The Name of the Dingo; Wee Interested in nature but not Jasper Caves; Attracting Men; sure what to do or where to go? Raptor ID. Nature Australia's Society 4 Page is a great place to start. 74 THE GUIDE Nature Australia's market place. 76

' THE SUNSETFROG VIEWS FROM THEFO URTH DI ME NSION In January 1994 a bizarre new frogwas discovered in Western Australia. With a preference for Peat swamps, it represents an ancient lineage that is up to 30 million years old. It. BYGRANTWARDELI.,. JOHNSON, DALE ROBERTS NATURE STRIPS & PIERRE HORWITZ Chameleon's Telephoto Eye; 24 Supreme Sacrifice;Hatch or Be Snatched;Teaching Beaching; AFTER DEATH Drink Sperm; Pterosaur W I L D F O O D S EVOLUTION Fish Around 40,000 years ago a Flight; Life in a Slit without II BITIER BARKS giant bird roamed the Silk; Predators to the Rescue?; AND BER Australian continent, and so Sneaky Guppies; AC-DC They RIES did humans. But is it safe for ers; The Humpbacks of taste disgusting, but at Spid _ leaSt they scientists to trust 40,000-year­ Hong Kong Harbour; Spiders A _ have medicinal accounts Q& qualities ... old stories as reliable Velcro Defence; Mitey FlyingFrenzy; Strange Bird or do they? Calls; BYT!M of these creatures? Survivors; Copulation Behaviour; Pie Teaser. LOW the Dead; Desert BY MICHAEL ARCHER Whales Carry 26 Frogs Have it in the Bag; 78 70 NATURE 3 AUSTRALIASPRI NG 1996

S;- 1111 a

a given species that come \n Australia etc." Since I live Sydney along each time a new parent­ !n , have a cultural LETTERS hood is discovered. This habit impact (at least on my neigh­ difficult o�rhood) and The forum for readers to makes bibliography � . a (hopefully and also abolishes the initial limited) ecological impact­ air their views about their purpose of the Linnean classi­ certainly less than the one concerns, past articles and fication of giving one single from certain other French non-ambiguous name for each activities-I would be interesting personal events. very living species. Being proud to be called an European, I have been inter­ Australian native. But I am ested in the cultural compari­ not sure everybody will share son of Dingoes with wolves. I this broad-minded view. remember having read, heard Thankyou for a very inter­ and seen, as a child, so many esting article with beautiful frightening stories about photographs of this wonder­ wolves that I understand ful animal. many adults can still be terri­ -Pierre E.I. Baychelier The Name of have been taught, domestic fiedeven by the name of wolf. Elizabeth Bay, NSW the Dingo dogs did not derive from Now, being French born, I I read with great interest wolves, but fromDingoes! have also been surprised by Wee Jasper Caves the Dingo article by Dr Please, please, please, even the definition of a native I am writing to express con­ Laurie Corbett in the if this is true, do not change Australian as: "one that lives cerns about the article "In the Summer 1995-96 issue of the Latin name of the Dingo, in Australia and has ecologi­ Dark about Tropical Caves" Nature Australia. Being a vet­ nor the one of the dog! It is so cal and/or cultural impact, by Dr Philip Weinstein erinarian, I was surprised to confusing to juggle all these regardless of taxa, birth site, (Nature Aust. Summer learn that, contrary to what I different scientific names for race, language, length of time 1995-96) and in particular the discussion of histoplasmosis. First, I would like to cor­ rect a plain, if unfortunate, error that will have economic impact on the tiny community of Wee Jasper. The sentence "In the 1970s, epidemics of histoplasmosis led to the clo­ sure of Histoplasma-ridden tourist caves at Wee Jasper... " is completely wrong. True, six to eight youths came down with 'flu-like' symp­ toms, which were attributed to Histoplasma infection from Church Cave. True, a num­ ber of researchers came down with sub-acute histo­ plasmosis a few years later when trying to isolate the fun­ gus from Church Caveand its surrounds. But Church Cave has never been a tourist cave and never will be. It is, how­ ever, an important maternity site for the bat Miniopterus schreibersii. This species is listed as rare and endangered on Schedule 12 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act because of its depen­ dence on a few caves with specificcharacteristics. Church Cave is a complete­ ly different environment to the five-kilometre-distant Careys Cave in which tourism operations have be�n conducted since the mid 1960s. Your article nas had an impact on the operation of Careys Cave, which has safe­ ly given pleasure and educa­ tion to tens of thousands of visitors. The cave is well Should the scientific name of the Dingo be changed? worth a visit for many values, including its aesthetics aocl 4 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING setting. ly as "Wee jasper Caves", an Now let's take a good look Raptors, like this Black Kite, can Histoplasmosis is not a overgeneralisation that I am at this fertility theory. A be difficult to identify when in notifiabledisease in Australia guilty of perpetuating. Histo­ woman remains fertile until flight. ' and thus it is difficult to know Plasmosis is a potentially menopause, which usually how many cases there have lethal infection that kills many starts around the age of 40 or Raptor ID been. I have been able to people every year in endemic 45. Thatleaves a lot of time at Stephan Marshall's "Little track down one death in areas such as the eastern USA. peak fertility when she is not Eagle" photo on page 69 of Australia from undoubted This fact does not detract from exactly 'youthful'. the Summer 1995-96 issue of �istoplasmosis, and even that the conservation value of caves Okay, let's look at youth. Nature Australia is, in fact, a 1� hearsay. This was not asso- any more than mosquito-borne Are teenagers more fertile? Black Kite (Milvus migrans), , ci�t�d with a cave, but had its disease detracts from the con­ No. In fact studies of hunter­ as revealed by the bill and ongms in a 'chook' shed in servation of wetlands. gatherer tribes show that, head shape, wing shape, the Adelaide Hills. I have fur­ -Philip Weinstein although girls began men­ small feet and, above all, the ther hearsay evidence of a Senior Adviser Environmental Health struating at an average age of long tail which even half­ handtul of cases from far Ministry of Health, NZ 16, their first live birth didn't spread shows a slightly no�th Queensland. Dr occur until between 19 and 20 forked tip. (A characteristic of Wemstein may well have Attracting Men years of age due to subfertili­ the bird, also known as Fork­ ' ?ette . a r idea of what is happen­ In the Nature Strips article ty and miscarriage. The tailed Kite, is a forked tail!) mg there. It is undoubtedly (Nature teenage years of subfertility, This mistake nicely illus­ more "Laws of Attraction" . common in the tropics Aust. Summer 1995-96) the characterised by erratic men­ trates the difficulty of identi­ than m southern parts. and repeated fying raptors in flight, as dis­ very . It is claim is made that men are strual cycles difficult to isolate the miscarriages, have been well cussed in my Red Goshawk fungu . universally attracted to s women with 'youthful' looks documented. article in the same issue! Alth0ugh it may attracted -Stephen Debus o be the case and that such features in So why are men ver�eas, the term 'kill looks? I believe University of New England, NSW s er' fun­ women provide an indicator to child-like Xu is �ot appropriate that children provoke a care­ ustr to the of fertility. This view has been ahan situation. o taking response from males, o bserv As put f rward quite a lot and I NATURE AUSTRALIA welcomes ed above, such stereo­ am amazed that no-one has helping to ensure the survival �Pes do not help in Women with child­ letters for publication and the ongo­ questioned it. of young. requests that they be limited to wf con_servation of, as find like looks and secondary sex­ mste Dr The looks that men 250 words and typed if possible. m ably documents , a attractive are often described ual characteristics evoke this • very impo· rt and Please supply a daytime tele­ e ant class of as 'child-like', and with good powerful urge to protect cosystem. as well as sexu I phone number and type or print reason. Large eyes, small provide, � your name and address clearly on -Andy Spate hairless skin excitation-a heady cocktail. NSW Naho . nal P nose and chin, the letter. The best letter in each arks and Wildlife Service and long legs are all charac­ Women who behave in a manner increase issue will receive a $20.00 gift Media p teristics of childhood. In child-like voucher from the Museum Shop re or ts at the tzme of their attractiveness again. th ave Western culture you can add catalogue. The winner this issue � � closures and subse­ often qu n econ blonde hair (which Usher is Kayley Usher. to � dary sources refer in life) -Kayley th e infected becomes brown later Glen Forrest, WA caves collective- and blue eyes.

NATURE A 5 USTRALIA SPRING 1996 b Supreme Sacrifice oth�rly instinct is the M motivator for some Nature extraordinarily selfless acts. But maternal sacrifice appears to reach its zenith in the Australian spider Diaea ergandros, Strips according to a report from University of COMPILED BY Melbourne biologists Theodore Evans, Elycia GEORGINA HICKEY Wallis and Mark Elgar. In this species, the female produces only one clutch of young, after which her Chameleon's looked deep into those eyes eyes is higher than in any ovaries shrivel and she Telephoto Eye and things became even other vertebrate eye scaled becomes incapable of further weirder. to the same size. Chameleons reproduction. But she hameleons would have It's been known for some achieve this feat using anoth­ labours hard to ensure the Cto rate as the most time that, unlike most other er animal first: a lens that has survival of her solitary brood. bizarre lizards around with animals, chameleons use the negative refractive power. First, she constructs a protec­ their long, sticky tongue, state of focus of their eyes to This gives the chameleon tive nursery from eucalypt slow, jerky gait and, of judge the distance to their eyes a set-up much like that leaves in which the young course, their famousability to prey, much like focussing a in a telephoto lens where a spend most of their early change colour. But it's their camera lens and then reading negative, concave lens is development. Then she cap­ strange, turreted eyes, capa­ the distance off the focus placed behind a positive, con­ tures insects to feed them. ble of moving independently, ring. This technique requires vex lens (the cornea), Her final act of devotion that really set them apart. that the images on the retina increasing the effective focal comes as the brood Matthias Ott and Frank at the back of the eye are length of the eye and so mak­ approaches adulthood. Inside Schaeffel from the Eberhard­ large, and indeed Ott and ing the image magnification her distorted ovaries she has Karls University Eye Hospital Schaeffel found that image larger for a given eye size. been storing nutrients in the at Tiibingen, Germany, magnification in chameleon -G.T. form of unviable food eggs.

Chameleons' eyes are not only weird on the outside , ebut th 1ns1· ·d e too. 6 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING F

These are too large to pass down her oviducts and be laid, but it is thought that the mother subsequently con­ verts the nutrients from these eggs into haemolymph (blood) in her circulatory sys- tem. The developing spiderlings benefitfrom this food supply by slowly cannibalising their mother, supping initially on small tastes of haemolymph ' from her leg joints. She offers no resistance and weakens gradually over several weeks as the young step up their act of matriphagy, finally con­ suming their mother com­ pletely. By offering herselfas food to her babies, the mother spi­ der reduces the possibility of cannibalism among the brood, thereby increasing the potential number of her spi­ derlings that may reach , maturity. -K.McG.

Hatch or Be Snatched t's a case of the frying pan Ior the fire. The Central American Red-eyed Tree . Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) lays its eggs on leaves of plants overhanging water. After a few days the tadpoles hatch out of the eggs and fall into the water where they continue their development, , e�e�tually emerging as miniature versions of their parents. Unfortunately the water contains all sorts of nasty predators just waiting to fe ast on _a fat little tadpole, so one might think that it , would pay to stay in the egg as lon�as possible. The prob­ lem is that, if they wait around too long, they might end up as food for another predator,_ (Leptodetrathe septentrionalis) Cat-eyed Snake a serpent that is very fond 'of frogs' eggs. �re� Warkentin from the usually hatched after about But how did the tadpoles Jumping out of the jaws of Um�ersity of Texas at Austin death: tadpoles of the North �tudied seven days when left to their distinguish between a snake this tadpole quandry own devices and that younger attacking them and some American Red-eyed Tree Frog m Corcovado National can hatch prematurely if attacked Costa Park hatchlings were significantly other disturbance such as . Rica. In a series of rain falling on them? by a Cat-eyed Snake. expenm more vulnerable to predation ents she looked at by fish and shrimps. Warkentin found that young ' hhen the tadpoles ow hatched However, once they reached eggs hatched if she mimick­ tadpoles of different five days of age, if attacked by ed a snake's jaws by sliding s fa t re? when placed a snake the eggs hatched forceps between them, but f gether with aquatic other distur­ t s preda­ immediately. In fact, they not with some ;h , and what happene bances. This means that the t d hatched so fast that most of �� he eg�s were exposed the tadpoles were able to tadpoles can wait until the to attentio S n k ns of Cat-eyed escape, some tadpoles even very last moment before a es. out of the fryingpan. She jumping out of the snake's jumping found that the eggs mouth. -G.T. NATURE AUS TRALIA SPRING 1996 7 -·

Intentional stranding by Killer Teaching tutelage of adult females, Fish Drink is a risky hunting begin 'beaching play' or Whales Beaching Sperm technique that takes lots of intentional stranding practice needs to be taught dult Killer Whales -rhe South American cat­ practice and at about the age of four years. early age. A(Orcinus orca) devote The risks of this behaviour I fish Corydoras aeneus is a from an much time and effort to the were clearly demonstrated on popular fish among aquarium development of their off­ one occasion witnessed by owners and its reproductive appeared from her anus and spring. These highly intelli­ the researchers when a prac­ behaviour is well known. was funnelled into the pouch. gent marine predators live in tising calf had problems During copulation the female Eggs were then released one stable and social matriarchal returning to the water. Its adopts a T-position, whereby or two seconds later and family groups. Their hunting mother responded by accel­ she attaches her mouth to the immediately fertilised. is cooperative and sophisti­ erating rapidly towards the male's anal region, causing This is the first time that cated, and the techniques beach and turning sharply at him to release sperm. Eggs fertilisation by sperm drink­ must be taught to the young. the shore to create a wave are released and held in a ing has been reported in the Christophe Guinet and that lifted her stricken off­ pouch formed by her pelvic animal kingdom. The autho�s Jerome Bouvier from the spring back to safety. fins. believe the evolution of this National Scientific Research Guinet and Bouvier believe Until now it was assumed bizarre form of fertilisa??n Centre in France have found the difficulty in learning that sperm flowed over the was facilitated by their abiho/ that this period of apprentice­ intentional stranding female's body to the pouch, to breathe through their ship appears to last longer for accounts for the fact that where fertilisation of the intestine. Like other fish that the Killer Whales of the calves at Crozet remain eggs occurred. But Masanori live in low-oxygen water?, Crozet Archipelago, near dependent on their mothers Kohda and colleagues from Corydoras aeneus gulps air h Possession Island in the until they are six or seven Osaka City University in and passes it quickly throu� Indian Ocean, than it does in years of age, while the young Ja pan noticed that the the intestine where oxygen ,s fact populations from other areas. of North Pacific populations female's gill covers were absorbed. This, and the At Crozet, elephant seal pups that feed on salmon are inde­ closed as if she were drink­ that other species are known are the main prey items and pendent at three years. It may ing. An experiment in which to adopt the T-positio_n, may these are often snatched from also explain why the repro­ blue dye was released fertilisation by at the mean that e beaches using the risky and ductive rate at Crozet is much female's mouth while in the drinking may be mo difficult technique of 'inten­ sperm �Y lower than m the North T-position confirmed this to common than is current tional stranding'. Pacific. be the case. Within about Calves, five realised. -G.H, under the watchful -K.McG. seconds the blue dye 8 G 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRIN fAR NORTH QUEENSLAND �BIRD WATCHING EXPERIENCE.

Dayl t:Iase yourself at Silky Oaks !z., Lodge, the Daintree's Afterbeing picked up at Cairns Ill Airportin a chauffeurdriven limousine, ainforest Resort" fulnmate R you'll have time to settle into your F disco11er the birdlife and chalet at the Lodge, before an early evening briefmg at the Lodgeby our Wet Tropicsregion .e of the activities staff. � Far North Queensland. The Day2 r:h di� of habitats swrounding t..._, Guided walk in search of the it the ideal base � Lodgemakes birdlifefound around Sillcy Oaks Lodge. � thebirdwatching enthusiast Habitats inc. Rainforest, River, Open Eucalypt Woodland and the nearby 1 ha11e sighted over 180 we Cane Fields. In the afternoon, �ecies within a 5km radius. ornithologist Del Richards will ) accompany you on your ''Fine Feather" Tour of the Lowland Coastal areas r;IRDSPECIE ;i around Mossman. t� Day3 Southern Cassowary Join your Australian Natural Great-billed Heron History Safari to explore the secluded Mt Lewis World Heritage Region and Brahminy Kite the real Australian Outback of the Wompoo Fruit-Dove Mitchell River. This safari is lead by David Armbrust one of North Pied Imperial-Pigeon # Queensland's leading naturalist Guides. In the tradition of the world's great retreats, SillVictoria's Riflebird • Tropical continental breakfasts. breakfast and a Wilderness Tooth-billedBowerbird • LuxuryLimousine transfers to and Safari to Cape Tribulation The trip to Ca/Je Tribulation features spectacular scenery. fromCairns Airport including a Oaintree River Cruise. Golden Bowerbird your Travel • Lunch and Morning Tea on the For further information and bookings see Agent Blu 469 or Silky Oaks direct on e-FacedParrot- Finch # AustralianNatural History Safari. or call P&O Resorts on 132 *Offer valid to 1.4.96to31.3.97. • All specialisedbirdwa tchingtours. 1,800,641363. Metallic Starling # . : � • Reference books and binoculars 11:lenotes . � Please send me your free colour brochure. l seasonalVtst � suppliedon loan for all specialised r------, tours. I Name: ------0� 1 ffour iraru m Cairns on Sunday and Th,mda We reqwre a mm1mum of Z guests per hookmg ) y Address: ______2 *Offer valid 1.4.96 ro 31 .3.97. I 1 I ____ P/Code: ____ I For a full itinerary anJ booking 1 I S to: GPO Box 5287 Holida s derails, contact your Travel Agent end . y with a DOJ°'\ Sydney NSW 2001 or P&O Resort HoliJays on I .J.-'-X'-.J' 1 Difference 132 469. I Resort Holidays The Daintree's ultimate I P&O Rc�ort.:, Pt}' Ltd A.C.N. 009 692 887 rmnforcst resort.. .J • P&O RESORTS L------Pterosaur Flight terosaurs are thought to Phave been the first verte­ brates capable of flight, emerging 220 million years ago (during the late Triassic), 70 million years before the of more than a square kilo­ first birds. These flying rep­ metre in a two-metre-deep tiles are not well represented layer of compacted sand and in the fossil record, partly gravel. because their bones were Mike Bell, from the light and fragile, in keeping Cheltenham and Gloucester with their aerial lifestyle. College of Higher Education, were adapted to permit run­ What has been recovered, and Kevin Padian from the ning take-offs. however, has come mostly Museum of Paleontology in But why choose an inland from fine-grained, shallow, Berkeley, California, believe rookery where food was marine sediments. This has the site represents an inland probably scarce? One reason contributed to the popular breeding colony or colonies may have been its remote­ belief that, although the of a ground-nesting ptero­ ness from predators. This group probably had a world­ saur species that, as an adult, strategy is adopted today by wide distribution, pterosaurs would have had a two-metre several gull species, which were clumsy and inelegant wingspan. nest in large inland colonies fliers, restricted to life on The bones are thought to but feed on the coast. If coastal fringes where they be mostly of juvenile birds pterosaurs were indeed could become airborne by overcome by a flash flood. strong fliers, they could easi­ A rich pterosaur deposit found leaping into updraughts off (Adults would have survived ly have ranged long dis­ at the foothills of the Andes in high cliff faces. the catastrophe because of tances from nesting sites in northern Chile suggests these Now, a recent discovery in their capability for flight.) search of food. flying reptiles had much stronger legs than was previously the foothills of the Andes in Bell and Padian argue that -K.McG. northern Chile is telling a dif­ pterosaurs wouldn't have supposed and were capable of ferent story. There, in what used such a site if they were Life in a Slit running take-offs. would have once been a flat as incapable of take-offs from desert plain tens of kilomet­ flat land as has been previ­ without Silk res from the coast, a rich new genus and species that has already been consol­ ously thought. They believe idated by a crust. Crusts two deposit of pterosaur bones that the legs of these crea­ Aof spider has been has been found over an area tures were not weak but found in the sand dunes of to five millimetres thick com­ the Simpson Desert, central monly form across some sec­ Australia. It was named tions of the dunes. Although Fissarena ethabuka, or 'slit their composition is spider', by Joh Henschel unknown, the crusts are (Desert Research Found­ probably held together by fil­ ation of Namibia), Valerie amentous remnants of Todd Davies (Queensland cyanobacteria, algae, mosses Museum) and Chris Dick­ and/ or lichens. This is one of mai:i (University of Sydney). the few known cases of sand Like most desert spiders it crusts being put to good use avoids climatic extremes and by an animal. predators by dwelling in a The shelter consists of a burrow-in this case a hori­ wide horizontal opening that zontal slit made into sloping gradually narrows into a flat sand. What makes it unusual burrow. A ridge of loose sand is that it does not use silk to in frontof the opening, swe pt reinforce the walls of its shel­ out during excavation, forms ter. Instead, it exploits sand a trap for prey. When small invertebrates (particular)Y The burrows of the newly ants) climb this micr?·h1ll described 'slit spider' from the and slip down the tiny cl�f on Simpson Desert are horizontal the other side, the spider slits made into the crusty sand of pounces. sloping dunes. So far, only the female has 10 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 -- ---

It is a pale will be able to escape. Alicia Sneaky been described. displayed to their prospective colour and very flat. Mathis and colleagues at the Guppies mates but, when the model University of Saskatchewan r::itbody length i� about oreplay's all well and was in place, the number of timetre and it mea­ in Canada were curious as to fish going for the quick and n �t­ the benefits of alarm signals Fgood but there are times o �et:bout three centim after when it's just not appropriate, sneaky option increased. So, leg tip to leg t_1p. that are given off the ani­ ��s from a fact that(Poecilia male Trinidadian reticulata) rather than avoiding copula­ ar th brush-shaped hairs mal has been injured. Guppies tion altogether when there is He , ee a_re They figured that there on the ·spi der s front f t know only too well. These a predator present, male r sweep sand from its were two possibilities: that Guppies simply adjust their to used the signal either deterred fish have two alternative mat­ burrow. -K.McG. ing tactics: males will either mating behaviour to get it predators or attracted them. display to a receptive female over with as quickly and sur­ In a series of experiments reptitiously as possible. tors to (Esox prior to attempting to copu­ I Preda withLucius) Northern Pike late with her, or dispense with -G .T. (the Rescue? and diving beetles, the formalityand try to quick­ when both potential predators of ly copulate with her without AC-DC Spider hat do you do Fathead Minnows, they I Wyou're being attacked displaying or without prior mysterious gaze seem­ a few demonstrated that the chemi­ receptive response from her. A I by a predator? Why, call cal alarm signal attracted ed to emanate from the more over to join t�e party, of Jean-Guy Godin of Mount deep darkness of a silk-lined predators. Allison University in Canada t course. This seemingly para­ But why? The researchers hole beneath a rock in doxicalbehavi our appe�rs t speculated that the reason for Namibia. When American � suggest that the arrival of this 'ungentleman-like' be­ / be behind an 'alarm s1gn_al other predators might dis­ arachnologist Vince Roth I produced by Fatheadpromelas) Min- haviour was that the male opened this crevice, he (Pimephales rupt the predation event. If, Guppies risked being eaten revealed a woolly chamber nows for example, a minnow is when their skin is damaged. by a predator if they used the harbouring a gem: a velvet as being attacked by a small more showy courtship dis­ spider (family Eresidae), as Most alarm signals, such pike, it is unlikely to be sw l­ the calls of birds or the leap­ � play behaviour. In order to pretty as unusual. Its left half used lowed whole. So, if the mm­ test this idea he investigated was adorned with streaks and ing of antelope, are now can attract a bigger pike, · beforethe predator has done the mating tactics of wild blotches in various shades of the new arrival might actually male Guppies with and with­ red, brown, white and black. any damage, warning others eat the small pike (a much I of the presence of the preda­ out a model of a cichlid fish In contrast to this, its right tor and, in the case of the more substantial meal than a predator nearby. half was dotted black on antelope, letting the predator little minnow) and let the Sure enough, without the white with brown shading. know that the prey is fit and minnow escape. -G.T. model, male Guppies usually Rosy legs on the left were

all depends on who's watching. When straight down to b usm. ess It Guppies mate, the male may choose to court the female frst1 or get 11 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 LEICA BINOCULAR STOCKis· NSW/ ACT: Albury Foto Supplies 060-216 566 · & P Photo t2��b:;'��3� graphies �i-���t���Joe · Newhouse Photograp o lacktown Cam �J�g�1 ;�f era House s Photographies ��-�i� ��wn · Canberra Ted's Industrial 06-247 8711 • Canberra Fletchers Foto 06-247 8460 lderson Camera g;_rJ�j���f House Mainline Photo g;�4�� ��ib graphies · 2��i�nT��� Peter's of Kensington te u ouble Creek Foto �6 ;!;� J�f Compan ocular & Telescope Shop . ;n�;Y3��� e chers Fotographics · ;{i�?6�� J · Sydney Ted's Industrial 02-267 8856 VIC: Dingley Ricks Camera Shop - Leica 03-551 1084 Fairfield Bentons Camera Store 03-497 1811 · Melbourne All Teds Camera Stores 03-600 0711 · Melbourne Michaels Camera & Video 03-670 0241 Mildura Quick As A Flash - Mildura 050-237 824 Moo ee Ponds RAOU 03-882n 2622 • Morwell Teds Camera Store 051-346 533 • South Yarra Phototime P/L 03-820 8701 Warragul Roylaine Photo Plus 056-234 255 Half male-half fe male: an unusual velvet spider fro m Namibia. QLD: Ashgrove Accurate Instrument Serv�e 07-366 4495 above and light grey below. • Brisbane Ted's Industrial paired to zebra-striped legs where an estimated 90 per 07-221 9911 cent of the spider species Off Malaysia and northern Brisbane Sth Imagery Gallery on the right. 07-844 8207 Normally velvet spiders are remain undescribed. Australia calves and adults • Broadbeach Fotographica -Joh R. Henschel can be nearly white; and in 075-381 191 sexually dimorphic, with Cairns Sunbird Photographies males often being more Desert Research Foundation Hong Kong harbour, calves 070-510 222 lndooroopilly Bentleys Camera House brightly coloured than of Namibia are born dark grey, but this 07-378 7133 turns to white or bright 'bub­ Mackay Garricks Camera Centre females. This particular 079-572 164 Namibian spider, however, blegum' pink. • MacGregor Photo Continental The Humpbacks 07-849 4422 combined features of both Hong Kong's humpbacked Redcliffe Ken Peters Camera House of Hong Kong dolphins have been threat­ 07-284 8844 sexes in such a way as to look Toowoomba Cyrils Camera Centre like a brightly coloured male Harbour ened in recent years by a 076-322 853 Townsville Doug Kemps Camera House on the left and a cryptic ong Kong harbour, one combination of development, 077-714 745 female on the right. Such H of the busiest in the overfishing and pollution, but SA: individuals are known as world, is hardly a place you now their situation has • Adelaide Photoco Camera House 08-231 5632 bilateral gynandromorphs would expect to find dol­ become critical. The dolphins · Adelaide James Place Cameras 08-231 4811 and result from an imbalance phins. Yet, for more than a mainly inhabit the shallow Adelaide Photographic Wholesaler of male hormones during the thousand years this toxic and brackish waters around a 08-223 6777 Adelaide Ted's Retail developmental stage. Unfort­ soup of pollutants has been pair of islands called Lung 08-223 3449 unately no external sexual the home to Indo-Pacific Kwu Chau and Sha Chau. NT: This area was put forward as Darwin Bell Photographies the potential site fora marine 089-815 769 WA: sanctuary for the dolphins. · Fremantle Photo & Video Centre This particular Namibian spider combined 09-430 5072 However, the Provisional Perth Camera Electronic Service Airport Authority (PM), in 09-328 4405 features of both sexes in such a way as to Perth charge of Hong Kong'smulti­ Plaza Camera Centre billion dollar new airport pro­ 09-325 3154 look like a male on the left and a cryptic TAS: ject, had also earmarked Sha Burnie Rettke Photographies Chau island as the site for an 004-314 126 female on the right. Hobart Walch Optics oil tanker fuelling terminal to - House • ��� �J:s��� Stallard's Camera supply the new airport. In 003-319 604 February 1995 this project organs of either sex were Humpbacked Dolphins · Duty Free was given the official go ·····;:0�·�0;�;·1�iO��ii��·;end:····· clearly developed to enable (Sousa chinensis). 10• ahead. this coupon or photC>COPY confirmation of its bisexuali- This species of dolphin has In addition to the tanker ADEAL PTY LTD ty. a colour pattern that varies 2 Baldwin Rd Altona North terminal, by the year 2000 9 s�1 ph: (03) 9369 7811 fax: (03) V�f Although no normal adults with age and geographical on: 81·noo,1a•Q have been found for identifi­ over 350 million litres of raw Please send me 1nforma1ion I area. In the western Indo­ sewage will be pumping cation, this jewel probably Name:... Pacific regions, light­ directly into the dolphins' represents a new species­ coloured calves darken with Address: not unusual m Namibia, habitat every day. This age to become dark grey sewage will be coming from P/C...... /jeot

12 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING NEW VISION

0 ,,.

'.;; + _j UJ f­ .,; ::. ...J 0 Vl

0'° �:;; 6

UJ Vl Vl "'< f- Vl u" < "'z "'< � < Vl" 0

:,:

MADE BY LEICA

LEICA BINOCULARS sharpen your view of the world, bringing alive fascinating details in amazing clarity and colour. Expand your vision while enjoying their compact size, light weight and high magnification. At your finger tips is an unlimited spectrum of use with Leica' s top quality optics, award-winning exemplary design and ergonomics. Experience LEICA BINOCULARS and see what you've been missing - at your qualified Leica speciality dealer. . _l ·- ,m '""··· D .

i •. I I \II 11 1 I >!::;· ,..,,., . . ·•

Th e freedom to see. An adult lndo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin and calf in Hong Kong Harbour.

gled with the filaments on the other, just like Velcro, and when they are pulled apart they make the hissing sound'. These spiders are also equipped with special hairs that they shed when handled and that cause itching in their attackers (see Nature Aust. Winter 1995). Marshall and colleagues suggest that the hissing sound produced by the 'Velcro' reminds preda. tors that trying to eat them will only result in a mouthful of itchy hairs. -C.T, Mitey Survivors or most arthropods, set· Fting up house in a carniv· orous plant would be suicidal . Stalked glands on the le aves of certain carnivorous plants secrete sticky globules that trap small prey for their digestion. It was with some surprise, therefore, that a species of mite (Oribatula tib· ialis) was found thriving on the insectivorous butterwort plant Pingu icula longifolia. how this mite just two of the over 11,000 before industrial develop­ closing them in a mugger's To find out a stic� sewage outfallsemptying into ment could put an end to all face, this innovation applies manages to evade the waters adjacent to the two that. only to spiders. end, Ramon Antor and Mana islands. The amount of boat -Chris Parsons When threatened, the giant Garcia of the Pyrenean traffic is immense: each day Dolphin Research Group South American Goliath spi­ Institute of Ecology in Spain Swire Institute of Marine Science (Theraphosa leblondt) and compared the several hundred boats, der examined P lo zgi(o· barges and cargo ships sail Hong Kong produces a peculiar hissing leaf morphology of ! around the islands, including Zia with two other species m 30 jetfoil ferries. Several the genus. It appears. that 0. dolphins show severe tibialis is able to survive �n f wounds and gashes caused When threatened, the giant South longifolia because the mite s by the blades of propellers average height of 154 and many animals are known American Goliath spider produces a microns (or thousandths of a to have died from these metre) is slightly below that collisions. peculiar hissing of the stalked glands (164 In 1990 the Worldwide noise by rubbing its microns). This allows the Fund for Nature estimated mite to move about the P)ant, there to be 400 Indo-Pacific 'hairy' front legs and pedipalps together. while avoiding the Sbcky Humpbacked Dolphins in On the oth�r b�tter­ traps. tzbialts. . Hong Kong. In 1994 wort species, 0. is not researchers reported this so lucky; the stalked gl andJ was down to just over 80. A are shorter and denser, _an recent report to the United Spider's Velcro noise by rubbing its 'hairy' consequentlyensnare th� nut�. on Nations Environmental Pro­ Defence front legs and pedipalps What makes this situati gram predicted that, if the ince its invention, we've (feeding appendages) even more interesting is the togeth­ a t current death rate continues, Sfound a million uses for er. Examination under an apparent mutua1. is m th Hong Kong's lndo-Pacific Velcro, from watch PIant and straps to electron microscope has exists between . t Humpbacked Dolphins may fridge locks. Now Sam revealed the detailed The microenv1ronmen struc­ mite ers be locally extinct in a few Marshall from the University ture of these 'hairs', prov1: de d by the leaf off years. So, although more or­ the dol­ of Cincinnati and colleagues properly called setae, the mite a stable, pre dat phins have been living in show­ . r e have described a way in ing them to be equipped with ee habitat in whic� to /; Hong Kong's waters for over fr a 0 which it can be used to deter hooks on the tips and breed. The mite a millennium, escalating pol­ and fila­ nt's would-be attackers. But ments on the shafts. fits from the pla lution and the Hong Kong before When bene scav· you start tearing off the two opposing surfaces carnivorous habits by Government's reluctance to your Velcro-laced t car- sneakers are pushed together, enging o th e r e1nna n put endangered species and frantically the � , . This, opening and hooks on one side get entan- casses of its host s P1-e y

14 G 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRIN Southern Ocean Humj)bacliWhale -'Roxanne'] 994. Hervey Bay, Queensland. Photo: PaulHodda

The warmth, lightweight

construction, durability and

comfort of Mountain Designs fleece

garments are without equal in protecting outdoor

adventurers from the elements. Polartec® has been our only fleece

choice for outdoor apparel during the This male Chacma Baboon will never know for sure if he's the father because the POLARTEC noisy, promiscuous female likes to keep him guessing. past ten years. We at Mounain 'r=1 in turn, maf benefit the plant behind the noises made dur­ Designs strive for excellence and in doing so are proud to present a by removing a potential ing sex by many female pri­ : source of infection. Further­ mates. But recent research range of fleece garments made from Polartec® fabrics engineered to ) more, being fungus-eaters, by University College London protect the outdoors themselves The same i, the mites probably help pre­ biologists Sanjida O'Connell - Polartec® Recycled Series. ·, vent fungal parasitism of �rib�tula tibia/is the and Guy Cowlishaw helps to high-tech f1erformance, breathability and softness as original Pola:rtec® ;1 plant. is explain the copulation calls of , ab.le �o hve m harmony with female baboons. fabrics in now derived from recycled plastic soft-drink bottles. '' thi� insect-eating plant for, Studying wild Chacma ' unhke other mites, it �oes not Baboon populations in Nam­ :/ su fer Together, we can reduce the impact on our landfills and, '\ ! the shortcomings of ibia, O'Connell and Cowli­ height. shaw found thatafter females actu­ in the process, help all who wander the earth to survive. ul arina B l ally called copulation, n-K Pola rtec® Hecycled Series garments are /J1mully 111t111ufarturrd in tio often as they were scurrying Mountain Designs , ; Isu la Aust.ralia &only available al lhe following outlets. I CeaoG away once the act was com­ ' pleted. The researchers / �e next time you stay in a believe the female baboons . cheap hotel and intimate call to attract and encourage noises from the MOUNTAIN DESIGNS 1 next room other prospective mates A U STR ALIA make sleep impossible will proba , it while they are sexually bly come as no comfort to know receptive. that there are a lot of There are potentially two Box Hill 970-972 ot h er primat Melbourne 377 Little Bourke St. (03) 9670 3354 • es that would having multi­ Whitehorse Rd. (03) 9899 1900 • Hawthorn 654A Glenferrie Rd. (03) 9818 ake advantages to � worse neighbours. The ple partners. First, it provides 0188, Traralgon Lot 9 Princes Hwy. (051) 744 877 • Adelaide 203 Rundle � 3221 6756 • Fortitude unts and barks of a copulat­ tunity for competi­ St. (08) 232 0690 • Brisbane 105 Albert St. (07) ing the oppor 3216 1866 and 224 Barry Pde. (07) 3216 0462 • apiof�male cynocep Chacmah · Baboon sperm of dif­ Valley 146 Wickham St. (07) t alus ursinus) tion between the Canberra 7 Lonsdale St. Braddon (062) 477 488 • Sydney 499 Kent St. (02) ferent males. This would 267 3822, Parramatta 310 Church St. (02) 893 7100 • Miranda 595-597 example, 825 999 • Perth � can carry fo; increase the female's chance Kingsway (02) 542 7077 • Katoomba 190 Katoomba St. (047) 0 er 1 0 O Ctr. William St. metres. of securing high-quality 862 Hay St. (09) 322 4774 • Fremantle Shop 3 Queensgate No-�ne is sure (09) 335 1431 • Hobart 74 Elizabeth St. (002) 343 900 evo what if any sperm for her offspring. utionary signific 1 a�ce lie� Second, it could create Web site address HTTP;//WWW•MOUNTAINDESJ(;N,r.OM•AU NATURE AUS TRALIA SPRING 1996 15 ------

uncertainty about the paterni­ ern California, USA, Susan As to what lies behind this equivalent to hibernation) ty of offspring and help to dis­ Shane (University of Califor­ behaviour, pilot whales are has been reported in tw 0 courage attacks on babies by nia) observed pilot whales highly social and their possibly three, Australia � non-related males. Infanticide carrying dead California Sea propensity for carrying dead genera. The cocoon is a can be a common cause of Lions (Zalophus californi­ sea lions might carry over water-saving structure that infant mortality in baboon anus) for extended periods of from their habit of carrying covers the entire body sur­ troops, with dominant males time. She recently investigat­ dead pod members or sick face, including mouth, eyes frequently ma1mmg and ed several possible explana­ individuals to the surface to and cloaca, but not the nos­ killing babies that are not tions for this behaviour, breathe. However, not all t:ils. Although cocoon forma­ theirs. If a female has taken including prey consumption, dead animals encountered by tion was fir�t described in several mates and a male play, strong social bonds the whales were carried and 1967, no detailed studies had believes there is a chance between the living and Shane suggests that posses­ ever been made on the struc­ that he has sired a particular deceased, and conferring of sion of a dead sea lion may ture ?f the cocoon of baby, he is likely to leave it social status on the carrier. instead confer status to the Australian frogs, until now. alone. Pilot whales were seen whale. Phil Withers from the -K.McG. pushing sea lion bodies with If this is the case, the social University of Western their melons, and using their benefits would have to out­ Australia induced aestivation Whales Carry flukes to tow the corpses. weigh the costs to the whale, in 11 desert frogs (three the Dead They also carried the corpses such as an inability to feed, species of Cyclorana and taceans have long been draped over their dorsal fins, limitations of social contact eight Neobatrachus species). Cbserved carrying dead swam with them in their and the energetic costs of He observed them over a members of either their own mouths, and occasionally swimming with a corpse. period of five months and or, in captivity, other cetacean dived with the bodies, which -R.S took samples of the cocoons species. But why indulge in were in various states of for examination using scan­ such morbid, seemingly ener­ decomposition. The corpses Desert Frogs ning and transmission elec­ gy-consuming behaviour? were handled firmly but gen­ Have it in the tron microscopy. During a nine-year study of tly and the whales guarded Bag At the onset of aestivation Short-finned Pilot Whales their trophies carefully. At no e formation of a cocoon the frogs adopted a 'water'. (Globicephala macrorhyncus) time were they seen playing ny arid-zone frogsduring conserving' posture, in which and other cetaceans in south- with or eating the sea lions. aestivation (the summer the front and back legs were

Pilot whales have been observed carrying dead sea I'ions around for extended periods of t·1me. 16 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 'Venus of Willendort' UNIQUE OFFER An exact replica of a Three new books by Museum scientists, Stone Age fertility fetish. each one individually signed by the author. S50.00 The Future Eaters by Tim Flannery$24.95 The Vocanic Earth by Lin Sutherland $49.95 The Mammals of Australia Edited by Ron Strahan $75.00

Darwin Replica. This sculpture was originally created in the 19th century in response to Darwin's famous Theory of Evolution. This Replica stands 35 cm tall. $600.00. Also available, the Penguin Magnificent Opal Triplet Jewellery. Profits from llln,ng silver men's hard Classic publication of Sterling Silver hard gold clad Pendent the Australian 9-0ldclad Opal Tr iplet The Origin of Species $75.00, matching Bracelet $75.00, and Museum shop help Cuff Links $75.00 Paperback $9. 95. matching Ear Studs $49.00. Each is to fund research ne Tack S65.00 presented in a blue gittbox. by the Museum's ,also available matching scientists. Ii� Studs (set of 4) S75.00. Elciiset ispresent ed in a stylish gittbox. Post or fax orders to this address:

Mail Order Shop Australian Museum 6 College Street Sydney NSW 2000 Fax: (02) 320 6066 Phone: (02) 320 6150

New CD Payment should be made rom releases. (Both run in Museum Information discs in Australian Dollars by Visa, Windows 95 and 3.1) Australian Australian Frogs $19.00 ,or Bankcard, Mastercard, Mammals by American Express.or Ron Strahan $49.00, Australian Cicadas $19.0D. Austral/an Aboriginal Art: World of Art Series. Perhaps the best overview of Aboriginal by personal shopping only. 8.lfds by Terence Lindsey (Requires IBM compatible computer S49.00, Aust Art from rock painting to contemporary art. (paperback) $29.95. Tobwabba Art ralian Frogs & Reptiles with Windows 3.1 and VGA video Postage and packing by Harold Fine China Plate {212mm) is a living portrayal of the rich and diverse culture (surface mail only): Eh mann and Michael Tyler adapter displaying 256 colours, 3Mb Up to $29.95 = $3.50 S49.00. Also of the Worimi people. $24.95. Matching Mug $12.95 Learnto Play the available Australian free disc space.) $30 to $49.95 = $5.00 Australian Aboriginal Oigeridu with a cassette tape by Peter Kaje. $16.00 $50 to $69.95 = $6.50 (Available in German, Italian, Japanese, French and Spanish.) Go walkabout $70 to $89.95 = $8.00 $90 to $109.95 = $9.00 from the safety of your lounge with the 'On Walkabout' Cushion Cover. $27.95 $110 to $150.00 = $12.50 Build and erupt your own paper mache Volcano!

For ages 4 and up. (Baking Soda and vinegar not included.) $39.95 P! Wooden Frog Construction Kit. This frog model kit requires no glue, just patience. Measures 14 x 5 x 10 inches. For ages 7 and up. $17.95

Museum Fun Pack For Kids. Something for everyone here! It contains: My Animal Sticker Dictionary with over 100 Anatomical fun! The foldout consertina stickers, Activities with Human Body book is packed with info Eric, Dinosaur Mazes an $16.95. If you want more, The Human educational and activity book Body Kit is an interactive guide with models, and a Grow your Own Profits from Nature in a box. Explore the world right outside your door with book, poster and much more. $29.95 a Nalure Craft Field Kit $24.95 or create one-of-a-kind prints Sunflower kit! $19.95 the lot. the Australian using sunshine and water with a SunCratt Field Kit $24.95 ( //ems !1QJsold individually.) Museum shop help to fund research by the Museum's scientists.

The Australian Museum and Mrs Cox presents FUN THINGS The Minerals of Australia Collection. It contains 45 individually identified specimens. $12.95 Jam Jar Science. Take the lid off a world of exploration and fun. Available: Birds, Bugs, Movement or Post or tax orders Colour. $24.95 each. For ages to this address: 4 and up.

Mail Order Shop Australian Museum 6 College Street Sydney NSW 2000 Fax: (02) 320 6066 Phone: (02) 320 6150

made Payment should be . in Aus/ra/ian Dollars by Visa. Bankcard, Mastercard, American Express.or by personal shopping only.

Postage and packing (surface mail only): to $29.95 = $3.50 Aus/ra/ian Museum Up $30 to $49.95 = $5.00 Frog T-Shirt. Kids $50 to $69.95 = $6.50 0 sizes 4,6,8,10 or 12 $70 to $89.95 = $8.0 0 $90 to $109.95 = $9.0 $14.95. Adult sizes $110 to $150.00 = S12-50 SM L XL $19.95. 11------

The transparent cocoon formed by this Water-holding Frog frogsform one. Some rely on only one-tenth the size of dance of ant-eaters and their other tricks to maintain water Africa's largest, the Aardvark prey at a number of compara­ (Cyclorana platycephala) covers Orycteropus afer). the animal's entire body balance, like urea accumula­ ( ble study sites in Australia surface, tion while buried beneath the To shed some light on what and southern Africa. They except for its external nares (nostrils). ground. But how do these factors might be responsible found no evidence that isola­ frogs manage not to form for this size difference, biolo­ tion or any phylogenetic con­ cocoons? Presumably they gists Anthony Milewski straints have restricted the tucked under the body, the are able to maintain some (Museum of Natural History, development of large ant-eat­ he ad was bent down, and degree of activity, enough to Chicago), Max Abensperg­ ing mammals in Australia. eyes were shut. Within a Division of Instead, Milewski and his col­ week periodically ingest the shed Traun (CSIRO a thin, see-through skin. But it is also possible Wildlife and Ecology, leagues suggest that the size cocoon formed and this Chris difference between contin­ became that they might somehow, Western Australia) and progressively thicker perhaps through hormonal Dickman (University of ents is a product of ecological and more opaque as the weeks control, stop shedding their went by. outer skin layer. �nlike lungfish which cocoons, -G.H. are made from dried Even where climate and soils are similar, mucus, frog cocoons f are Sizing up hmed by an accumulation of Ant-eaters Australian ant-eaters are significantly � ed layers of outer skin. ormally this pecialised ant- and ter­ 'exuvium' is mite-eating mammals their African counterparts. ten by the frog S smaller than �he but when (myrmecophages) are found _ frog becomes dunn inactive in Australia and southern g aest·iva t·10n ·1t ·1s II owed to accumu Africa. But even where cli­ and ants are !n late, with mate and soils are similar, Sydney) recently investigated factors: termites extra layer less productive and a more tw0 added every Australian ant-eaters are sig­ the history and ecology of to four days. on both con­ seasonably variable food Alth· o nificantly smaller than their myrmecophages ugh cocoon formation tinents. source in Australia than du nng aes t·iv . African counterparts. In fact, e atton appears to The researchers examined southern Africa. b a s�cces Australia's largest ant-eater, th sful adaptation to fossil and living evidence of This is partly because e and zone, the Short-beaked Echidna Australian insects lack the not all desert (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is the distribution and abun- NAT URE AU STR ALIA SPRING 1996 19 Africa's ant- and termite-eaters, rich source of nutrients pro­ continents, it appears that Berkeley made a startling dis· like this Aardvark, dwarf their vided to their Africancounter­ large myrmecophages, like covery when they turned Australian counterparts. parts by the trampled vegeta­ the African Aardvark, cannot over a rock while working on tion and dung that is pro­ be supported in Australia. the steep slopes of the north· duced by large numbers of -R.S. ern Sierra Nevada of QUICK QUIZ large herbivores. Also, in California. Underneath was a 1. Which of the world's Australia, the abundance of Roly-poly pair of salamanders (Hydro· penguins is the termites, and possibly ants, is Salamander mantes platycephalus) that smallest? limited by intense fires, North American sala­ promptly coiled up, tucked in 2. What are jew's ears, which destroy much of the mander really has a ball their frontand hind legs, and earthballs and ink caps? foliage and vegetation on whenA escaping its predators. rolled about half a metre 3. Snakes eat only live which they depend for food. Mario Garcia-Paris and down the slope. They tested prey: true or false? So, despite superficial simi­ Stephen Deban of the 12 more and all but one 4. What is the title of the larities between parts of the University of California at curled up into a tight ball and sequel to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park? 5. Name the only State in Australia that can boast the absence of foxes. 6. What sort of bird is a Kea? 7. Give the name of the astronomical formation that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. 8. What was Howard Florey (1898-1968) famous for developing? 9. Name the strait between Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea. 10. What is the largest invertebrate in the world? (Answers in Q&A)

20 G 1996 - NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRIN 11------

down the ing some of the dinosaur fos­ Milewski, A.V., Abensperg-Traun, M. & olled passively Further Reading r sils recovered from the Antor, R.J. & Garcfa, Dickman, C.R., 1994. Why are termite­ ope. . M.B., 1994. A new . common United States. He named one mite-plant association: and ant-eating mammals smaller in ling 1s qmte a _ mites living Coi small sauropod (long. amidst Australia than in southern Africa: history ce among salama�ders, the adhesive traps of a carnivor­ efen necked) dinosaur Apato­ ous plant. Oecologia or ecology? J. Biogeog. 21: 529-543. in or der to see tf the 101: 51-54. just a fluke, saurus and later, in the same :oiling was McIntosh, aris and Dehan paper, he described a much Bell, C.M. & Padian, K., 1995. Pterosaur J. & Berman, D.S., 1975. arcia-P Bronto­ fossils from the Cretaceous Description of the palate and lower jaw turned to the lab and tested bigger sauropod as of Chile: evi­ s amander saurus. Brontosaurus soon dence for a pterosaur colony on an of Diplodocus (Reptilia: Saurischia) with miother 15 �! remarks on the nature of the skull of coiling and became famous around the inland desert plain. Geol. Mag. 132: species for 31-38. Apatosaurus. J. Paleontol. 49: 187-199. ng. They tested for c�il­ world because it was a rela­ rolli tively complete specimen of ing by tapping the amphtb· O'Connell, S.M. & Cowlishaw, G., 1994. back or on the gigantic proportions, while Evans, T.A., Wallis, E.J. & Elgar, M.A., ians on the 1995. Making a meal of mother. Nature Infanticide avoidance, sperm competi· Seven species showed the small, scrappy specimen tion and mate choice: the function of , head. Apatosaurus 376: 299. some form of coiling behav· of was relegated copulation calls in female baboons. species to relative obscurity. iour although few Garcfa-Parfs, M. & Deban, S.M., 1995. A Anim. Behav. 48: 687-694. ed the really tight balls But in 1903 Elmer Riggs novel antipredator for� ephalus. Brontosaurus mechanism in sala­ seen in H. platyc showed that manders: rolling escape in Hydromantes Ott, M. & Schaeffel, F., 1995. A nega­ Apatosaurus tively powered lens in the chameleon. They then tested for rolling and were actual· platycepha/us. J. Herpetol. 29: by placing coiled salaman· ly one and the same, the 149-151. Nature 373: 692-694. 1 ders on a 45 degree incline of Apatosaurus specimen being moist paper towel. Only two a juvenile Brontosaurus. Guinet, J. & Bouvier, J., 1995. Shane, S.H., 1994. Pilot whales carrying species showed any signs of Strictly speaking, the first Development of intentional stranding dead sea lions. Mammalia 58: rolling and in these it was name proposed (Apato­ hunting techniques in killer whale 494-498. only partial. saurus) should take prece· ( Orcinus area) calves at Crozet dence, yet people had Archipelago. Can. J.Zoo/. 73: 27-33. Warkentin, K.M., 1995. Adaptive plas· The researchers speculate ticity in hatching age: a response to that the unique habitat of H. become very comfortable Brontosaurus Godin, J.-G.J., 1995. Predation risk and predation risk trade-offs. Proc. Natl platycephalus is responsible with the term Acad. Sci. USA 92: 3507-3510. for its novel escape behav· and continued to use it. alternative mating tactics in male iour. This species is the only Familiarity is a hard thing to Trinidadian guppies (Poeci/ia reticufata). Oecologia 103: 224-229. Withers, P.C., 1995. Cocoon formation one in its ge nus to live among kick. and structure in the aestivating volcanic and granitic rocks at The issue was forgotten Australian desert frogs, Neobatrachus g Henschel, J.R., Davies, V. Todd & hi h elevation. The combina· until the 1970s when more Dickman, C.R., 1995. The slit spider and Cyclorana. Aust. J. Zoo/. 43: tion of steep slopes and the complete specimens of 429-441. 'Brontosaurus' (Araneae: Clubionoidea) that constructs presence of lots of small were found fissures in the sand dunes of the stones allows the salaman· and it was realised that the Simpson Desert, Central Australia. J. ders to roll away relatively original specimen had been Nat. Hist. 29: 137-145. Carrie Bengston (a science unnoticed, for the coiled sala­ given the wrong head. (It was communicator for the manders look just like small a bit like having a monkey's Kohda, M., Tanimura, M., Kikue­ CSIRO), Karen McGhee stones when rolling down the head on a human skeleton!) Nakamura, M. & Yamagishi, S., 1995. and Rachel Sullivan slope. So, with the publication of Sperm drinking by female catfishes: a (freelance science writers -G.T. this news, the authors saw it novel mode of insemination. Environ. timely to remind the world Biol. Fishes 42: 1-6. living in Sydney) and Geordie Torr (a zoologist at Brontosaurus: that, according to the International Code of Marshall, S.D., Thoms, E.M. & Uetz, James Cook University) are Doubly Dead Zoological Nomenclature, the G.W., 1995. Setal entanglement: an regular contributors to hat ever happened to real name for 'Brontosaurus' undescribed method of stridulation by a Nature Strips. Wpoor old Bronto­ is Apatosaurus. So Bronto­ neotropical tarantula (Araneae: saurus? Zoo/. Land. 235: Not only did it saurus is dead. In more ways Theraphosidae). J. become extinct like the rest than one. 587-595. ?f the dinosaurs but, to add -Paul M.A. Willis Mathis, A., Chivers, D.P. & Smith, R.J.F., !flSult to injury, it's now lost Quinkana Pty Ltd its name. 1995. Chemical alarm signals: predator attractants? Am. It started in 1877 when the deterrents or predator palaeontologist Charles Nat. 145:994-1005. Marsh wrote a paper describ·

Apatosaurus: a new name and facelift for Brontosaurus.

NATURE AU 21 STRALIA SPRING 1996 C

tunnel variety (Brown or Sewer Rattus norvegicus)_ Rats THE BACKYARD NATURALIST as the gauge of th� tracks between them. The 'roof rats' were really Black Rats (Rattus rattus). Black Rats are sleeker, High as liites on anything from less vicious · crunched-up superphosphate to more timid_ and arb�re�l than Brow� Rats and, with a constitution evolved for old car tyres, they gormandise, mischief-making, it is probably just . as run, fight, ·build nests and grind well the natural life span of a Black Rat their teeth all night. only amounts to about 12 months. So just when it has parented 60 to 100 off­ spring, and perfected the technique of· chewing electric.al wiring clown to the copper, its life is suddenly snuffed out RATBAGS OF along with its first birthday candle. The very nature of that awesome reproductive potential-five to ten pups THE RAFTERS born after a 21-clay gestation period and weaned after three weeks, five to six lit­ ters per year and the young sexually BY STEVE VAN DYCK mature at three months-means one sure thing: that where there is one Black Rat, there will be a ceiling full. Those big, greasy brutes were every­ In 1758 Linnaeus chose the short, thing a rat was supposed to be, an�! a crisp scientiiic name Rattus rattus to memorable introduction to somethmg christen the medium-sized, blackish rat you'd never want living on your that was common in Europe (and, 1 OME THI GS LIKE HAJRCUTS doorstep. I could be forgiven then, after according to recent Australian biochem­ and rodents are intro­ moving with my parents up to Brisbane, ical research, that probably had its ori­ duced so early in life that it is almost for wondering what sort of black hole gins in South-East Asia). This species, impossible to remember your first. On we'd come to, when among the first of now more common in Australia than it is the way home from school on Sydney's our visitors were two big grunting men in Europe, embodies most of everything Central and Wynyard railway platforms from the Council with funny metal buck­ we have come to regard (and detest) as we used to fire stones from slingshots at ets spades and vicious fox-terriers on 'rat-like'. It wa responsible for piggy­ the rats that were thick in the black eerie on� of their regular patrols-looking backing the flea that carried the bubonic tunnels. In between train arrivals they for... rats... arouncl people's houses! I plague bacillus, plunging Europe into couldn't sleep at night knowing that would run out of the darkness, through the 'Black Death' where, in London those cloberman-sizecl Wynyarcl rodents the cigarette butts and along the tracks, alone, 100,000 people died in 1665. Even had hopped a train to Brisbane. It would today the Black Rat tran mits salmonella grabbing spilled Twisties and unspeak­ surely be only a matter of time before able lumps of gristle spat from meat and leptospirosi through .its urine and they recognised me and the smell of my dropping . pies, screeching and fighting with each slingshot! You don't even have to be tardy with other, before charging back into the But the Brisbane 'roof rats' or 'climb­ the hou ekeeping to be visited by this gloom when the rumble of the next train ing rats', as the Council 'ratters' called r rat either. Because of its round-the-coast wa almost upon them. them, were as different f om the Sydney di tribution in mainly disturbed habitats of Au b-a]ia, and its affinity for all things human, there really are very few houses that haven't had a call from the Black Rat. To acid a beguiling touch of irony to its affinity with u , so appealing is this masquerader in its sleek suit of steel grey-black with white belly and sparkling big black eyes, that it is often mistaken (and excused-even feel and encouraged) for something native and far less noxious. But don't be fooled. This rat is a snake in the grass. Its long history of _dos� as ociation with human has bred mto it a cunning sb-ong enough to resist the most tempting bait laid so carefully on a sb-aining b-ap. Locally, we recognise the work of Black Rats by any combination of th� fol­ lowing: neat gouges clrillecl out of npen­ ing paw paws, mangoes hollowed ?ut from one encl, iagara Falls cascad�ng from behind the washing mach111e through chewed-out rubber hose pipes, macaclamia nuts drilled out and robbed The Black Rat travelled of their treasure, pitter-patter and from South-East Asia to Europe and then onto _ Fleet. Austral'a1 w1 ·th th e I r· rs t squeals-cl'amour in the ceiling at rnght, clay-old chicks roughly scalped, potted 22 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 seedlin gs ripped up and their roots off curtams· · d stnppe and s to I en m· pp ed ' . ·1· nesting. If these signs are unf am1 1ar, f r bi� caches of y�u might have noticed garden snail shells under pieces _of cor­ rugated iron, or huge ne�ts of sticks or grass and leaves measun�g up to two metres across. It takes either a pent­ house resident or _a fib�er to c�me av<:7ay fromthis list shaking his head m demal. 1 If you have ever had to spend a night 'in a shed or house infested with Black ,Rats, you ".'ill apprecia�e what wild affairs all-night rat-parties are. The going down of the sun is thesignal for all lustyrats to rise, select their partners and rush onto the dusty floor and com­ mence the rodent-rigadoon. With , screeches of joy and rage they chaseone , another around the rafters, across the fibro and down the architraves. Commonly used runways and squeeze­ holes quickly take on a greasy, stained tinge, souped up by the rats' chin and belly rubbings, which help delineate ter- 1 ritories. Any wood in the way is quickly whittled down with those notorious, con­ stantlygrowing , yellow incisors. High as kites on anything from crunched-up superphosphate to old car tyres, they gormandise, run, fight, build nests and grind their teeth all night. One Australian study showed that during July, Black Rats hunted baby birds and eggs which made up 40 per cent of their diet. At other times they ate an astonish­ ing amount of underground fungus. In

BLACK RAT Rattus rattus mangroves, where they are abundant Black Rats have an almost frightening Classification and often mistaken for native Water-rats capacity for reproduction, with females giving 1 Order Rodentia, family Muridae. (Hydromys chrysogaster), they kill large birth to 60-100 young in their first and only crabs and mud lobsters leaving exten­ year of life. Identification sive middens of crustacean shells up in Steel grey-black to brown, often with tree hollows. hardened grown men were hurling pure white belly; head and body length But don't conclude that the entire themselves into the aisles. The elated 16-21 cm; tail about 1.5 times that Black Rat story is a negative one. They rector was beside himself. And, judging of the long, slender body; longish ears. do have their uses. A friend of a friend by the shouting, the unfamiliar language managed to inject some genuine passion and the assorted calls to one or more of Distribution and Habitat into a religious revival meeting by smug­ the Trinity, for a while he concluded that Originally from South-East Asia and gling in a wild Black Rat concealed in a here, truly, was a return to Pentecost. accidentally introduced to Europe in bag. After a rousing sermon where the But don't be deceived. If your belled, 13th century, and from there to aging evangelist pleaded for signs and curfewed and sterilised cat catches a sleek Australia with First Fleet. Lives in most manifestations fromheaven, the congre­ rat in the laundry, see if the rodent's tail is of the Australian coastal cities and gation plunged into prayer. The pastor, longer than its body. If it is, and its big ear lo�ns, in cool temperate to tropical sensing the receptive disposition of the can be pushed forward to cover its eye, regions. flock, called for the praying sinners to then the cat deserves the meal. There is come forward in a public display of their no other native, rat-sized mammal that can Behaviour new commitment. be easily confused with this long-tailed Nocturnal; _ good climber and swimmer; This was the awaited moment, and the impostor. Rattus rattus may already be a builds nest ,. of sticks, grass or leaves. livid rat was liberated among the kneel­ champion climber, but no other rat so rich­ Becomes sexually mature at 3 months· ing legs. The holy reverend, in his weak­ ly deserves a helping hand up the stairway -lo young per litter; � _ . gestation period est moments of self-indulgence, had to heaven.• weeks, 5-6 litters per year. Lifespan was capable of drum­ 1 y never dreamed he ear, although up to 3 in captivity. ming up such a response. He beamed as Further Reading one by one bodies leapt into the air, arms Watts, C. & Aslin, H., 1981. The Rodents of Australia. Diet were flung up above the bowed heads, Angus & Robertson: Australia. Foodscr aps, carrion, wide up onto their plant range of and people clambered material including fruits fungi was spread­ Steve Van Dyck is a Curator of Vertebrates even seats. The religious fervour baby birds and eggs. ' ing like a holy plague. Women were at the Queensland Museum where he has fainting like soldiers in the sun, and worked since 1975.

NATURE AUS TRALIA SPRING 1996 23 intense fires in summer or autumn, RARE & ENDANGERED when the surface of the peat becomes drier, may be of greater potential danger to the frogs. We suspect such fires may have been responsible for the older, The discovery of this frog has metre-deep holes that scar the peat of profound implications for our many swamps in the area. knowledge of the biogeography Much is still to be learnt about the Sunset Frog and its habitat. How can its of south-western Australia. habitat be managed to avoid the loss of the fire-sensitive substrate? Can the slowly accumulating peat layer be replenished during the interval between THE SUNSET FROG fires? The answers to these questions may well decide the future of the Sunset BY GRANT WARDELL-JOHNSON, Frog. Other likely future threats to the habitat of the frog include pigs, and plant DALE ROBERTS & PIERRE HORWITZ disease such as that caused by the fun­ gus Phytophthora,which kills many plant

BIZARRE NEW FROG WAS discovered in January 1994 during a survey of wetlands in Western Australia's south-west corner. The Sunset Frog was immediately recognised as unique, as it has an exter­ nal appearance like no other Australian frog. It is brilliantly coloured, with a mot­ tled blue and white belly contrasted against bright orange legs, hands, chest and throat. The back is covered with knobbly prown skin. It is a moderately large frog with the females around 35 millimetres long and males slightly smaller. Molecular studies have since shown that this new genus (in the family need to re-examine our assumptions species and has simplified many bio?c Myobatrachidae) represents a relictual about the biodiversity of south-western communities in south-western Australia. lineage, possibly up to 30 million years Australia. The wet zone, in particular, The Sunset Frog occurs entirely with­ old. may include a richer biota of phylo­ in publicly managed land. Thus, once The Sunset Frog is known from just genetic relicts than previously thought. the needs of the species are understood, three well-separated peat swamps, all at The change fromsubtropical wet to sea­ there is a chance to maintain its habitat about 110 metres elevation within 30 sonally arid climates five to six million within an area of continuously distrib­ kilometres of the south-west coast. Its years ago, and an associated increase in uted native vegetation. However, the habitat covers just five hectares over an the frequency of fires, have meant that o declaration of its habitat as national park area of less than f ur square kilometres relicts may remain only in pockets of will not in itself be enough to secure its and, as such, the frog has the dubious favourable microhabitat that most survival. Careful fire management to honour of being one of Australia's most resemble the earlier, wetter environ­ maintain its organic-rich habitat, disease restricted known vertebrates. We are yet ment. These species have persisted and pest control, and access limitations to learn whether the three populations through millions of years and their pre­ may all be necessary if we are to ensure are genetically discrete, which may indi­ carious status in well-separated swamps the persistence of the Sunset Frog. • cate a long period of isolation. The dis­ is no doubt attributable to this change in covery of this frog has profound implica­ environment. tions for our knowledge of the biogeo­ The males of the Sunset Frog emit a Further Reading graphy of south-western Australia, and loud and deep 'du-duck' call from shal­ o Wardell-Johnson G. & Horwitz, P. (in press). Conserving also f r the management of this area. low pools when the temperature rises in biodiversity and' the recognition of heterogeneity in The Sunset Frog, as well as two other late spring and early summer. The eggs ancient landscapes: a case study from south-western recently discovered frogs in the south­ are deposited in the pools individually Australia. Forest Ecology and Management. west region of Western Australia-the (that is, not in a clump or mass) and, like White and Orange-bellied Frogs most frogs, there is a free-swimming (Geocrinia alba and G. vitellina)-were tadpole stage. A firein the spring of 1994 At the time of writing, Dr Grant W�rde!l­ z all found in organically rich, isolated, ]ohnson was a Senior Research Scientist burnt much of the swamp habitat in one with the Western Australian Department of � permanently moist swamps in a seasonal of the three sites, including the surface Conservation and La,nd Management, based � environment. Over the last 20 years, layer of large areas of peat, the substrate at Woodvale. He is currently working in the g south-western Australia has been the upon which the species depends. Botany Department of the University . of � subject of numerous ad hoe surveys as However, 150 or so frogs were subse­ Namibia. Dr Dale Roberts is a Senior !.: well as area-based surveys for specific quently heard calling from the pools or Lecturer in Zoology at the UniversitJ �f � groups. As a result, the vertebrate fauna Western Australia· and Dr PierreHorw itz ts seepages in the burnt area (the species r l2 was thought to be well known. These had not been heard calling prior to this a Senior Lectu�er at the Centre fo � discoveries, however, demonstrate a Ecosystem Management at Edith Cowan fire), and eggs were also laid. More University, Western Australia.

24 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996

drunk in cases of fever". Johnstone claimed the fruits were also good for fever. Among Australian pioneers there was Among Australian pioneers a popular view that bitter-tasting plants' there was a popular view that were medicinal, �nd that the_bitter prop­ bitter-tasting plants were erty was especially effective against fevers. It was well known that European medicinal. willow bark (from Salix fragilis and S. purpurea) eased general fevers, and that South American cinchona bark (from Cinchona species) cured malaria. Willow bark contains a glycoside (salicin) and cinchona bark contains an alkaloid (qui­ BITTER BARKS nine), both of which taste bitter. From this it was assumed that anything bitter was therapeutic. AND BERRIES Two native plants from Queensland and northern New South Wales became BYTIM LOW very popular as bitter remedies­ Quinine Bush (Alstonia constricta) and Quinine Berry (Petalostigma pubescens). tongue with so much bitterness they are The reputation of Quinine Bush, a shrub impossible to enjoy. Literally, they are a or small tree with milky sap, can be bitter disappointment. gauged from its remarkable range of This bitter taste extends to the bark, common names. Farmers to this day which northern Queensland pioneers know it as Quinine Tree, Quinine, Bitter HE LEICHHARDTTREE (NAUCLEA used in lieu of hops for brewing beer. Bark, Fever Bark or Peruvian Bark. orientalis), found along stream Even the wood is bitter, and it was Colonial botanist Joseph Maiden banks in northern Australia, is one of carved by bushmen into a 'bitter cup', as wrote tellingly that the bark "tastes those plants that gives bush tucker a bad Robert Johnstone described in 1904: remarkably like Cinchona bark, and name. Its strange brown fruits are edi­ 'This is done by making a cup and filling seems to partake somewhat of the prop­ ble, and smell pleasantly like bananas, it with water, and letting it stand at night; erties of both quinine and strychnine. but once sampled they assault the in the morning it is very bitter, and This drug is undoubtedly worthy of

The bark of Sea Box was reportedly used bY b hus men as a cure for Australia. dysentery. This attractive shrub is common on coastal dunes in southern

26 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 11111------!!!!llmll&i--

ici�al men." periments by med careful ex thcoming from eriments were for Exp eph Bancroft, who 'sbane doctor Jos ' B that "After fifteen _Years ,:ote in 1886 a the I ce of the use of Alstom � ex perien is no bet­ ; er is of opinion that there rit lly useful tonic." ;:r or more genera bark was exported to L?ndon, Toe peddled in _the and a decoction was as 'bitters'. Prepared as a tinc­ colonies ly (infused in alcohol) it supposed ture typhoid fever. 'cured early stages of l chemists testing the bark could \colonia other findno quinine, but they did find such as reserpine, which tran­ alkaloids . quillises and lowers blood pre_ssure Quinine Berry, also known in the past as Bitter Bark, Native Cinchona and Quinine Tree, is a small spreading tree bearing crops of hard orange fruits. Both fruitsand bark are so intensely bit­ ter they were both deployed in bush medicine. Bushmen popped the fruits into their tea believing this bestowed protection from malaria. Some colonial writers claimed the extracts were an ( excellent tonic and fever cure, but oth- 1 ers were critical, as no therapeutic com- pounds could be found. One doctor dis­ missed the bark as physiologically inert ' or practically so. Another bitter plant that earned the scorn of science was Sea Box or Dysentery Bush (Alyxia buxifolia) a sprawling shrub of southern seasho�es l used to treat dysentery. A patent was granted in 1888 to produce 'Austral Ma'.ine Bitters' from this plant. Joseph M�1den was scathing: "An 'extract' of this plant, presumably of the bark, was s_old as a patent medicine for a short tu�e, and wonderful were the virtues claimed for it on the prospectus. I do not do�bt that these claims are every bit as v�hd �s those of quack or patent medi­ cmes m general." 0th�r bi�er plants tested or taken as remedies included Red-fruited Laurel 1 (Crypto�arya laevigata), Native Gardema (T�bernaemontana pandac­ (Stephania japonica) &ti)_, Tape Vme Centa�ry (Cent�urium spicatum) a:tk (Gentianella die ?untam Gentian menSzs).. In some cases a. bitter taste was taken as proo_ f of medical powers, '. butthe more prominent colonial doctors were mo r · · � cr�tical, subj�cti�g these ) plants t o e�ailed analysis, including cruel experiments on animals Dr Thom as Bancro ft· miected · bitter extracts of So k t ood �Daphn�ndra repandula) Mountain Gentian was recommended last i w nto \!ts guinea pigs, Further Reading century as a substitute for European Gentian, ' frogs and Milthorpe, P.L. & grassh oppers, paralysing Cunningham, G.M., Mulham, W.E., a bitter herb prescribed to aid digestion. them Plants of westernNew South Wales. ; To d ay there ·i� renewed interest Leight, J.H., 1992. • Au . in ess: Melbourne. stralian edicm�l plants, inspired in lnkata Pr part by � th. ramatic success of the tea Reminiscences of pioneering in tree oil m Just ry. Johnstone, R.A., 1984. mo One starting point for north Queensland. J.W. Johnstone-Need: Cairns. dern � earch would be the many articles :r � t en by doctors and botanists J.H., 1898. Indigenous vegetable drugs. Part in the 1 19th Maiden, exto �� �entury, analysing, 11. Agric. Gaz. N.5. W. 40-53: 131-141. lling d some!imes dismissing therap the writer and eutic perties of a swag of bitter Tim Low is a Brisbane-based native plantr� environmental consultant.

NATURE A 27 USTRALIA SPRING 1996 -- The capture of a juvenile female near the mouth of Diamond Creek indicated that Platypuses breed successfully to within 15 kilometres of downtown Melbourne.

OST AUSTRALIANS WOULD not be surprised to encounter a Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatin- us)M in a pristine river or the rocky pools of a remote mountain stream. Suggest that these remarkable animals might also be found in the rivers and creeks of a big cityand you will probably be greet­ ed with scepticism. However, a recent investigation of urban Platypus popula­ tions-the first such work to be under­ taken in Australia-indicates that these distinctive monotremes can coexist with large numbers of people. Early in 1995, biologists from the Australian Platypus Conservancy and Melbourne Water Corporation initiated surveys to find out if Platypuses live in urbanised parts of the Yarra River catch­ ment. Helped by a keen band of com­ munity volunteers, pairs of eel (or fyke) nets were set along more than 80 kilometres of waterways around Melbourne, using methods previously tested in Platypus studies in the less trammelled reaches of'the upper Yarra (see Nature Aust. Spring 1995). Platypus biologists work mostly at night, when their study animals are more likely to be out and about. By noti­ fying local residents of planned field work we hoped to prevent nervous ed by a trailer-load of rubbish that was neighbours mistaking the sight and tipped illegally from a bridge shortly sound of shadowy figures, splashing after dark. about with torches in the wee small Nets were initially set over a four- hours, for signs of criminal activity . month period along the Yarra River a�d However, researchers in urban areas are adjoining segments of seven of its main tributary creeks. The study area stretched from Dight's Falls, a large man-made weir only a shor t distance upstream from the METROPOLITAN Melbourne Central Business District, to the outer fringes of the metropolitan area, 25-30 kilom�tres from the city centre. Habitats MONOTREMES ranged from semi-rural creeks thickly flanked by blackberry bus_h­ es, to inner suburban waterways ht­ BY MELODY tered with hypodermic needles. SERENA To the surprise of many people, a , total of 12 Platypuses were trapped along four of the seven tri?utary themselves streams, including areas subJ�ct to well advised to be wary. On nimals one memorable occasion, heavy human disturbance. Four a two survey were encountered within 200 metres of team members returned to their vehicle at 3 busy highways. In addition, an adult a.m. to find it occupied by four es drunken youths male was caught swimming a few me� intent on procuring a which f:ee ride �ome from from the edge of a soccer field on the pub. Another a noisy ess under time, a pair of nets was nearly game was in progr obliterat- blazing floodlights! Along the Yarra 28 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING i 996 itse lf, the capture of a juvenile female Platypus has been given a permanent Platypus survey nets being set along the near the mouth of Diamond Creek in identification mark, using the same type lower reaches of Mullum Mullum Creek, where early March, shortly after young of silicon chip transponder commonly three Platypuses were caught in two nights Platyp of trapping. This stretch of creek is a short 1 uses first emerge from their nest- used to identify cats and dogs. This tiny ing burrows in Victoria, indicated that · · cylindrical device, about the width of a distance downstream from the Templestowe Platypuses breed successfully to within pencil lead, is inserted just under the Electricity Terminal Station in Melbourne's 15 kilometres of downtown Melbourne. skin of the back and causes no discom­ eastern suburbs, less than 14km from Th� bad news was that Platypus num- fort to the Platypus. The code contained inner Melbourne. hers m suburban habitats were general- in the transponder can be easily deci­ ly low compared to less disturbed water- phered with a scanner while an animal is , ways located in the upper reachesof the held in a cloth bag and, with nearly a ' Yarra. No animals at all were encoun- trillion combinations of numbers tered in the two streams sampled closest and letters available, there is no risk of to the city centre-Merri Creek and misidentification. Darebin Creek-suggesting that In order to improve our understanding rlatypus po�ulations are missing entire- of Platypus conservation requirements, Y from this area. In short, while a variety of information is being collect­ hlatypuses can �I?parently live alongside ed in the course of the surveys. Along � u mans, cond1t10ns for the animals with standard measurements and appear to be far from ideal in much of weights, the physical condition of ani­ the Melbourne metropolitan region. mals is assessed with respect to their of body fat. Platypuses store nearly FIRST level 1;:.1s ROUND OF SURVEYS HAS PRO- half of their total fat reserves in the tail, ded _a on a five­ I vi tantalising 'snapshot' of allowing condition to begraded P atypus distribution a 'squeeze test' to b in an urban area, point scale, using /t mu:h more work is required to iden- judge plumpness. An animal is given a t. 'Yhtch factors are most important in score of 1 if the tail is so fat that its edges mitmg Platypus when pressed gently, ta numbers in such habi- do not bend ts. To assist future research, each whereas the tail of a starving Platypus NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 29 NAllllll AUSIHAll,\ SPRING lqQ6 (scored as a 5) is flaccid and strap-like. such as broken bottles. Platypuses have their own specially adapted Interestingly, while urban individuals in Experienced veterinarians on the tick and the number of these ticks infesting the Yarra catchment are less numerous research team lightly anaesthetise the each individual can be an indication of the than their country cousins, they are just Platypuses while they are being exam­ animal's health. I as fat,with both groups typically scoring ined, thereby minimising any associated 2 or 3 on this tail fat scale in summer. stress. This also makes it easier to col­ be assessed. Another potential clue to Platypus lect small samples of blood, which are To provide information on Platypus well-being is provided by noting the currently contributing to population diet in disturbed habitats, samples of number of external parasites carried by genetic studies (at Monash University) food residues are obtained from the ani­ the animals. While extended daily and an investigation into seasonal varia­ mals' cheek pouches, using a small cot­ ' immersion in water appears to keep tion in normal blood cell and biochem- ton swab. Because Platypuses can I most skin parasites at bay, the Platypus has its own specially adapted species of tick (lxodes ornithorhynchi), which in turn is suspected to be responsible for �preading at least two known types of These ticks mainly cluster on the lower hind legs- mtracellular blood parasites among ( Platypuses. These ticks mainly cluster the one place that the Platypus cannot easily reach when \ on the lower hind legs-the one place that the Platypus cannot easily reach grooming with the claws on its hind feet. w.hen grooming with the claws on its hmd feet. The number of ticks on a given Platypus can vary greatly, from none to istry patterns (at Central Veterinary remain under water for only a few min­ more than 600. As another facet of Diagnostic Laboratory in Melbourne). utes at a time, they temporarily store ; he�l!h investigation, any scars or signs Platypus serum is also being analysed at partially masticated prey in these pouch­ of m1ury on the bill or body are carefully Monash University to detect antibodies es until returning to the surface to fur­ recorded. This informationis being used against leptospirosis-a water-borne ther chew and swallow their food. ��;elp_assess whether urban Platypuses bacterial disease transmitted via the Analysis of the pouch contents therefore . bemg harmed by sharp urine of many animals, including cattle provides a good guide as to what the piec or jagged es of rubbish in their environment' and pigs. Early results indicate that the Platypus has been eating. The findings majority of adult Platypuses in the study to date indicate that urban Platypuses, The Piatyp u5 ·15 proving to be far more area have been exposed to this disease like their non-urban counterparts, are tolerant of . . h uman h ab1tat1on than previously at not fussy diners, consuming a variety of tho ught. some time in their life, although the number currently infected still needs to aquatic invertebrates down to the size of

NATURE A USTRALIA SPRING 1996 31 A view of Mullum Mullum Creek near the fa rthest upstream point where an adult male Platypus was encountered. The fact that t�ese animals can persist in such disturbed habitat is a tribute to their adaptability.

urban waterways, there appears to be no inherent reason why residents of e�st­ ern Australia's large cities cannot enJ�Y having the Platypus, one of the world s most unusual animals, as a permanent neighbour.•

Further Reading Gardner, J.L. & Serena, M., 1995. Spatial organisat�t and movement patterns of adult male platyp , Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Monotremata: Ornilho­ rhynchidae). Aust. J. Zoo!. 43: 91-103.

Grant, T.R., 1992. The historical and current diS!rib�� lion of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus an�tmus, Australia. Pp. 232-254 in Platypus and echidnas, d New 50 �th The author with a juvenile male Platypus trapped by M.L. Augee. Royal Zoological Society of along the Yarra River. Wales: Mosman. larval chironomid flies (or midges). This Meanwhile, ma ma it is reasonable to assume Grant, T.R., 1995. The Platypus: a u�ique ; :: information is being linked to inverte­ that efforts to clean up waterways, (2nd ed.) New South Wales University res · brate surveys carried out by the sta­ bilise and revegetate banks, reduce pol­ Kensington. Melbourne Water Corporation, provid­ lution and control feral pests are likely to vation ing a better understanding of Platypus benefit not only the Platypus Melody Serena w orks as a _con ser but the an lat 115 food supplies in the metropolitan area. many other native species biologist with the Australi P y!n Clearly, much remains that share its Conservancy, based at . Toorour g to be discov­ freshwater habitat. By accepting �ear ered about the urban Platypus. challenge the Reservoir Park at Whzttlesea, of restoring the quality of our Melbourne. 32 J996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPR ING FRESHWATER

A JOURNEY THROUGH ANCIEN T

KINGDOMS & NATURAL WONDERS Leonard Cronin

Take the journey of a lifetime to the World

Heritage sites of Australasia and South East

Asia - through wilderness areas and wildlife

sanctuaries, underwater ecosystems and coral

gardens, glaciated mountain ranges and

volcanic peaks, to the island home of the Komodo dragon, the temples of Borobodur

and Prambanan, and the ancient Khmer city

of Angkor.

ISBN 0730 7 04885, A REED BOOK, rrp $34. 95

,. , be Sleepy Lizards. And encounter; �n ot�ers one sex usually O LIZARD ANYWHERE IN THE They had to the male, will mamtam exclusive access when Barker reported how he �ound world has ever before been itself, to a group of partn r ; and others, like pair fidel­ three of these lizards, "the first by � � reported to show he was most human soc1etI�s, are largely ity. Pair fidelity is when a the two others together", lizard pairing, a phenomenon monogamous. Even fish and insects matingN partnership is maintained over describing show components of this rich behaviour­ successive reproductive seasons. The that is fascinating biologists tod�y. . How individual animals associate with al diversity. But what about lizards? same two individuals, one male and one ani­ For a long time there has been a gen­ female, get together repeatedly for mat­ one another is a central question in social behaviour. In mammals and eral feeling that, when it comes to social ing. It's what humans do, or what we mal behaviour, lizards are the simpletons of suppose they do. A host of mammal the animal kingdom. Some are known to species, birds, and even fish show this form territories, and the brilliant colour behaviour, but no-one had ever found a patterns on some of Australia's agamid lizard species that stays faithful...that is, exciting thing is lizards, like the Painted Dragon until now. The (Ctenophorus pictus), The Sleepy Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) is are thought to be one of Australia's largest skinks. It that this long-term pair the visual signals they use to advertise occurs widely over the southern part of and maintain those territories. But other the country and goes under a variety of fidelity in our Australian species, like the secretive skinks, were different names. In the west, they call it thought of as mostly solitary and etho­ the Bobtail Goanna or, more affection­ has never logically boring... until the discovery of ately, the Bobby. In South Australia, Sleepy Lizards pair fidelity in Sleepy Lizards. where I come from, we call it the Sleepy Lizard. Victorians call it the Stumpy Tail, been reported for any IKE MANY SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES, l in western New South Wales it is the Lcame across this behaviour quite Bog-eye, and in western Queensland, other reptile in the world. fortuitously. I was actually investigating the Shingleback. In October 1830, when the ticks that infest lizards. We were none of these names was in common working in the flat Murray Plains region parlance, Captain Collet Barker gave an of South Australia. This is semi-arid unmistakable description of lizards that birds we know there are many forms of bluebush country, north of a one-hotel he called 'guanas' near the current city social grouping. Some species, like town called Mt Mary (although the of Albany, Western Australia: "None of tigers, seem to work in isolation; others, 'mount' must have got blown away after them offered to run away though I took like Australian Magpies or wolves, form the town was named). Like Captain one up. After being put down he still con­ small cohesive groups; and still others, Barker in 1830, we frequently found tinued near, opening his mouth continu­ like Budgerigars and sheep, form larger pairs of Sleepy Lizards together in the ally & making a kind of snap towards flocks or herds. Superimposed on these spring time. They seemed to do every- me. At last he moved slowly over my foot various social groupings, mammals and & crept under some long grass." No birds show a diversity of partnership Pairs of Sleepy Lizards forage together on the other Australian lizards combine this relations. Some mate more or less hap­ growing tips of small plants. This pair has display of bravado and nonchalance. hazardly with whomever they been disturbed while feeding.

36 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING Sleepy Lizards often avoid the midday heat by should be pointed out that the male sheltering in convenient shade. During the attempts these precursors to mating, the SLEEPY LIZARD spring, monogamous pairs seek shelter courtship ritual,several times during the Tiliqua rugosa together and it is common to find them in spring. If the female is not ready to mate, physical contact like this pair. she simply moves away after the first Classification �------'kiss'. The male then resumes his patient Class Reptilia; family Scincidae. Other ' thing together, often within a few cen­ pursuit, and eventually his perseverance common names include Shingleback, timetres of each other. They fed on the pays off. When the female is willing to Stumpy Tail, Bobby, Bog-eye. floweringroadside weeds together, they mate, he slides his body close to hers shelter ed under bluebushes from the and twists around a little. Male lizards Identification �ot midday sun together and, when mov­ are equipped with two penises, or Blue tongue; large, thick scales on back mg fro� one place to another, they wan- hemipenes as they are technically (sometimes likened to a pine cone); dered m tandem formation, with his known, which can be extended side­ large size, weighing up to 1 kg and nose closely following commonly measuring up to 30 cm from '( her tail. ways, so mounting is not needed. They Over our first spring, with the help of just lie together, coupled in the warm snout to vent; variable body colour, from some discrete paint marks we came to sun for a few minutes. They separate, brown to grey to black, with variable recognise many of the indi�idual Sleepy then amble off in different directions. blotching, usually in yellow (WA �izards specimens often with orange or red head 1 in our site. And we were They remain apart for the next ten �trigued to discover all of markings); tail usually short and blunt, that over a six- to months. By late November almost in some eight:wee� period the partnership findare solitary, and they but elongated and pointed s the lizards we specimens. f remamed mtact. Partner swapping was a stay that way until the following spring. / de J finiterari ty. This monogamous pairing within one The rewar Distribution d for this persistent pairing spring was interesting, but not unique. Australia, comes in late lizards species Widespread in southern October or early There are several other w�st of the Great Dividing Range. November when the lizards mate. I have where it has been reported that one· ot often seen Sleepy the same female for t�e � Lizards mating, male stays with Biology _ut th0se few occasions were rather spe­ whole mating season. But our next dis­ rl. e Long-lived (up to 30 years); omnivorous Th male comes from behind the covery was far more exciting. the major , i: ale �nd g�ntly bites our study we diet with vegetation along her flank. In the second spring of component. ccessive bites are in exactly the same aod delivered closer found pairs forming c!oser to her head, like a lover's kiss­ as the firstyear. It was not es, Final combinations Reproduction ly he clamps his massive jaws a identical match-up, but young per around completely Live bearing, one to four her head (it must be hard to over 80 per cent of the pairs were just as late March or e rly embrace clutch, young born in . � . m any other way when he they had been, with the same male fol­ known to exh1b1t needs his the April; the only reptile fourlegs for support) and she lowing the same female through pair fidelity. responds by st ra1g · · ' have now been follow­ and . . h tenmg her hind legs, bluebushes. We raismg her tail off the ground. It ing our Sleepy Lizards for 14 years, and

NATURE A USTRALIA SPRING 1996 37 -

the pattern of fidelity turns up year after over most of the year, of which individ­ detected from skin secretions, from year. Several pairs have reformed with ual you were with last spring. But how glands on the legs, and from the cloaca! the same partners for ten or more years, do they find and recognise each other, vent. and one pair that we recorded in our first and why do they bother? Our Sleepy Lizards have thre� ways of season is still firmly entwined 14 years The how questions are sometimes eas­ finding each. Sometimes they will follo� on. Of course the fidelity is not perfect ier to answer. At our site we have been the exact path their partner took pr�v1- (some lizards change partners after a watching some pairs carefully as they go ously, using their tongue to recogm�e run of several years); but then neither is about their daily routines. They are not their partner's trail on the ground. This the fidelity of 'monogamous' humans always together. On some days one part­ method is not infallible because, �hen completely perfect. The exciting thing is ner wanders off alone, and ends up they come across the trail, ther� is no that this long-term pair fidelity in our spending the night in a solitary refuge, indication of which way it was laid. "W_e Australian Sleepy Lizards has never up to 200 metres from its mate. have seen some lizards encounter thelf been reported for any other reptile in Inevitably the twolizards find each other partner's trail then follow it in the wrong the world. again within a day or two. This cannot be direction, goi�g away from their partnei. r. by visual searching because, being so They may be clever' but not that cleve T!-nS DISCOVERY HAS ADDED A COMPIEIBLY rs low to the ground, their horizon must be Lizards can also sense th eir · par tn. e new perspective to our understand­ . 0.1_ I very short. We have tried to copy this by signals wafting in the air. If trai1 -f ing of lizard social behaviour. All of a separation experimentally, by moving they_ lift thei sudden we have to envision a broad new lowing is unsuccessful, � the partners a short distance apart. heads in the air and flick their tongu� range of social skills for this group: faith­ er s They easily relocate each other and we in an attempt ' to sense their· par tn. fulness to one partner, the ability to think they use chemical signal�. called righ direc­ recognise different individuals from the smell. If the wind is in the � pheromones. In other reptiles, chemi­ tion this can lead to a quick reumon. crowd, and the retention of a memory, y 0 f cals for communication have been Finally they can use their memor 38 G 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRIN ...... Handle with care! Sleepy Lizards cannot run partner one year, then it may be safest to very fast, but they have an impressive stick with that partner the next year. defensive display that deters potential That of course is exactly the strategy predators. Many humans are wary about that health authorities are now advising picking them up and with good reason, as humans to adopt, to avoid sexually trans­ those powerful jaws can clamp onto a finger mitted diseases like AIDS. and cause significant pain. Our research has already shown excit­ ing and unexpectedly advanced social The next question is why stay with the skills in these delightful Australian same partner? Any complex behaviour, lizards. We hope that continuing work where animals behave differently from will help to reveal appropriate explana­ random, can usually be explained by nat­ tions. Perhaps other lizards have equally ural selection. Those individuals with complex behaviours. We just need to the behaviour have some advantage over take the time to look. • those without it. So what advantage is there for Sleepy Lizards choosing the same partner each year? I am afraid we Further Reading do not know yet. Bull, C.M., 1988. Mate fidelity in an Australian lizard In mammals and birds there is a theo­ Trachydosaurus rugosus. Behav. £col. Sociobiol. 23: ry that familiar males and females know 45-49. each other's various skills, and combine Bull, C.M., 1990. Comparisons of displaced and more efficiently than two strangers retained partners in a monogamous lizard. Aust. Wild/. would to raise their young. For them, Res. 17: 135-140. long-term fidelity is advantageous because more young are produced. But, Bull, C.M., Bedford, G.S. & Schulz, B.A., 1993. How do as far as we know, lizards show little sleepy lizards find each other? Herpetologica 49: parental care, and the father has nothing 294-300. to do with his offspring beyond fertilisa­ Bull, C.M., McNally, A. & Dubas, G., 1991. tion. Asynchronous seasonal activity of male and female However it may still be advantageous sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa. J. Herpetol. 25: to mate with a familiar partner. During 436-441. the long spring courtship of Sleepy Lizards females may need continual Mulvaney, J. & Green, N., 1992. Commandant of soli­ attentio� to make them receptive. That tude. The journals of Captain Collet Barker may happen faster with a male she 1828-1831. Melbourne University Press: Melbourne. recognises from last year. Another theory about fidelity con­ Michael Bull is Associate Professor in the cerns disease control. The close associa­ School of Biological Sciences at Flinders tion during partnership may lead to University where he and his research group transmission of disease or parasites. If a have been studying Sleepy Lizards at Mt lizard has avoided disease with a healthy Mary since 1982.

past events. We saw one male looking forhis partner. He headed for a patch of flowering plants where they had fed together on the previous day. We had seen his female partner feeding there again earlier that morning. She arrived and leftusing a route different fromthe one the male took. He circled the patch, ignoring the tempting flower heads that Sleepy Lizards gorge on in the spring. After the second circuit, he located her out-going trail. He followed the trail back to the bush where she was resting, and the pair was together again. It �e�ms that Sleepy Lizards have a sophisticated variety of strategies to ensure the partnership remains intact. Although we do not yet know the exact nature of the chemical signals, we assume that approaches each lizard has a unique sig­ . late s ring a female will accept a male's nal, a season of faithfulness.' In and that partners can recognise The reward for the female's flank, this activity e male starts to b't' e gePntly along ach other and remember those signals and allow mating. Here the from Year to year. being a prelude to mating. 39 NATUR E AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 tnz,

N 1894 A YOUNG SCOTIISH DOCTOR, was a marsupial, and not a mouse ('mar­ Robert Broom, discovered a small supial' not being a word in common pocket of fossil bone breccia at usage among the Greeks, Latins or Wombeyan Caves in southern New indeed the Aborigines), the scientific SouthI Wales. Along with the bones of name, literally 'small rock mouse', was other small marsupials and rodents was prophetic. the jawbone of a previously undescribed Further fossil bone deposits were later marsupial. A striking feature of the tiny found in other caves (in 1960 from jawbone was the large, grooved premo­ Pyramids Cave near Buchan in Victoria lar, which suggested to Broom that this and more recently at Jenolan Caves, was a small phalanger (possum) with New South Wales) which, like the characteristics similar to those of rat­ Wombeyan Caves deposit, were attrib­ kangaroos. Broom named the animal uted to owl predation. The bones were Burramys parvus. 'Burra burra' was the dated from around the late Pleistocene, local Aboriginal word meaning 'place of 25-30,000 years ago, and Burramys was rocks', mys was Greek for 'mouse' and regarded as extinct-until 1966, when parvus Latin for 'small'. Although this one was found in a ski lodge at Mt

Hotham, Victoria. The animal, a male, aroused much publicity and scientific interest. By this time, Burramys parvus _was well and truly recognised as a small non-gliding possum similar to pygmy­ possums of the genus Cercartetus, and it subsequently gave its name to the col­ lective family (Burramyidae). Since ·other small possums are arboreal (tree dwelling) and the immediate environ­ ment, being under several metres of snow at the time, was considered to be much too hostile to support such a small animal, it was hypothesised that the ani­ m�l must have been brought up to the ski lodge from lower elevations in a load of firewood. Nothing further was seen of Burramys until February 1970, when a female was w :,: 0 trapped near Schlink Pass in Kosciusko 0 c,: C0 National Park, at 1,784 metres elevation. c5 z A month later, another two individuals ::::; were caught 1.5 kilometres north-east of Holding the red fruit-like receptacle of a Mountain Guthega Dam (1,540 metres elevation). . Plum-pine (Pod ocarpus Iawrence,) in one paw, a ountarn ygmy-possum cracks the hard The natural environment at these sites � � seed with its sharp premolar. Both the seed and fruit form an important part of the diet during autumn. consisted of rocky granite outcrops with a thick shrub laye� beneath Snow Gums 42 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 (Eucalyptus pauciflora).These discover­ Mt Blue Cow, in Kosciusko National The author live-trapping Mountain Pygmy­ ies directed attention back to Mt Park?" I was asked. I had been radio­ possums in boulderfield habitat. Walnuts �o!ham, are used as bait, and the traps are lined with 1 _ where in February 1971, three tracking deer mice (Peromyscus spp.) md1v1duals were trapped in rocky heath­ under the snow (at surface tempera­ insulation and covered with a plastic bag land near the ski lodge in which the first tures down to -40° C, not allowing for to keep the animals warm and dry. Note the , male had been found. In March 1972, 11 wind chill), so I thought why not; noth­ small ear tag used to identify each \; Burramys were trapped in granite boul­ ing could be worse than Wyoming at 2 individual. derfields well above the tree-line near a.m. in midwinter. the summit of Mt Kosciusko, the highest When I arrived at Mt Blue Cow in peak on the P.,.ustralian mainland (2,228 January 1986, my initial smugness was metres e)evat10n). A picture was gradu­ somewhat short-lived. It soon became ally form�ng of a pygmy-possum that did clear that I would have to go into moun­ not 1 . requ1re trees, was associated with tain goat mode. Over the next four years, -11 ' ocks and was somehow able to survive with the help of many unsuspecting vol­ 1� the alpine environment. Further trap­ unteer helpers, I was to trap and radio­ ping surveys in the late 1970s and early track Mountain Pygmy-possums from s 11 �80 revealed that_ the Mountain the foot of the mountain near Perisher gmy-possum, as 1t had become Creek to the summit of Mt Blue Cow kn wn was confined u� '. to the alpine and and all the way across to Guthega and s alpi�e areas of south-eastern back, night after night in fog, blizzard, Austra ha, at elevations above 1 ' 400 ice storm and gale. At times, when I had metres. tramped half a dozen times from mo�m­ n D cember U l S 1985, while working at tain peak to creek, or on one oc�as1on ta h tate University in when frightened out of my wits by Sta tes, the United _ I received a phone call from strange, growling sounds commg out of Aust ralia· "Wou, Id you a gully where I knew I had to g t a loca­ stud l"kI e to conduct a � Y of the Mountain Pygmy-possum at tion from one of the possums (1t turned

NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 43 A Mountain Pygmy-possum in its hibernating ing the mild nights of summer, I woke to the way to Guthega where, at dawn, I 'furry ball' position. This position allows for the flush of dawn, having curled up on a found him in a boulderfield nest site the maximum amount of heat retention by bed of snowgrass (Poa sp.) in between near the Parachute ski run and myself exposing the smallest possible surface area taking radio fixes. pushing through waist-high alpine heath of the body to ambient temperatures. Here the in a swirling fog, my radio-receiving animal has been turned over to show the RADIO-TRACKED A 1DTAL OF 42 MOUNrAIN antenna clutched in hand. Subsequently position of its limbs. I Pygmy-possums during the snow-free I found that it was common practice for season over the four years, and was con­ him and several other males to switch out to be water entering a pipe but it did tinually amazed at how far the tiny ani­ between daytime nest sites here and on sound awfully threatening at 3 o'clock in mals with their radio-transmitter collars the mountain peak, often travelling there the morning!), I did stop to ask myself travelled. Weighing only around 40 and back again in a night. ''Why am I doing this?". But on still grams in summer, it was nothing for These studies, along with work by Ian nights, when the "stars fairly blazed at females with large pouch young to travel Mansergh (Conservation and atural midnight", or the moonlight shone from the base of the mountain to the Resources) and colleagues near Mt through the knarled and twisted old peak, a straight-line distance of 900 Hotham and Judy Caughley (CSIRO) in Snow Gums and lit the snow so that I metres (and 275 metres elevation), and the Kosciusko area, have shown that Mountain Pygmy-possums are largely restricted to periglacial blockstreams and block:fields. These are rivers of rock Weighing only around 40 grams in summer, it was left by near-glacial conditions, or piles of boulders formed in depressions below nothing for females with large pouch young to travel from mountain peaks. Collectively, we call them boulderfields. The animals are the base of the mountain to the peak, a straight-line entirely terrestrial (ground dwelling) and radio-tracking has shown that they cross between boulderfields only where distance of 900 metres and back in a night. there is a dense cover of vegetation. Analysis of their droppings has shown had no need for my headlamp, I felt a bac� in a night. Adult males could a sense of peace quite A Mountain Pygmy-possum peeps out from . and discovery that far easily do this twice in a night. One night outweighed any minor discomf gap between granite boulders. The tiny orts. I male 081 (I gave up giving them name� pygmy-possu their usually radio-tracked six ms are capable of flattening or so possums after th� :fir�t summer, instead referring at a �ime d ring each three-week-long _ bodies much like lizards in order to 1;1 to the 111d1v1dual numbers on their ear track111g penod. A number of times dur- tags) squeeze through narrow cracks in their rocky led me on a 1.5-kilometre trek all habitat. 44 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996

that 63 per cent of the diet is made up of arthropods (insects and other inverte­ brates), with the remainder being mainly seeds and fruits. In spring and summer a major component of the diet is the Bogong Moth (Agrotis infasa).This non­ descript, small (three-centimetre body length), brown moth makes a remark­ able annual migration from its breeding grounds on the western slopes and plains to spend the summer in aestiva· tion (summer hibernation) among the rocks and boulderfields of the alpine peaks. The fat reserves of these moths can be up to 65 per cent of their body weight. On Mt Blue Cow, as on other areas, the highest numbers of moths were found on the mountain peak, hence the long-distance movements of the pos­ sums during summer. In late summer

Mountain Pygmy-possums and other small possums can be distinguished from rodents 0� 0 and marsupial mice by the fusion of their "' on second and third toes below the first joint zc'i ::J . each hind foot a condition known as syn­ curling dactyly. The p;ehensile tail (capable of ure. and gripping) is another diagnostic feat 46 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING Mt Blue Cow in December 1993, viewed from N EARLY SPRING, WHEN THE half way up the mountain at the POSSUMS loading emerge from station of the 'Summit' ski lift (1,795 metres I hibernation, they weigh elevation). This is prime Mountain around 35 grams. After a period of feast­ Pygmy­ ing on Bogong possum habitat consisting of alpine heathland Moths, and rapid pro­ shrubs and overlaying boulders. duction and development of their one lit­ ter of four young, all individuals set about the serious business of maximis­ sites. Snow to a depth of a metre or more ing weight gain for winter. Body weights is a good insulator, with temperatures are doubled by the time hibernation remaining relatively constant despite commences in March or April. This is snow-surface ° temperatures as low as necessary if they are to survive the peri­ -20 C. od of winter cold and food shortage. As in other fields of science, the ease When breeding, the females in partic­ of gaining information about animal ular can be quite aggressive. By autumn, behaviour and physiology increases as the possums are fat and placid. The technological advances are made. By heaviest animal I trapped, a furry little 1989, radio-transmitters that measured butter ball fromthe top of Mt Kosciusko, body temperature had been developed that were small enough to attach to the possums' collars. There followed a win­ MOUNTAIN ter of relative ease on my part: strictly PYGMY-POSSUM daytime ski tours, to check and retrieve Burramysparvus data from the ten automated tracking units scattered around the mountain. Classification With a radio-antenna in place of a ski Family Burramyidae (pygmy-possums) pole, the only small price I had to pay Identification were the gibes from larrikins on the ski The largest of the pygmy-possums, body lifts yelling out "Hey love, 'ave you lost length 10-12 cm, tail prehensile 13-16 ya TV?". cm, fur dense and short, grey above, At the same time that I was traversing cream to orange below and on flanks. the snow at Mt Blue Cow, Fritz Geiser Large, well-developed premolar used to from the University of New England was crack hard shells of seeds and carapaces measuring the metabolic rates and body of arthropods. Weight varies throughout temperatures of eight Mountain Pygmy­ the year, averaging around 40 g. possums housed in his laboratory fridge Maximum life span 5-12 years for at temperatures that simulated natural females, 2-4 years for males. conditions. (fhey all survived quite hap­ pily and were releas�d ba�k on �t Distribution and Status Kosciusko in the followmg sprmg.) With Confined to alpine areas of south-east­ further laboratory studies and continu­ ern Australian mainland at elevations ing field studies by our colleague above 1,400 m. Habitat specialist, Gerhard Koertner (University of New found in boulderfields with associated England), we have show_n that the alpine shrubs. Totalpopulation estimat­ Mountain Pygmy-possum 1s the only ed about 2,600 adults in good years but marsupial to exhibit prolo1'.g�d season�! half this in \ and autumn, may drop to less than the distance the possums (winter) hibernation, cons1stmg of peri­ drought years. Endangered. · travel becomes less as the moths leave. odic torpor and short rapid :"arm-ups,as Then the seeds and fruits of alpine is characteristic of hibernatmg placental Habits 1 heathland shrubs, which grow among mammals from the Northern Hemi­ Nocturnal. Females have overlapping )he boulders, become increasingly Its hibernatio_n patte:n consists · sphere. home ranges and may share hibernacula important in their diet. of gradually lengthenmg penods of tor­ with daughters. At Mt (winter nesting sites) Hotham, Ian Mansergh had por, which in midwinter can last up to 20 Males visit female habitats to breed but both adults and young disperse in late summer and autumn to lower-quality habitats. Males may share nests and By autumn, the possums are fat and placid. The heaviest hibernacula. animal I trapped, a furry little butter ball from the top of Food Arthropods (Bogong Moths, caterpillars, Mt Kosciusko, weighed in at an incredible 82 grams! millipedes, beetles and spiders), seed� and fruits, depending on seasonal avail- � s ability. hown that Mountain Pygmy-possums by short periods of were days, interspersed untrappable from May to the time arousal of usually less than one day. Breeding he sno w melte j d in September-October. During torpor periods, body tempera­ One litter per year of 4 young, born . , w:as hypothesised that they hibernate rates are substan­ snow melts (late October to mid r- un�g tures and metabolic when J this time, although laborator have found that the December). Rapid growth and develop­ studie� y tially reduced. We had been unable to show this. A most efficient body temperature for _ a ment. Thirty-day pouch life, young gruelling is 30-3 days ' winter of night-time radio­ hibernating Mountain Pygmy-possum remain in nest for another ? acking at ke matmg sys­ �� Mt Blue Cow in 1986 showed about 2oc. Hibernating animals m� before weaning. Polygynous t the possums having female biased. wh stayed under the snow, substantial energy savings by not tem, sex ratios often ote temperatures remained at around temperatures 2 , and to maintain their body seldom moved from their nest above thatof thesurrounding environment

NATURE AU 47 STRALIA SPRING 1996 . _b��� - • ---I � ·-, ·, \ rf.J� ----- .

. .,. -·-

temperature fluctuations a_nd proba­ bly increase winter mo�ta�1ty.. Since the end of the last Pleistocene glacial period, Like the environment 1t hves m, the Mountain Pygmy-possum is a very spe­ which ended about 10,000 years ago, the range of the cial relict from the Pleistocene ice ages. It does not occur below the winter snow­ Mountain Pygmy-possum has been gradually shrinking line and is the only Australian mamll1:al specialised to survive in the alpine envir­ with the retreating snowline. onment. Since the end of the last Pleistocene glacial period, which ended about 10,000 years ago, the range of the Mountain Pygmy-possum has b�en gradually shrinking with the retreatmg weighed in at an incredible 82 grams! snowline. It now occurs in five isolated We have found that adults may hibernate populations within an appro�mat� 10 x for seven months, while young of the year 50 square-kilometre area of V1ctona and are active for up to two months an 8 x 20 square-kilometre area of New longer in the autumn, needing to gain sufficient South Wales. The total amount of boul­ fat stores to give them a derfield habitat, which is scattered chance of surviving the winter. In the laboratory, throughout these areas, is less than ten individuals were able to sur­ square kilometres. vive up to 185 . days (6.6 months) without It is now over 100 years since the dis- eating. Calculations suggest this period of fasting covery of the 'small rock mouse' bones may last up to 240 days (8.6 in Womb years sm. c e months) in the eyan Caves and 25 wild. Mountain Pygmy­ it was foundto survive among the roe possums do show some food-caching � behaviour outcrops of the Snowy Mountains an but our studies suggest that eSt fat storage Victorian high country. The great and hibernation are the main threa �f the strategies for t to the continued survival winter survival. We have Mount �1stur ' also shown that hibernating animals ain Pygmy-possum is t very sensitive are bance, destruction and loss of habitat. � to changes in air tempera­ is not habi­ tures in their winter coincidental that the best retreats. This is a tats-deep fi at high elev l concern because any increases boulder elds h onmental temperatures and in envir­ tions-are also areas favoured for s loss of snow resorts. lt in the cover would expose animals These conditions resu to greater deepest, longest-lasting snow co ver. 48 6 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 199 1�-""� The author checking ,..,..• .., -..:s- the location of a Further Reading �-��- rad" 10-co II are dM ountain Pygmy-possum. The antenna of an automated tracking unit, Broome, LS. & Geiser, F., 1995. Hibernation in free­ which measures the body temperature of living �o�ntain Pygmy-possums, Burramys parvus Aust. Zoo/. the hibernating pygmy-possum every hour, (Marsup1aha: Burramyidae). 1. 43: 373-379. can be seen in the left foreground. Geiser, F. & Broome, LS., 1993. The effect of temper­ Consequently three major populations ature on the patternof torpor in a marsupial hibernator. occur on the ski slopes of Mt Hotham, 1. Comp. Physiol. 8163: 133-137. Mt Blue Cow and Charlotte Pass ski Mansergh, I. & Broome, L, 1994. The Mountain resorts. A fourth, of yet unknown size, Pygmy-possum of the Australian Alps. New South has just been discovered near Mt Buller. Wales University Press: Kensington. In the past, habitat loss and population stress has resulted from the construc­ Mansergh, I. & Scotts, D., 1990. Aspects of the life his­ tion and operation of these resorts. tory and breeding biology of the Mountain Pygmy-pos­ However we are becoming increasingly sum, Burramys parvus, (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) in mindful of the need to reverse these alpine Victoria. Aust. Mammal. 13: 179-191. trends, particularly since these areas are likely to become important refuge areas Smith, A.P.& Broome, L, 1992. The effects of season, as the threat of global warming increas­ sex and habitat on the diet of the Mountain Pygmy-pos­ sum (Burramys parvus). Wild/. Res. 19: 755-768. -· ·-- es and habitat at lower elevations becomes unsuitable. The threat is not so much in higher summer temperatures, Dr Linda Broome is currently the but in the loss of the insulating snow Threatened Species Project Officer (fauna) cover that protects hibernating possums with the New South Wales National Parks from the extremes of winter tempera­ and Wildlife Service, Southern Zone. Her tures. It has been predicted that in the interests are in conservation biology. In next 50 years the annual mean tempera­ addition to continuing research on the ture of the world may rise by 2° C. If this Mountain Pygmy-possum, she is conducting studies on other endangered species, includ­ does in fact happen, the possum could ing the Longfooted Potoroo and Smoky become extinct. On the world scale of Mouse. potential catastrophes, the possible retreat, metaphorically speaking, of Burramys off the top of the mountain An adult femaleMountain Pygmy-possum may seem a relatively small thing. On a climbing on aMountain Plum-pine branch. local level, though, it would be a The long tail is used for balance and tragedy.• sometimes for gripping the branches.

NATURE AU STRALIA SPRING 1996 -

Stingless bees are also sometimes called sweat bees in the north because of their peculiar habit of collecting human sweat. STINGLESS _ES BY TIM HEARD RIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF drated nectar). The other species are ESPITE THE SIMILARITIES IN SOCIAL European Honey Bees (Apis solitary and use what nectar they collect D behaviour between stingless bees mellifera), the lives of immediately for food for themselves or and Honey Bees, there are major d�fer­ Australian Aborigines were for preparing provisions for a brood cell. ences that have led biologists to believe sweetened with honey extracted from In their search for nectar and pollen, that their societies evolved separately. nests of stingless bees (Trigona and stingless bees are important pollinators Each may have evolved from a common Austroplebeia species). for many species of flowering plants. In ancestor like bumblebees, which represent Although often simply called 'native this way they share the same ecological an intermediate stage of social evolutio?· bees' (and 'sugarbag' by Aborigines), role as Honey Bees. The major differences between sting· the common name of 'stingless bees' is Stingless bees may be encountered in less bees and Honey Bees relate to their preferred because it distinguishes them all tropical and subtropical parts of the nest architecture and propagation, and from the 1,600 other species of bees world except isolated islands. Australia the way they communicate food sources native to Australia. As the name sug­ has about 14 species, although a taxon­ to fellow workers. gests, their stings are vestigial and use­ omic revision in progress may alter this The structure of the nest of stingless less in defence. Stingless bees are also figure.The poor state of our understand­ bees is complex and unique. The inner sometimes called sweat bees in the ing is partly due to the similar appear­ sanctum of the nest consists of a brood north because of their peculiar habit of ance of most species, which are small chamber, a grouping of cells containing collecting human sweat, which is pre­ (about four millimetres long) and black. the immature bees, surrounded by . an sumably used as a source of minerals. Like Honey Bees they have enlarged insulating waxen envelope. Unlike Unlike most of the world's 20,000 areas on their back legs for carrying ly feed species of bees, stingless bees represent Honey Bees, which continual pollen back to the nest. These are their larvae, larvae of stingless bees ai:e a peak of insect social organisation, known as corbiculae or pollen baskets. mass provisioned. Each brood cell 1s rivalled only by ants, termites, some Their hind legs therefore appear wide honey , wasps and Honey Bees. Like these they stocked almost to the brim with and hang low when in flight. pollen and glandular secretions, an egg exhibit cooperative brood care and have Most Australian species are found in the different castes-queens, workers is laid in the cell by the queen and � the tropical ?Orth, although two species, the larval an (infertile females) and drones (males). T. carbonarza australis cell is closed. Complete and A. are com­ pupal development occurs in the closed Stingless bees are the only bee species mon in subtropical eastern Au;tralia and from native to Australia that are social and have cell. When the adult bee emerges been observed as far south as Bega the It is thus store pollen and honey (basically dehy- in southern New cell, the cell is destroyed. South Wales. used only once, unlike Honey Bee cells 52 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 A Trigona carbonaria queen patrols the comb. Drones also swarm while waiting for the opportunity to mate with a new The queens of highly social bees can­ queen. These mating swarms occur not live alone and new colonies are around the old and new nests at thetime established by swarming. In Honey the new queen makes her move. Mating Bees the break is abrupt; a dense swarm usually takes place soon after the young of worker bees (known as a reproductive queen has arrived at the new nest when swarm) simply leaves the parent nest she goes on a mating (nuptial) flight. with the old queen, settles temporarily Mating swarms also occur at established and starts looking for a new site. nests probably when the old queen has Immature queens are meanwhile devel­ died and is being replaced by a young oping in the parent nest and one of these unmated one. will take over as the new queen. Another type of swarming occurs at T. Stingless bee queens, on the other hand, carbonaria colonies, in which worker are not transferred until the new nest bees collide, grip onto each other, fall to has been fully prepared by workers. The the ground and fight to the death. This reproductive swarms of stingless bees behaviour probably represents fighting are therefore not as obvious as those of between colonies. One such battle Honey Bees, and there is a lot of toing­ resulted in the death of 7,000 warriors, and-froing between the old and new which I found in a tangled mass beneath nests until the latter is ready. the entrance to one of my hives. Furthermore, it is the new queen that Although damaging to the populations of makes the flight, with the old queen workers, the colonies nearly always remaining in the parent nest. recover fromthese scraps.

are used many times. Surrounding the brood chamber are large egg-shaped pots of honey and I ' pollen. This is in striking contrast to Honey Bee nests, with their vertical combs of regular hexagonal cells where brood, honey and pollen are all housed. The nests of stingless bees may be useful in distinguishing species. For example, the presence of a projecting tube at the nest entrance of A. australis distinguishes it from T. carbonaria nests. The structure of the broodcham­ ber of these two species also differs. The brood comb of T. carbonaria has a spiral arrangement, while that of A. australis "\ formsa less organised cluster. Stingless bee nests are made of ceru­ men, a material formed by mixing beeswax(a glandular secretion of worker b�es) with propolis (resins of plant ori­ gm). Sting�ess bee workers may often be 1 seen entenng their nests carrying beads f of clear resin in their pollen baskets. One 1 �ort�ern Queensland species T h ock- ingsi, has gained notoriety as � collector ::1�I�S1,····'?:, ·: ':,_ . s of the . en hive. The two halve wet �ain . which it uses as a substitute in. an artificial wood t � naria establis. hed in a spiral arrangemen r res Honey A colony of Trigona carbo b is centrally placed ri m m nest construction ay he brood c honey and pollen. separated for displ . T �: are the pots of B ees by contrast use pure wax for comb box have been ath. s ur nding this -layered waxen she construction; they only rarely use resins. surrounded by a multi 53 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 .._ At the entrance to the nests of Austrop/ebeia australis is a projecting tube. Two foragers laden with pollen are approaching the nest from the upper right, while two others have already made their landing. In contrast, the entrance of Trigona carbonaria does not have a tube but is flush with the surface of the tree.

A LL AUSTRAUAN SPECIES NEST IN HOL· �ow trunks and branches of trees or in rock crevices. They may also be encountered in wall cavities and some­ times more unusual situations, such as old garbage bins. Where the cavity they are occupying is too large, they isolate their nest with a thick layer of resin and wax. With care, colonies of stingless bees may be relocated from natural sites into wooden hives, a good idea when the natural nest site is in danger from land clearing. On the Gold Coast of Queensland, Peter Davenport saves many colonies this way and has them available for sale. He also markets his honey and earns a premium price for this rare product. If the hive is constructed with the cor­ rect design, the colony, once estab­ lished, can be split to form two hives. As

STINGLESS BEES

Classification Family Apidae (bees), subfamily Meliponinae (stingless bees), 21 genera worldwide, 2 genera and about 14 spp. (5 Trigona, 9 Austroplebeia) in Australia.

Identification About 4 mm long, black body, covered in microscopic hairs, enlarged areas on hind legs for carrying pollen and resin. Fewer veins on the wings than most other bees.

Distribution and Habitat The dances of the Honey Bees, in they make zigzag runs and characteris­ All tropical and subtropical parts of the which scout bees convey information tic sounds that alert other bees to leave world, except isolated islands. In regarding the direction and distance of the nest and follow the trails. The Australia, they occur in the northern flowers to hive mates, are well known. method of recruitment is unknown for half, down the east coast to Bega and Stingless bees also direct nest mates to most Australian stingless bees, but for T west coast to about the Hammersley flowers, but by different means. carbonaria it appears to involve the use Ranges. Most forest areas, including Workers of some species merely jostle of oral secretions. rainforest, eucalypt forest, mangroves, are suitable.

Biology The honey varies in quality depending Highly social insects that live in lar�e on the species and perennial colonies, nesting usually m r the plants from which the nectar was collected. tree cavities opening to the exteno through a small hole. Their social. behaviour resembles Honey Bees m some respects, but is strikingly different other hive bees to alert them to the pres­ Stingless bees are strong fliers. ence of a rich in others. food source but do not Although they are not able to convey information as to reach the distance and enormous ranges of Honey Bees, they Diet direction. Workers of other species lay can fly up to one kilometre._ nectar, scent trails (pheromones) They will not Adults and young eat pollen and on the ground fly any fartherthan they have of both or vegetation between the food source to though; which they collect from flowers close resources are used in preference native and introduced species. and the nest. Upon return to the nest to ones farther away.

54 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPR ING J996 n ' the half that is extensive areas of adjacent forest. In Beekeeper84: 34-37. n e quee 1·s present only o ake a new one. Th'1s 1s· areas where this vegetation has been eenless mus t m removed, the bees need Wallace, H.M. & Trueman, S.J., 1995. Dispersal of qu blem as a healthy hive to be intro­ E calyptus tore/liana t �sually a wit­ duced. Now that the techniques � seeds by the resin-collecting no �d�ces new queens as to man­ stmgless bee, Trigona carbonaria. Oecologia nt n r queen age populations of stingless 104: co i J�\he presence of larger bees are 12-16. nesse n edge of the brood available, we may see them joining the ar Y d then cells �� g process can be con­ European Honey Bee as pollinators of Wille, A., 1983. Biology of the stingless bees. Ann. Rev. b. T s littin Entomol. �om n tually a large number of macadamias and other crop plants. • 28: 41-64. n ed a d eee . i u u be ropagated from the ong­ �ives itecture Further Reading Dr Tim Heard is an entomologist with a ��� sJa1 brood arch Heard, T.A., 1988. Propagation of hives of CS/RO in Brisbane. His interest in l. ghtforward for the stingless in stingless nest splitting strai bee Trigona carbonaria. 1. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 27: bees. beg(fn in 1985 while researching insect ma���bonaria, however no-o�e !o my 303-304. Pollination of nut crops. He continues to successfully split hives of dabble with stingless bees in his spare time. knoT. w1 ed has n austr agl� is. Fortu ately' nests of this lat- Heard, T.A., 1994. Behaviour and pollinator efficiency A hive design, and the techniques for relo­ A cap- cating and splitting stingless bee hives, may cies have been propagated bY of stingless bees and honey bees on macadamia flow­ ter. _s e In one case ers. J. Apicultural Res. 33: 191-198. be obtained by writing to the author. t � reproductive swarms. red a nearby empty box aun!arm s entei Wagner, A. & Dollin, L., 1983. Swarming in Australian Stingless bee honey can be enjoyed without a tabl'shed itself there. In another nd es .. dlc o� e native bees-help solve the mystery! The Australas. any fear of pain. an emptybox was pos1tione i . case accept e d t I b and the bees readily uring has _never been per- S�arm captT.carbo �ana. formed for . m quality depend�ng ) The honey variesn on the species a d the plantsfrom w�1e;h nectar was collected. In general it is the n that of 1 more liquid a d more acidic than people prefer the Honey Bees. Many A. austra?is. thicker, sweeter honey of t? carbonaria. For bot� species 1t thata of r. is romatic from the plant resins used �o build the pots in which the �oney 1s stored. Usually less than 1.5 kilograms (one litre) of honey is produced by a hive in a year (compared to about _50 kilograms, or 75 litres, for a strong hive of Honey Bees). The structure of the a honey difficult to nesta lso makes this extr ct. I prefer not to rob my hives of ' honey as the disruption to the nests slows down rates of colony growth. For me the value of these hives is more for conservationn and pollination than honey productio . In summer, masses of small Cadagi (Eucalyptus torelliana) seeds collect at the entrance of many T. carbonaria nests. Helen Wallace, while at the University of Queensland, discovered thata the bees enter the gumnuts of this pl nt in search of resins. Seeds in the gumnut stick to the bees and are carried back to the nest, from which they are often discarded. Cadagi seedlings are commonly foundat the baseof the hives. This plant appears to have become adapted forseed dispersal by stingless bees, the first example of seed dispersal by beesa ever found.A down side of this l be� viour is that the species is rapidly • bemg dispersed outside of its native r�nge of northern Queensland. This effi­ cient seed dispersal enhances the weed potential of this plant. . Sting 1 less bees are thought to be m�oa rtant pollinators of many Australian t n 1 � ive plants a d also many of the excit­ � m� ne:"' fruits, nuts, n spices, vegetables � US 01) seeds gaining popularity in tralia. They are proven pollinators of mac/ d am,as, which benefit from o1 cross- b mation. Huge numbers of worker ees, however, are needed 1arg e to pollinate orchards. This requires leaving 55 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 b

five to six kilometres per hour, it get AM SURE WE HAVE ALL REFLECTED AT s up one time or another ove� the grace onto its back legs and starts to hop. and elegance of a hoppmg kanga­ One important observation, which is roo. Because hopping is such a central to the question of the efficiency gait, it has been �e su?ject �f a of hopping as a form of locomotion, con­ simpleI measurements of number of detailed studies, mcludmg cerns oxygen con­ one by our own group at Monash. sumption by hopping kangaroos. These Although researchers still don't know measurements were first carried out on exactly how or why hopping evolved, as Red Kangaroos by Terry Dawson and c. a form of locomotion it appears to have Richard Taylor at Harvard University. been a very successful development. The amount of oxygen consumed is an The family of hoppers, the Macro­ indicator of energy expenditure and podidae, includes some 57 different therefore the metabolic cost of locomo­ species. These range in size from the tion. To measure �xygen consumption, one-and-a-half-kilogram Musky Rat-kan­ kangaroos were tramed to hop on a mov­ garoo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) that ing treadmill while wearing a mask scuttles about the rainforest floor in through which the flow of oxygen was Queensland, to the adult male Red monitored, breath by breath. Hopping Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) weighing 90 speed was controlled by altering the kilograms. All macropods hop but, at speed of the treadmill belt. The impor­ slower speeds, many of the smaller tant observation made was that, above a species move by quadrupedal (four­ hopping speed of six kilometres per legged) running. Kangaroos with their hour, oxygen consumption no longer large hind legs, their small forelimbs increased with speed. In fact it fell slight­ and the long tail are not able to run on all ly so that it became energetically less fours like the Musky Rat-kangaroo and, costly for a kangaroo to hop at 20 kilo­ when they travel slowly, they resort to a metres per hour than at six kilometres rather unusual form of progression, per hour. In addition, at 20 kilometres called pentapedal locomotion. It is called per hour or faster, the energy used by pentapedal because it involves all four the hopping kangaroo was less than that limbs plus the tail (pen ta= five).The ani­ of a four-legged placental mammal of Diagram of the calf muscle and its mal moves forwards with a kind of similar weight, running at the same attachments in the kangaroo. At one end, creeping motion, keeping both its front speed. muscle fibres attach to the femur (thigh and hind limbs together and using the bone); at the other to a broad, tendinous tail as an additional prop. This kind of OW DO KANGAROOS MANAGE TO BE SO sheet, the aponeurosis, which becomes the locomotion is obviously too awkward to efficient? By storing elastic energy Achilles tendon that attaches to the back use for travelling at speed so, when the inH their Achilles tendons, or at least that of the heel. kangaroo wants to go faster than about was the theory. The idea of conserving energy during locomotion by storing it in body parts has fascinated biologists femur for many years. Forms of motion believed to involve storage of elastic energy include examples as diverse as the jump of a flea, the swish of a shark's tail and the running athlete. My colleagues Di Warren, David Morgan and I set out to directly test the muscle fibres proposal that the storage of elastic ener­ gy in tendons played a major role in the efficiency of hopping in kangaroos. But before describing our experiments, it is necessary to say something more gener­ al about the mechanical properties of muscles and tendons, and how they may be measured. Muscles attach to the bones by means of tendons. Both muscles and tendons are elastic tissue. When they are stretched, they elongate and, if released from stretch, they tend to recoil to their - original length. In mechanical terms, a muscle and its tendon can be modelled by two coiled springs linked together. � The relative stiffnesses of the two c::; springs (muscle and tendon) will deter­ � 0 mine how a stretch will be distributed "' I over the system. If the muscle is relaxed, � Unlike z quadrupedal mammals, large 0 macropods like this Red Kangaroo are capable � of keeping oxygen consumption (and therefore � energy expenditure) constant when hopping ______J at higher speeds. 58 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996

Movements in the calf muscle and its tendon during hopping in a kangaroo. The large red Achilles tendon and established that it spring represents the muscle; the smaller blue spring the Achilles tendon. The kangaroo lands does indeed behave like a stiff spring, from a hop, toes first. As the foot begins to bear the animal's weight, it is rotated about the provided measurements were kept with­ ankle joint, stretching the muscle and its tendon. The recoil from stretch of the two springs in the normal working range of the ten­ (muscle and tendon) gives the animal extra lift during take-off for the next hop. don. However we were left dissatisfied with our measurements because estim­ very little, if any, stretch will be taken up could be stored in them to account for ates of energy storage based on the free by the stiffer tendon. But once the mus­ the low oxygen consumption during tendon might not apply to the whole ten­ cle starts to contract it will resist a hopping. To do that turned out to be don.A tendon, as it approaches the mus­ stretch with greater stiffness and, more difficult than we realised at the cle, typically spreads out into a sheet, or depending on how hard it is contracting, time. aponeurosis, across the middle of the progressively more of the stretchwill be Tendon properties have traditionally muscle. This is where the actual con­ taken up by the tendon. One other con­ been measured by excising a piece of tacts with muscle fibresare made.In the sideration is that the muscle spring is case of the kangaroo Achilles tendon, less truly elastic thanthe tendon spring. only about half is free tendon .. So More of the energy put into stretch is mechanical measurements made on iso­ recoverable from tendon than from muscle. lated tendon do not take into account the Kangaroos have large Achilles ten­ It is as though aponeurosis, nor the properties of the dons, the tendons that attach calf mus­ tendon-muscle fibrejunctions. cles to the back of the heel. So the pro­ kangaroos are hopping The only satisfactory way of measur­ posal was that a hopping kangaroo ing the elastic property of the whole ten­ tensed its calf muscles each time it land­ don is to use a method that leaves the ed froma hop and the weight of the land­ on pairs of coiled tendon intact attached to the muscle.At ing animal stretched the Achilles ten­ the time of 'our experiments no such dons, which then recoiled, helping the springs, like inverted method existed until my colleague animal during the lift-off phase of the David Morgan d�vised a new and ingen· next hop. It is as though kangaroos are pogo-sticks. ious technique.The method involves �al­ hopping on pairs of coiled springs­ culating the amount of movement dunng springs that are stretched on landing a stretch in muscle fibres and tendon, for and that recoil during take-off, like contractions of different strengths.For this the assumption is made that tendon inverted pogo-sticks. free tendon from the end of the muscle The aim of our experiments was to clamping it in stiffness remains constant, while muscle � stretching apparatus: e measure the elastic properties of kanga­ and then stretchmg and stiffness is proportional to tension. Th shortening the more the muscle contracts, the greater roo leg muscles and tendons, and to tendo� to see if it behaves like a spring. determine whether sufficient energy We did that with a piece the stiffness with which it resists the of kangaroo stretch and therefore the larger the pro· 60 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 portion of stretch taken up by the ten­ don. The ratio of tendon stretch to mus­ cle force gives the stiffness of the ten­ don. We carried out experiments of this kind on the Tasmanian Pademelon (Thylogale billardierit). I remember well our first attempts at making the mea­ surements. We had no idea how strong a kangaroo's calf muscles could be. Instead of just pulling on the strain gauge with which we were measuring muscle forces, the animal managed to move the whole experimental table! Eventually a successful series of mea­ surements was achieved and we were able to estimate that, when calf muscles were contracting maximally and were then stretched, together with their full tendons, eight times as much of the stretch was taken up by the tendon as by the contracting muscle fibres. In addi­ tion, during repeated movements most of the energy put in during stretch, re­ emerged during recoil. This was an important result because it provided the necessary precondition for the tendon being the site of storage of elastic energy during hopping. But having an elastic tendon has both advan­ tages and disadvantages. In general, when a muscle's tendon is short and stiff it provides for rapid and precisely controlled movements of the limb because the stiff, unyielding tendon rapidly and faithfully transmits the mus-

The first Tasmanian Pademelon. experiments on the property of the calf muscle and Achilles tendon were carried out on the

NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 61 t will provide the basis for future research.

HE ABILITY TO KEEP OXYGEN CONSUMP­ tion, and therefore energy expendi­ Tture constant at higher hopping speeds app�ars to be limi�ed to th� l�rger macropods. The species for which 1t has been established include the Red Kangaroo and the Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenit). For smaller hoppers up to 1.5 kilograms, such as the Brush­ tailed Bettong (Bettongia penicillata) and the Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus), which occasionally hops, the rate of oxygen consumption increas­ es linearly with speed, as it does in quadrupedal mammals. Interestingly, for the Tasmanian Pademelon, whose weight range is similar to that of the Tammar Wallaby, there is a reduction in the rate of increase in oxygen consump­ tion with speed, but not a complete uncoupling, as occurs in the other large macro pods. There are some other aspects of hop­ ping that are interesting. Ka�garoos increase their speed of travel by mcreas­ ing stride length, not hopping frequency. So over quite a wide range of speeds, 10-35 kilometres per hour for Red Kangaroos, hopping frequency remains constant, at approximately two hops per second. A longer stride means that the animal's trajectory during each hop is flatter. It also means that the amount of time the animal spends in the air increas­ es and ground contact time becomes proportionately less. . The energy required for hoppmg comes from the energy of motion (kinet­ ic energy), and the amount of kinetic energy is determined by the mass of the kangaroo and its speed of travel. Fo_r a kangaroo taking off from a standmg start the first in a series of hops must be energetically more costly; as the animal gets up to speed, the energy stored on landing from one hop can be transferr�d to the next. Often startled animals w�ll Kangaroos, like this male Eastern Grey, have ings, and the concept of storage of elas­ take off with several small, rapid hops m large Achilles tendons in which they store tic energy in the Achilles tendon of kan­ an attempt to get up to speed as quickly much of the elastic energy needed for their garoos is now widely accepted. as possible. . . efficient form of locomotion. That said, I don't want to leave the There is yet another consideration. A impression that the efficiency of hop­ can be mod�lled by a de forces. The disadvantage is that hopping kangaroo ping as a form of locomotion rests exclu­ spring with a mass attached to 1t. Such a there will be little opportunity for stor­ sively with the elasticity of the calf mus­ system has an optimal frequency �here age of elastic energy. Conversely, when a cles and the Achilles tendons. Although m�mum muscle's tendon is long and stretchy, it a minimum of force produces no direct measurements are available This optimal or means energy storage is possible but yet, it stretching of the spring. is likely that other hind limb mus­ 'resonant' frequency depends ?n the this is achieved at the expense of accu­ cles and their tendons are also sites of g. An racy and speed of the movements since mass and the stiffness of the spnn elastic storage during hopping, involving lower res�n­ the tendon must always be stiffened a mechanism increase in mass leads to a similar to that proposed ant (in other words, the �ig­ before the limb can be moved. It is like for the calf muscles. frequency Then there is the ger the animal the lower the hoppmg trying to move an object by pulling on it question of the role of the tail. It has an with a rubber band. a rate). When we'observe a mob of k series of very large tendons running femaf :� Since the time of our experiments down roos on the horizon, often the its length and these too are likely larger mal other measurements have been made on to make some are up in front and the 1f contribution, as the tail e of thei� sm - hopping macropods, including implant­ swings up and down make up the rear. Becaus � during each hop. In er mass, the adopt a not:Icea 1Y ing strain gauges on the tendons and addition, it has been speculated females that the higher hopping frequency �rnn 1 measuring tendon forces using radio­ tail may help during the lift-off �J: telemetry in a free-ranging animal. The phase of males. Each animal adjusts its st:I a hop by acting like a cantilev r s it results all essentially confirm our find- er. These length at tl1e preferred f�quency_ a are fascinating speculations that ob surely strives to maintain its placeWltlun tl1e m 62 SPR ING !996 NATURE AUSTRALIA -- c d this discussi_on on �ave fo usse I . ngaroos-how 1t has oppmg in ka h o . ed as an energy-effic- om� rec gms was astonished bec o n. The a b'l'1 1 ty to I by the o powerful fotm O f l c motio correcting ient gy elastic storage pro_b­ reflexes er e ener by ) cons v roos to travel long d1_s­ that allowed the animal allows kanga to recover its posture ably ely low energy cost m each time tan�es at relativ rc new pastures or w�en its legs struck �their �ea h for an unexpected obstacle. on bushfires. One question j escapmg � e \ why if it is so efficient, �at ,r resort to didn �0 t�: /arge �ammals ( as their preferred form of loco­ obstacle. ) hoppmg Some stability is probably pro­ Baudin tte, . ? vided � Ry., 1994. Locomotion in macropodid motwn. by the rudder-like tail, which, as marsupials: gaits, energetics e t know the full answer, but one and heat balance. Aust. W don ' . . mentioned earlier, may also help during loo/. 42: 103-123. 1. may be that 1t 1s not a very s tabl e , factor · · the lift-off phase of each hop. Another rm locomotion, given t h a t I·t is Da f of factor relevant to the evolution of hop­ wson, T.J., 1977. Kangaroos. Sci. Amer. � d and the feet are kept close 78-89. 237: bip\ al ping may relate to how kangaroos, as e making it easier to throw the to� her marsupials, carry their young in a m 1 0'tt balance I have often seen Morgan, D.L., Proske, U. am a pouch. Perhaps the posture adopted dur­ & Warren, D., 1978. g kangaroos · stumbl e, espec1�· 11 y Measurements of muscle stiffness and the hoppin ing hopping enables kangaroos to trans­ of elastic storage mechanism when covering uneven ground. _Having of energy in hopping kangaroos. 1. port their joeys at speed. But these Physiol.282: 253-261 a I recen�ly watched with sad- are . said th t, probably not the only reasons for and fascinat10n a Red Kangaroo why ' ness . more large mammals don't Proske, U., 1980. Energy conservation e d the blmdness t�at has hop, and it by elastic stor­ afflict with remains for future studies age in kangaroos. Endeavour New recentlyspread among P?Pulations on to shed new Ser. 4(4): 148-153. light on this fascinating subject. • the western plains. The ammal �as �op­ in a wide circle, and runmn&' mto Uwe Proske is a Professor of Physiology at ping Monash University e and fallenlogs. I was astomshed in Melbourne. He has bush s Further Reading been working for by the powerful correcting re�exes that many years on the proper­ Alexander, R.McN., 1988. Elastic mechanisms in ani­ ties of muscle and muscle sense allowe d the animal to recover its posture mal organs, but movement. Cambridge University Press: a particular interest has been muscle­ each time its legs struck an unexpected Cambridge. tendon relations.

NATUR E AUSTRALIA 63 SPRING 1996

(formerly of the Australian Heritage VIEWS FROM THE FOURTH DIMENSION Commission in Canberra), for example suggests that a 40,000-year-old rock painting from Panaramitee, South Australia, represents the head of an Could the modern story of the extinct terrestrial crocodile (species of last mihirung provide a realistic Quinkana) in part because the drawing image of a bird 40,000 years is too far from water to encourage the after the last individual speared view that it represents a normal aquatic crocodile. Although the drawing does feet-first into the mud? not really suggest anything in common with the extraordinary deep-headed quinkanine crocodiles, it could be a bad rendering of such a beast. In certain cir ­ cumstances, such as the spectacular ice­ age galleries in European caves, reason­ EVOLUTION able drawings of now-extinct species cer ­ tainly have persisted for perhaps 25,000 years, although the descendants of the AFTER DEATH people who made those drawings have long since lost contact with the art and BY MICHAEL ARCHER its meaning. But could cultural memories of prehis­ toric creatures stored as stories, mind nearly three metres in height and 500 pictures passed by each generation of kilograms in weight, Dromornis stirtoni storyteller to the next, remain was close to if not the largest bird that unchanged for thousands of years? ever lived. Could the modern story of the last Because humans have been in mihirung provide a realistic image of a Australia for at least 50,000 years, they dromornithid bird 40,000 years after the probably overlapped with Genyornis last individual speared feet-first into the newtoni, GREAT BIRD'S DEATH SIRl/G- which is known from deposits mud? -r;fes sent jets of dust into the as young as 40,000 years (at Callabonna; In 1972, Peter Dwyer (University of air, signals1 for help that only brought younger dates claimed, such as about Queensland) was trapping small mam­ flies. Wandering across the mud-cracked 25-26,000 at 1.ancefield, Victoria, are mals around the Rofaifo village of Leu, in claypan in search of things to eat, its now in doubt). Hence it is tempting to the Eastern Highlands of Papua New heavy legs had burst through the treach­ accept the interpretation of some prehis­ Guinea. Throughout his ten months of erous surface into black, grasping mud torians, such as noted dromornithid catching and buying mammals, he dis· beneath. Every thrust of its powerful authority Patricia Rich (Monash cussed with the local hunters the range legs had only punched it in farther.And University), that concepts like mihirung of creatures he had accumulated, includ· there it had stayed, for two days, strug­ paringmal, which literally means 'giant ing several Grey-bellied Tree-mice gling and dehydrating in the heat of the emus' in the language of the Tjapwurong (Pogonomys sylvestris) sun. Metres away, shimmering in the that he kept live in people of western Victoria, actually refer a cage in his house. According to the heat, the bones of others whose legs had to memories Genyornis newtoni. similarly failed them lay in unseemly of living knowledgeable elder hunters, Peter had heaps. In the distance, a human hunter On this assumption, Rich has popu­ managed to catch all of the mammals watched fromthe shade of a wattle tree. larised the common name of dromor­ they were familiar with-except one, He had seen these giant birds before, nithids as 'mihirungs'. Could an oral tra­ which they called hiongo lufi, an animal but not for a long time. When he was a dition of this kind survive more or less that was once very common but had not boy and the land was drier, many had intact for 40,000 years? been seen for many years. Although nested each year on these flats, laying A few long-dead cultures that had writ­ they did not recognise the tree-mice he large and delicious eggs. Although only ten languages have left tales, some near­ kept in his house, they were certain th�t a bit taller than emus, they had massive ly 4,000 years old, of battles, beasts and these were not lufi. Curious about his hind legs, smaller inner toes and much heroes, but commonly with embellish­ failure to catch lufi,Peter asked themto thicker, almost parrot-like jaws. When ments or new interpretations added over describe the missing beast. It was, �ey he returned to his family, he would tell the years by well-meaning translators. wi_th this story of how the sucking mud had said, a very small burrowing mouse The epic battle known as the Trojan tiny squinty eyes and a black mark on its brought down this great bird-perhaps W:ar, althougha real event in perhaps the last they would ever see. the nose-striking features that would be mid 1200s BC, made it into the modern hard to had caught one. In 1893, more than 40,000 years later, world via overlook if he the poems of Homer but here Puzzled, he wandered back to his the bones, egg shells and even stomach too only as a blend of superheroes stones of giant birds were discovered by gods house where he had another hard look and miracles. ThatTroy was over;un by mice. Like staff members of the South Australian the Greeks at his live Grey-bellied Tree- is probably fact. But did lufi,they were creatures (although Museum in the fossil muds of Lake Achilles really fall because small Callabonna, South Australia. The bird an arrow hit not as tiny as the Rofaifo claimed tuft.to the spot (his Achilles heel of course) as tin was later named Genyornis newtoni. at his Goddess be), had small eyes (although not � � mother Aphrodite held or lufi to have) an Further studies revealed it to have been �1m by :"'hen she squinty as was said the last and smallest survivor of the dipped him in an they were very common, like tuft was 1�mortali� brew? The accuracy of this ed Dromornithidae, an ancient family of bit of said to have been before it disappear the historical story would seem to end d flightless, herbivorous birds known only be open to significant doubt. Slowly, as he contrasted the leg ili the his feet, e from Australia. Older kinds, such as There are also arguments creatures sitting at Dromornis stirtoni, from eight-million­ about penny dropped. They were lufi,but a whether or not rock paintings in some tt year-old deposits at Alcoota in the are'.1s of Austr�lia whose reality had departed from � d Northern Territory, were enormous. At depict giant extinct ever-im they a Ple1stocene ammals. Josephine proving legend Flood inspired. With the arrival of stores and 70 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING I I I I I Spend a fascinating I I holiday in the Snowy Mountains � Staying at beautiful: "QUEENS COTTAGE" KHANCOBAN NSW 2642 (Six twin and double rooms, ensuites, open fire place, stunning views, country-style hospitality and home cooked meals) Phone (060) 769511 Fax (060)769496 with ----� sp,ylf4tPtzJ. Li1111M

0 PHO TOGRAPHY Join the five-day course "Shadows on the Mountains". Work with renowned landscape photographer, Gordon Undy, and learn all the secrets of making memorable photographic images. 0 FLY FISHING Three and five day courses by Australia's acknowledged leaders in teaching and guiding fly fishers. Join local or overseas safaris - perhaps visit the Company's New Zealand base at Twizel in the South Island. 0 FOLK AR T Popular course of five days with Carol Swan. Learn from Carol's contemporary style - in been a Genyornis newtoni. Fossil remains of these company with beginners and advanced folk artists easily bought foods, there had from all over Australia. general decline in Rofaifo dependence birds have been found at Lake Callabonna, QUILTING a a area. No South Australia. 0 on the sm llest m mmals of the Exciting dimensions in threadcraft - a detailed longer constrained by regular encoun­ insight into design, colour selection and assembly ters with the actual creature, the legend of 'Chinese Whispers'. In terms of 'lost techniques with Kerry Gadd. lufi, • of a cultural story barely one gener­ lufi intervals' of perhaps 40 years, a 0 BIRDWATCHING ation old , had become so exaggerated in story-based account transmitted for this Come and enjoy our growing list of rare and the telling from one person to another long would probably have transformed unusual birds. Ramble across the western slopes that no-one recognised the source of the into something totally unrecognisable. of the Snowy ty1ountains exploring a range of different habitats and locations with Dick Cooper, legend even when its wriggling whiskers Perhaps it would be more reasonable Goordinator, NSW Bird Atlassers. were tickling their face. In a paper enti­ and respectful to allow stories told of (Nature 0 NATURAL HIS TORY tled 'The rediscovery of Lufi'' ancient creatures to stand as found, with­ Fascinating overview of the flora, fauna, ' Aust.* Autumn 1976, inter­ geology of the Snowy Mountains lufi Peter concluded out the need for another culture's geography and that had "... vanished at the fireside. pretation to give them scientific credibil­ with Julie Gold. The a lufi small mamm ls of the bush had ity. The lesson of is surely that cul­ 0 EXECUTIVE TRAINING COURSES AND a parted comp ny with those of the mind. tural stories no matter how soundly INTIMATE CONFERENCE RETREAT One by one and irrevocably they were based at the start, like language and life going extinct." itself, inevitably and marvellously evolve Write now for details, dates & prices Everyone who has played the party with time.• 0 PLEASE TICK ACTIVITY game 'Chinese Whispers' has discov­ THAT APPEALS TO YOU MOST e�ed the impossibility of having even a single Further Reading sentence survive retelling in a cir­ Aust. Nat. Hist. cle of ten people. Dwyer, P., 1976. The rediscovery of Lufi. ui Each listener interprets 18(9): 317-323. Q) what they hear, exaggerating the fea­ oi·;;; tures C:.;:::; that most impress them, forgetting Archaeology of the Dreamtime. Angus :.>: () ones Flood, J., 1995. 0 «l they do n't understand. The contin­ & Robertson: Sydney. 0 uously re�ol ..0 c d tale evolves into something -0 � (1) C: :, -0 unrecognisa van lets, G.F. (eds) 1985. K�dimakar:a· «l ble within ten minutes. Rich, P.V. & '. : () 0 Shou!d of Australia. Pioneer Design Studio. en - Q) we expect to find, in verbally extinct vertebrates z Q) 0 � E transr ,:5 a word picture of an Being black: Aboriginal cultures rn settled

'-W.-U"""O,-C.J ..,....� and interactions between haz­ thought-provoking summary. .._'-...... ,..._ _...... _,,,_.,...___ ards and effects. Then fol­ I recommend this publication ___ lows successive chapters dis­ to anyone with environmental cussing each of the 12 select­ interests. ed hazards. The first groups -Lin Sutherland Natural Hazards: cover hazards that can be Australian Museum Their Potential in assessed across the whole the Pacific region. Cyclone frequency Southwest and intensity maps clearly By R. W. Johnson, R.J. Blong and show northern Australia as a CJ. Ryan. Australian Geological hazardous area, but bring out Survey Organisation, Canberra, the high vulnerability of the 1995, 60pp. plus map. $35.00rrp. Philippines to cyclones (called typhoons there). An This is a welcome addition earthquake intensity map to the diverse' literature on illustrates the dramatic Aliya: Stories of environmental themes. increase in this hazard in the Elephants of Unlike the majority of envir­ countries fringing Australia, Sri Lanka onmental texts this booklet but also shows small pockets By Teresa Cannonand Peter does not deal with fauna, of earthquake hazards in flora, landscapes or undersea Australia. The volcanoes sec­ Davies. Airavata Press, Melbourne, scenes; rather, it presents tion shows that landslips can 1995, lBOpp. $60.00rrp. meteorological and geologi­ often result from other haz­ This superbly written and cal events that pose hazards ards such as volcanoes and illustrated book gives the in the South-west Pacific. It earthquakes and can even reader a detailed insight into discusses the impact the create further hazards such Photographing the natural and life history of environment has on humans, as tsunamis. The tsunami Australia's Birds the Sri Lankan Elephant rather than the other way section includes an eye-open­ By Peter Slater and Raoul Slater. (Elephas maximus maxim�s), around. The area covered is �r for Australians who live Steve Parish Publishing, Qld, 1995, a subspecies of Asian the south-western quadrant beside the sea as there is evi­ 160pp. $24.95rrp. of the Pacific region, extend­ dence for prehistoric Elephant (Elephas maximus). ing to the Indian Ocean west­ tsunamis that today would Its seven chapters take one Wow! This is the sort of through the significant rol� wards, South-East Asia north­ devastate a populated coast. book that makes me want to wards and Antarctica south­ The next group of hazards that elephants play in Sn leave my job, load up the Lankan mythology, religion, wards. Australia, New concentrates heavily on the truck with camera gear and Zealand and island arcs to the Australian region, where the culture and history. hit the road. But it is also Throughout the book, the north form the central part of most detailed information is more than just a beautiful and this region. The authors have available. Sections on severe authors have highlighted the compelling picture book that continual struggle between included a discussion on the thunderstorms, floods, is hard to put down until you uneven nature and limitation droughts and bush fires all an ever-ballooning human have savoured every page. I population, and the rapidly 72 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 windling wild elephant �op­ d u­ ulation.With humans con�n ally encroaching on shrmk­ Use the longest lens ing elephant habitat, conflict you can afford, espe­ with elephants is all too fre- cially if you don't quent. . want to spend days inch­ The book also descn'b es m simple terms �ome of t�e ing a hide closer to your subject. unique anatomical, phys10- logical and behavioural char­ acteristics of elephants, and covers the difference bet­ �0&"shown, and a description ween the African Elephant 1s g1vei:i of the frog'scall. The (µxodonta a[ricana) and the resu�t 1s a 1!eatly encapsulat­ Elephant. The authors ed piece of mformation Asian I sus­ ...... also point out the significant pect children will relish...... bet ween Lynne dilferences E. max­ . Tracey's illustra­ ORDER imus maximus and other tions enhance the informa­ Asian Elephants. A brief tion, . showing not only the insight is given into the life of frog itself but also the envir­ any OF a mahout (elephant driver) onment in which it lives and and the care of elephants in some of the other inhabitants captivity. The detailed and that share it. The introduc­ THESE fascinating anecdotes high­ tory chapter is weli written light how elephants have and easily understood. been exploited, persecuted, The book appears accurate titles revered and worshipped by throughout; in fact the only humans. problems I had were one or BY post Althoughmuch of the book two cases of potentially describes elephants in very Australian Frogs: ambiguous wording. We are ...,C·······································] anthropomorphic terms, the Amazing told, for example, that Litoria authorshave pointed out that Amphibians aurea means 'golden beach Profits from it is oftendifficult to describe By Jill Morrisand Lynne Tracey. frog'.This is true but, without the Australia11 these creatures in any other Greater Glider Productions, Qld, explanation, the unaware way, and to do so may belittle 1995, 48pp.$17.95rrp. reader might think that Museum Shop their magnificence. Litoria means 'golden' and help to fu11d One is continually remind­ This would be both an aurea means 'beach (frog)'. ed of the desperate need to excellent book for introduc­ Similarly, predators defined research by conserve elephants, and we ing children to the world of as "creatures living on oth­ the Museum's can only hope that a book frogsand a prized gift for one ers" is open to several inter­ such as this will increase our already initiated. The text by pretations. Scie11tists awareness Jill Morris is informative of their plight. The book runs to 48 pages ...... / Elephants are a flagship without being too detailed or including glossary and index. .... species and their demise can technical. It is also backed up It sells for an affordable only mean the demise of by a short poem (accompany­ $17.95 and is highly recom­ many others. ing the illustration) that mended. MUSEUM GIFT -Larry Vogelnest details some aspects of the -Martyn Robinson VOUCHERS IN Taronga Australian Museum Zoo life history of the particular DENOMINATIONS

OF $25 AND $50

OTHER NEW TITLES... ARE ALSO

The Taipan: the world's most dangerous snake AVAILABLE_ By Paul Masci/PhilipKendall. Kangaroo Press, NSW,1995. $19.95rrp. Native plants of the Ravensthorpe region ...... '[

By Gillian F. Craig. Ravensthorpe WildflowerShow, WA, 1995. $12.95rrp. Please post or fax orders to:

SHOP Mosses and liverworts of rainforest in Tasmania and south-eastern Australia MAIL ORDER By 5.1. Jarman and B.A. Fuhrer. CS/ROPublications, Vic., 1995. $24.95rrp. AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM II. A photographic guide to snakes & other reptiles of Australia 6 COLLEGE Sr By GerrySwan series: Mammals by Ronald Strahan SYDNEY . New Holland, NSW, 1995. $14.95rrp. Others in the NSW 2000 and Birds by Peter Rowland. Fax (02) 320I 6066 Wildlight: images of Australia . . Phone (02) 320 6150 By PhilipQuirk , Grenville Turner, Mark Lang and Peter Jarver. WilliamHe inemann Australia, Vic., 1995·

$45.00rrp. Payment �houtd be mnde in Australinn dollar,;by Vi�n. Bankcard. Banksias and Bilbies: seasons of Australia Mas1crcard, Americ:inE\'.prtss, or of Victoria, 1995. $15.95rrp. by personal shopping only. Po�tagc Gould League and packing (surface mail only): South Wales Up 1·0 S29.95 = SJ.50 Endangered fauna of western New = Sl.00 . i/h. S30 10 S49.95 00 plus$5 00 = S6.50 Edited by Danielle Ayel:5. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW, 1995. $50. rrp · P S50 10 S69.95 S70 10 $89.95 = S8.00 S9010 S109.95 = $9.00 NATURE SI 10 10 $150.00= S12.50 AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 IE Y PAGE and national, which exist to further t�e cause of the subject that you hold dear. there is a network of active societies, large and small, local _ , Get involved! Across Australia parks, bushwalking or a part,cular group of animals there s a socrety for you. Whether your special interest is conservation, birds, science, national so AUSTRALIAis pleased to help promote the following societies: NATURE

Ph: (02) 320 6225; CONSERVATION Membership Fee: $12.00 BIRDS (single); $20 (family/group) F: (02) 320 6051 ABSA Australian Bird Study Australian Trust for Contact: Carole Bibby, Conservation Vo lunteers Assoc. Inc. Dinosaur Club (Qld) Exec. Officer PO Box 423, Ballarat, Vic. 3353. PO Box A313, Sth Sydney, Qld Museum Assoc., PO Box Ph: (008) 032 501 NSW 2000. Ph: (02) 231 8166 3300, Sth Brisbane, Qld 4101. •••••• Contact: Colin Jackson, Membership fee: $50.00 (single); Contact: Alan Leishman, Ph: (07) 3840 7555 or 3840 7641 Director $65.00 (family/joint) Secretary Contact: Donna Miles •••• • •••• The Waterhouse Club Membership Fee: $35.00 MembershipFee: $25.00 •• MembershipFees: $12.00; SA Museum, North Terrace ' (senior/junior); $20.00 (grouP); Adelaide, SA 5000. Friends of the Platypus Avicultural Society of SA Inc. plus $5. 00 ( overseas) Ph: (08) 2077 389 cl-Australian Platypus PO Box 3234, Rundle Mall, Contact: Mary Lou Simpson, Conservancy, PO Box 84, Adelaide, SA 5000. Exec. Coordinator Ph: (08) 264 3295 Whittlesea, Vic. 3757. Dinosaur Club (Vic.) Contact: Neroll & Bill Price, Ph: (03) 9716 1626 Earth Sciences Dept, Monash •••••••• Contact Officers Contact: Geoff Williams, University, Clayton, Vic. 3168. Membership fee: $50.00 (single); President Ph: (03) 9905 1370 $70.00 (family) •••••• Contact: Jennifer Monaghan MembershipFee: $33.00 ••••••• MembershipFees: $30.00 •••• NATURAL HISTORY Membership Fee: $12.00 (sin- Cumberland Bird Observers (single); $45.00 (family); $20.00 Field Naturalists Club of Vic. Club Inc. (full-time student) gle); $20.00 (group) 1 Gardenia St, Blackburn, PO Box 550, Baulkham Hills, Vic. 3130. NSW 2153. Ph: (02) 264 7703 National Parks Foundation EDUCATION Contact: GeoffreyPaterson, (w); 872 4185 (h) of SA Inc. CSIRO's Double Helix Secretary Contact: Frances Czwalinna, GPO Box 759, Adelaide, SA Science Club Hon. Secretary 5001. Ph: (08) 231 0016 ••••• PO Box 225, Dickson, ACT Membership Fee: $45.00 (single) ••••• Contact: Helen Jaensch, 2602. Ph: (06) 276 6643 Membership Fee: $15.00 Secretary of Council Contact: Lynn Pulford, •••• Membership Secretary REPTILES Victorian Herpetological NSW Field Ornithologists MembershipFee: donation (tax • Society Inc. Club deductible) Membership fee: $26.00 16 Suspension St, Ardeer, Vic. PO Box Q277, QVB Post Office, 3022. Ph: (03) 9363 6841 (pm); NSW 2000. Ph: (02) 807 6828 Orangutan Fund Australia SA Science Teachers Assoc. F: (03) 9360 5704 Contact: Sheila Witt, PO Box 447, St Leonards, Inc. Contact: Brian Barnett, Hon. Secretary NSW 2065. Ph: (02) 489 6341 SASTA Office,c/- Plympton President ••••• Contact: Jenny Katauskas ' High School, Errington Street, MembershipFee: $35.00 Secretary Plympton, SA 5038. ••• •••••• Ph: (08) 293 2733 Membership Fees: $25.00-$38.00 Victorian Ornithological MembershipFee: $25.00 Contact: Judy Morton, Office Research Group SCIENTIFIC •• RESEARCH PO Box 1000, Blind Bight, Vic. Victorian National Parks Membership Fees: $70.00 3980. Ph: (059) 987 996 Association Inc. (secondary); $59.00 (Primary); ANZSES, Australian & New Contact: Arnis Dzedins, 10 Parliament Place, $99.00 (schools/inst.) Zealand Scientific Secretary Melbourne, Vic. 3002. Exploration SocietyInc . Ph: (03) 9650 8296; MUSEUM PO Box 174, Albert Park, ••••• F: (03) 9654 6843 Vic. 3206. Ph: (03) 9866 8699 Membership Fees: $15.00 (sin- Friends of Contact: Doug Humann the Qld Museum Contact: Colleen Lazenby, gle); $20.00 (family) ' PO Box Director 3300, Sth Brisbane Executive Director Qld 4101. Ph: (07) 3840 7641 Are you a •••••••• Contact: Sandra Mann ••• Membership Fee: $36.00 Exec. Officer Membership Fees: $30.00; Club Secretary? $50.00 (with Nature Australia) NATURE AUSTRAL/A'sAssociate EARTH SCIENCES •••••• Membership Fees: $25.00 Dinosaur Club (NSW) (sin Society Scheme is designed to gle); $30.00 (family); $20.00 • Newsletter/Journal,• Monthly meeting, Australian Museum, 6 College (student/cou ntry) help your club or society with Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. • Bi-monthly meeting, Annual meeting/ Quarterly free publicity, funds and member Ph: (02) 320 6236 conference, • Weekly meeting, • Contact: Jenny Nancarrow TAMS, The Australian meeting, • Field outings/Tours,• Conservation/ Nature benefits. Contact Margery Phair Museum Society Working programs,• Discounted Goods, Australiafor more details. Australian Museum, 6 College • Magazine, • Social/Education Activities, • Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. • Nature Australiamagazine, • Seminars 74 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 Is your Focus on Nature In Africa or India?

... call us! Your Wildlife Travel Specialist

• Personalised Itineraries - Realise your dream safari • Our unique small group tours to Africa and India "'.., ..,= • Wildlife photography = courses offered free = to all clients �� NATURA� FOCUS SAFARiS 10/191 Clarence St Sqdneu Phone 02 92901666

LEAVE YOUR JUNGLE AND EXPERIENCE OURS. The concrete jungle will As one of only 50 guests disappear amongst the you'll enjoy uncrowded 45,000 hectares of troJ)ical facilities, privacy rainforests, mountains, and intimacy. gorges, valleys, waterfalls Splendid isolation in and sandy beaches of the comfort and style and a world's largest island standard of service that's national park and simply incomparible. Queensland's most unique resort. If you want to stay king of your jungle, spend a little Share a pleasant cabin or a time swinging through beautiful treehouse, and our trees. enjoy our meals which are an epicure's delight. �:J������,:.��:1hir �}.� ;--·� ,"'•··· ·��;��.,.. · ···· -- . ::, .::;.::.:. . ,., · ? Bookings and enquiries !; or (070) 668 585 \( . .-/:.:.·:�vt'·?',�:·'.:--: · .·· . ' : . . . . 008 777 021, � ,-:.;.;,: J"ft""� Mi-- -¼.---"'1+-?L-...... "'-��..._.x.._.K4...... _..>�..u.r-J6�4"v ------..... --...... x_r_r_v_r_.-v...... :L,£..F __ -- -- I want to invest with confidence in over 70 different ethical investments! • Feed the wild You can invest you r savings and dolphins nightly superannuation in: • Do a photo • Saving Habitat and Rare Species study of pelicans, • Low Energy Technologies cormorants and • Clean Water kookaburras • Affordable Housing • Moreton Island • Recycling National Park for and earn a competitive financial return from great bush walks investing in the Australian Ethical Trusts: "DOLPHINS IN PARADISE" • conveniently • with confidence 2 night minimum • for a competitive return stay packages ex • with as little as $1,000 Brisbane include • monthly savings plan option return launch travel, 'Continental' �. For fulldetails, make afree call to breakfast and 1 800 021 227. accommodation. Tiu• Australitm Ethical Trusts arr managed by Australian Ethical l11vcstmc11t Ltd, ACN 003 188 930, which was 5 nights/6 days established in 1986 to pool investor savings to create a more from $324 ;izir a11d sustaiuablc society. /11vcstmc11t ca11 only be made on thc application form bou11d into the lodged and registered valid to 31st Mar 97 prospectus dated 25th October, 1994, available from:

Australian Ethical Investment Ltd CONDITIONS APPLY Suite 66, Canberra Business Centre Bradfield Street, Downer ACT 2602 PHONE RESERVATIONS for investors, society & ENQUIRIES ON and the environment (07) 3268 6333 TOLL FREE 1800 812 512

Quality Ecotours exploring National Parks and Wilderness areas.

4WD tours featuring easy interpretive walks and a choice of accommodation or camping.

Wilderness Bushwalks for the serious adventurer with a desire to experience the ultimate challenges of trekking in remote Alpine Wilderness.

With expert local guides, small groups minimise impact on the environment and maximise your opportunities to experience the solitude, rugged beauty and qiverse flora and fauna.

On selected departures, join naturalists and participate in Wildlife Study Programs.

For your free brochure write: Gippsland High Country Tours P.O. Box 69, Bruthen, Vic, 3885. Phone: (051) 57 5556

(Accredited Member of Victorian Tourism Operators Association)

ts re Australia when replying to advertisemen 1 Flinders Island -centrepiece to r ----rrrt j(P-...-:J:' an unspoilt archipelago of 63 (u · t beautiful and diverse islands in ' J Tasmania's eastern Bass Strait: just cr2�r[JOrJs over an hour's flying time from Melbourne. Flinders Island boasts an

abundance of deserted beaches.

wildlife. mountain ranges. rich island

produce and sumptuous seafood.

Enjoy Flinders Island Lodge - where

you can savour Tasmanian wines.

indulge in fine food. book a hire car or

a fishing trip. Packages start from

$399. including airfares. hire car.

accommodation and breakfast.

Call now for our colour brochure.

Flinders Island

Environmental Wildlife Tours Far North Queensland 1 Special places

Travelwith expert leaders Currentwho share program your interest includes in the natural world. Of Course Not! Alaska & the Yukon (Sept. '96! W.A. wildflowers (Sept. '96! Kangaroo Island, S.A. (Oct. '96! Because it's traveling aboard . Macquarie Island (Nov. '96! incognito,rOIBOT, cleverly disguised as two FliMers Island, Bass strait (Nov. 96') piecessteady of luggage. The amazing Victorian gard from 2 bags to a rock i ensin (Nov.1997 96') Antacomrcticnga upuan/ Feb '97) 272kg capacity touring I kayak in less thanANYWHERE 20 min. Proof Fra you can take it with nce· Brittany & the Dordogne positive that U.K.· Wales & Essex you ...... Northinern Canada/Russia ew Zealand· If your paddling pleasure is limited l � North Island akadu the Green by where you can take your boat - Whal season or e watching in the Bight you've got the wrong boat! Call N.s.w. 90ldfields towns write to learn more about this Warrumbungles remarkable craft. For iThe Pilbara d;Lord� /� Ph/Fax: (064) 567 027 :loHo::8we Isla�:nd�nwen Fax Freecall: 1 800 635 Satisfaction321 I03J 9670 6185 Guaranteed! over 250,000 sold since O 1933 tl hasbB ronz Discovery Tours een set up t co eaucationat to ntinue the bv the C un�r,sio; erty conducted BoRO �3RD FLOOR ro,noT of Nature Australia NZ Ult Education Discounts available to readers m��TOovrnvl i�L�gG��? Wait-A-While Environmental Tours URS VIC 3000 AUSTRALIA Ph(070) 33-1153 Fax(070) 313783 I Box 6647, Cairns 4870 P.O. Box 671 P.O. e JINDABYNE N.S.W. "Se ll'len 2627 tion N at to advertisements Pi ,. ure Australia when replying is suff �ring in some way. In fact, 1t 1s a voluntary action, a type of comfort behaviour known as 'sunning', or more specifically, 'sun-exposure'. Q This behaviour has been observed in many species. It usually takes place in an & exposed location, at the hottest time of the day, with :.! the sun high in the sky. A � number of possible functions i has been suggested, almost � A all to do with some form of � feather maintenance. Most of � Flying Frenzy these are still speculative, but � I have noticed how some there is observational evi- i Q .• insects are attracted to dence from some vultures � lights in such numbers that they that this exposure helps � seem to form a solid ball, and by Flying termite nymphs leave an existing colony during the rainy season restore the original shape of morning discarded wings can be in the Tanami Desert , Northern Territory. wing and tail feathers banked up centimetres deep deformed during flight. against walls. I understand that ant in the adult stage: colour Strange Bird Another possibility that has what we are witnessing is the and form of the antennae. Behaviour been raised is that the light movement of the winged phase of Termites are white or off­ In my garden recently I and heat increases the flow of the (usually wingless) termite. white and have straight, bead­ Q •. noticed a magpie preen oil, used in maintaining Are all 'flying ants' termites? like antennae, whereas ants exhibiting some very strange the condition of the feathers, -Lana Little range from pale orange ·to behaviour. It was lying on its or it could increase the activi- Chillagoe, Qld dark brown or black and have chest, wings and tail fanned out ty of ectoparasites so that antennae elbowed at right and with the side of its face up theyleave areas that are inac­ . Termites are often angles in the middle. against the wall of my house. It cessible to beaks and feetand A• mistakenly referred to Although thousands of flying did not seem distressed in any thus are more likely to be as 'white ants' or 'flying ants', termites may congregate way. Could you please explain removed during preening. but in fact termites are not around your light source at why this bird might have been Sun-exposure might also aid related to ants at all. The ter­ night, giving the impression doing this? vitamin synthesis or have mites you are witnessing are of being in plague propor­ -H.W. Kinnersly some other benefits to the the virgin, flying adult males tions, most will die of dehy­ Lindfield, NSW skin. and females. Theyare leaving dration and possibly only one Sunning birds adopt a vari­ an existing colony to mate pair will go on to reproduce . This odd behaviour ety of postures, ranging from and start new colonies. There and start a new colony. A• catches the attention are two obvious features that -Max Mo ulds of many people, who often An Australian Magpie takes in distinguish a termite from an Australian Museum express concern that the bird the sun.

\ /

78 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING 1996 p

much like your Australian the side of your house, pre­ the wings and feather-fluffing to allow . mp1e po se with Magpie. In some instances, a sumably to increase the expo­ am e fu�he� heat to escape from the body. e a d ili t? more bird may lean to one side, sure. A related behaviour is sun­ � �p, tltrough wh1 h with the uppermost wing lift­ While performing these basking. This appears to ��1f ate ones, in elabor � e :11 ed vertically. Sometimes the actions, the bird may suffer serve a thermoregulatory extended, t i w•mg s are bird positions itself next to a some heat stress, which it function. It permits a bird to the feathers of sprea d, and reflecting surface, such as combats by gaping, panting maintain a high body temper­ and nee k rais· ed ' the head ature, while reducing the bird's own metabolic require­ ments. Sun-basking is charac­ R i PIC TEASE teristically seen during cold weather. gnise } Do you reco -Walter E. Boles · Australian Museum this? If you think you t it is, then r know wha Answers to Quiz in Nature 1 ! send your answer to St rips (page 20) 'f Pie Teaser, Nature 1. Little or Fairy Penguin I Australia Magazine. 1 2. Types of fungi 3. Please don't forget False 4. The lost world to include your name 5. Tasmania and address. The 6. A New Zealand parrot first correct entry 7. The asteroid belt 8. Penicillin will win a $20 gift voucher for the Museum Shop Book Catalogue. Winter's Pie 9. TorresStrait Teaser was a leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius swaini) from Queensland. 10. Giant Squid

Findy ourselfin the Wiklerness

r Call forDetails on iscove the mystique of the mountains, the • Tree Weekend r Week p ehistoric grandeur of the ancient Antarctic • Bird Week • Mammal Week • Frog beech forest, the serenity of the free-flowing streaD ms and waterfalls and the unique birdlife. ep out r � into the p istine rainforestof Lamington at1onal r Pa k and find yourself face to face with nature. �dr Q'§!!:!f!�. Qld, 4275, Australia Ph: 07 5544 0644 Fax: 07 5544 0638

NA TURE AUSTR ALIA SPRING 1996 79 • people. Reconciliation is about making ::�ff amends for this. T H E L A S T Wi.!.,�fN' D '. ,d;j,..,,,f -\ This raises the question of what com­ mon names native rodents should be list of hundreds of 'rat', he given. A alternative On hearing the name � Aboriginal names from around the coun­ crowd, previously empathetic, try for all species of native rodents has would reel back in disgust. now been published. From this list, my colleagues and I came up with a set of recommended names that originate from near the centre of the geographic range for each species. Theyalso te nded to be shorter and easier to pronounce REVENUE & than some of the alternatives. The RATS, Kimberley name Garrawal, for example, was chosen for the Golden-backed Tree­ RECONCILIATION rat (Mesembryiomys macrurus); Rakali, which comes from the Murray River BY RICHARD BRAITHWAITE area of South Australia, was selected out of a total of 54 for the Water-rat (Hydromys chrysogaster); Yirrkoo, from the Kakadu region, was chosen for the , False Water-rat (Xeromys myoides); and

FI'EN WHEN l WAS WORK­ ing in the lyrebird enclosure at the Healesville Fauna Park near Melbourne, clearing my traps and releasing numbers of the Swamp Rat (Rattus lutreolus), a crowd of curious vis­ itors would slowly accumulate. When the interest level had reached a certain point, I would break off from my task and explain to the people what I was doing, at the same time allowing the chil­ dren to stroke the animal's attractive brown fur. Inevitably at the end of the The unfairly named Swamp Rat. performance one of the crowd would ask the name of the species. But on hearing not feel good about this component of Mayaroo for the Long-haired Rat (Rattus the name 'rat', the crowd, previously their native fauna, but it inadvertently villosissimus). In a few cases where no empathetic, would reel back in disgust. I contributes to their extinction. While I name was clearly associated with a explored this reaction many dozens of was on the Scientific Advisory species, a more general name was times. Had I given the animal a more Committee of the World Wide Fund for applied. The Arnhem Land Pebble­ attractive name, such as the Aboriginal Nature (Australia), approved projects on mound Mouse (Pseudomys calabyt\ fo_r word Koota, the crowd's reaction would rodents were unable to attract funding. example, was given the name P1�t1, no doubt have been different. Thefu nd-raisers found that potential cor­ which is a J awoyn name for small mice The Australian native rodents have porate sponsors were unwilling to have fromthe south of Kakadu National.Park, had a raw deal. They have received little their names associated with names like where this rodent is virtually restnct�d. study in comparison with the glamorous False Water-rat and Big-eared Hopping­ By adopting more attractive marsupials and have fared particularly mouse. So funding did not eventuate and Aboriginal names for our fauna, we badly since settlement, with 12 per cent projects were not carried for out. Other would be doing something not. only now extinct and a further 20 per cent groups, like bats and insects, have suf­ conservation, but for commumty co�e­ classed as critically endangered, endan­ fered similarly. arttc· sion as well. We would also be P. gered or vulnerable. But it is not just about fund-raising. It of developing a The professional marketers tell us of is ipating in the process also about reconciliation. When more cultural iden�ty, one the importance of names for the associa­ Europeans arrived appropriate on this continent more in harmony with the continent we tions they draw. If you want people to they introduced the mainstays of g to make feel good about a product, they need to European imperialism live on. We would be helpin (sheep cattle Australia a better place. • feel good about the name. A perfume pigs, wheat etc.)at the expense 'we no� manufacturer does not saddle a perfume realise, of soil erosion, salinis;tion and Further Reading with a name like "Dog's Breath". But species extinctions. We were insensitive this is, in fact, what we have done with to what Braithwaite, R.W., Morton, S.R., Burbidge, A.A..� was here. We failed to recognise Au I much of our fauna. We have followed the how Aboriginal people Calaby, J.H., 1995. Australian names f�r 5 ;��. had, for thou­ ation Ag y. 19th-century tradition of ignorant new­ sands of years, successfully rodents. Australian Nature Conserv adapted Canberra. comers to Australia. With the 61 native themselves to the continent. We arro­ rodents, we used the words 'rat' and gantly assu e� we knew o � best, refusing Dr Richard Braithwaite. is .a S�#o 'mouse' as the noun f r their common to �ee th� validity f their knowledge. wi.th names. It is not just that Australians do domg ? By Principal Research Scientist C win this, we reJected their worth as Division of Wildlife and Ecologyin Dar

80 1996 NATURE AUSTRALIA SPR ING K IS��,U ES AND SU PPL E MENTS B A C --i�:

23/6 23/7 23/9 23/11 24/1 24/2 f,

24/4 24/5 24/6 24/7 24/8 24/9

24/10 24/11 24/12 25/1 25/2 25/3

SPECIAL 25/4 25/5 0 F F E R

SU PPLEMENTS Li br ary box holds 12 issu es of the magazi ne. Fi nishe d in durable, dark gr een PVC. It will ensure your copies remain in mint conditi on. Pie S2 ces of Paradise Tracks through Time T o u s e t h e f o r ,n opposite