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have on other species? Four years clown the track, the dust has now settled. The virus has remained within uslralian White Ibises the Rabbit population and there appear have become a common sight in most to be major benefits comingto light. In of our urban parklands. These large, fact, one such benefit occurred on au dacious and often grubby-looking Cabbage Tree island where, using a � birds are masters of opportunity and combination of traps, myxo, poison � , would think nothing of pinching a and RCD, land managers were able to i sandwich from your hand. But you've achieve what was once thought � aot to admire them. They are the only impossible-removal of all the Rabbits � large wading bird that has managed to from the island. David Priclclel and � p to city life and therefore survive, Nicholas Carlile tell how Australia's ffi ada t The Waldrapp (Geronticus eremita). perhaps even thrive, at a time when its rarest endemic seabircl, Gould's Petrel, normal habitat of forests and woodlands are being destroyed. was brought back from the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, the situation of ibises overseas is not as secure The Green and Golden Bell Frog is a spectacular frog. Its and many of these unusual and spectacular birds are fighting good looks, however, did not stop it from being collected by fors urvival. So sit back and read about these wonderful birds the bucket load and used for dissection by university that were once revered and worshipped by the Egyptians. students. Those clays may be over but the Green and Golden Why do we look so different from Chimpanzees when we Bell Frog is still doing it tough, being considered endangered share 99 per cent of their genes? Just how much do humans in New South Wales and vulnerable nationally. The Australian and the king of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, have in Museum's Graham Pyke explains his part in attempting to common? Are we the Peter Pan of the ape world or do we turn the tide for this popular frog. display Godzilla-like features too? Ken McNamara answers In our regular features we have banclicoots with attitude, these questions and more as he takes us into the worlds of the saving of Mellblom's Spicier-orchid, rampant paperbarks, growth, development and evolution. exploding fossils out of rocks, a moth-infested Photoart and a In "Rabbit Arrest: Life After Death?", Brian Cooke larger-than-life poster of a Green and Golden Bell Frog. And describes the hair-raising discovery of the escape of Rabbit finally, we are pleased to announce that Michael Archer, who Calicivirus Disease (RCD) from Wardang Island, South you will be familiar with as the author of our regular column Australia. At the time it was big news and many people were Views From the Fourth Dimension, has become the new understandably concerned-could the virus jump species, Director of the Australian Museum. and what long-term effects would a sudden loss of Rabbits -Jennifer Saunders
Sorry. We don't have any of the things you may be used to. But we do have clean air, fine food and enchanting scenery. Talk to your NO TRAFFIC JAMS, travel agent about a visit to Freycinet Lodge, and immerse yourself in the beauty of Tasmania's most stunning coastal wilderness area. POLITICIANS ' CROWDS, You can bring your stress if you like, but you can't take it home with you. Please send me a complimentary copy of your brochure. r, Name ...... Address .... . Ph (...... ) ...... But we still call it home. �-,.....,-- Send this coupon to: PO Box 225 Kings Meadows TAS 7249 Ph (03) 6257 0 IOI Fax (03) 6257 0278 Freycinet Lodge ..f ' AC TTV lTl ES fR[YCIN[T NATION1\L l'AR"-•('OL(S U1\Y C A AL WOR L D OF NATU R
NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 Articles
Nature1999 VOLUME 26 NUMBE�, 4 AUTUMN rust Published by the Australian Museum I 6 College Street, Sydney, vV 2000. Phone: (02) 9320 6000 Fax: (02) 9320 6073 Web: http://www.austmus.gov.au Trust President: Malcolm Long Museum Director: Michael Archer MANAGI G EDITOR Jennifer Saunders, B.Sc. email: [email protected] SCIE TIFIC EDITOR Georgina Hickey, B.Sc. email: [email protected] PHOTO & EDITORIAL RESEARCHER Kate Lowe PETER PAN email: [email protected] MEETS GODZILLA DESIG AND PRODUCTIO We humans share nothing in Watch This! Design common with dinosaurs-or PR! TI G do we? Excel Printing BY KEN McNAMARA ADVERTISI G 22 Robbie Muller Phone: (02) 9320 6119 email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Robbie Muller Phone: (02) 9320 6119 Toll-free (1800) 028 558 Fax: (02) 9320 6073 email: [email protected] POSSUMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Annual subscription (4 issues) Ask any superstar and they'll Within Australia $A33 Other countries $A45 tell you it can be stressfulunder Two-year subscription (8 issues) the spotlight. So how do our Within Australia $A63 Other countries $A83 possums cope with it? Three-year subscription (12 issues) Within Australia $A89 Other countries $Al16 BY ROBYN WILSON New subscriptions can be made by credit card on the NATURE 34 AUSTRALIA toll-free hotline (1800) 028 558 or use the form in lhis magazine. If il has been removed, send cheque. money order or credit card autholisation THE DIRT ON IBIS RABBIT ARREST: to the address above. made To many of us, they are just payable to the 'Australian Museum' in Australian currency LIFE ARER DEATH? . large, grubby white birds that All material appearing ill NATURE AUSTRALIA is copyright. In 1995 the scientific Reproduction in part or whole is not permitted without written smell and snatch food from community gasped at the authorisation from the Edito, NATURE AUSTIW,JAwelcomes unsuspecting hands. To the premature escape of Rabbit articles on the natural and cultural heritage of the Australian Egyptians they represented the Calicivirus Disease onto the Region. Opinions expressed by the aulhors are lheir own and do god of writing and wisdom. The Can we not Australian mainland. necessarily represent the policies or views of the AusLra\ian Museum. truth is that ibises are quite now allow ourselves to breathe NATURE AUSTRALIA is printed on archival quality fits paper suitable for library colleclions. remarkable birds and worth a sigh of relief? Are the bene Published 1999 ISSN-1324--2598 getting to know. beginning to outweigh the costs? BY KIM W. LOWE BY BRIAN COOKE � NATURE AUSTRALIA (as ANH) ' s pr ud inne 26 � : ? :,v ,r of the 1987, '88, '89, 42 90, 91, 92 & 93 Wl11tley Awards for Best Periodical, and the 1988 & '90 Australian Heritage Awards. Front Cover A Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) surveys its territory. These are relatively large tree frogs that prefer to spend most of their time close to the ground or in water rather than up trees. Photo by Pavel German. 2 W I L D TH INGS NATURE STRIPS SUPERIOR CREATIONS? Easter lslan� Roch Gardens; jet Overseas, Australian Lag Only Stun Deep; ShifJfJY the /Ja/)erbarlis are cons Baby Din_osaur; Cool Parents; idered Embalming the highly invasive weeds-almost Very Ancient; unsto/J/Jable. Bach Hot Worms on Record; Cetacean home Battle Scars; they'.re the fastest-disa/)/>earing Neanderthals' Bone Flute?; A Sight/or habitat in south-eastern _ UV Eyes; Queensland. Muclskippers: BYO Air; A Storm in the Platypus Brain; Musical BYTIM LOW Sands; Baboons Fake ft; Quick 20 Quiz. 6
GREEN AND GOLDEN BELL FROG Au acclaimed swimmer and high-jumper that loves to basil iu the s1111, this green and ao/deu beauty also spends t11ne �11 the golf course and has a perso11al i11terest in the Sydney Olympics. Perhaps we should be taking more care of this true-blue Australian. BY GRAHAMH. PYKE 50 P H O T O A R T REVIEWS RECLAIMING A MOTHS Gem Minerals of Victoria; PETREL'S PARADISE A feast of mothy beauties to Reptiles & Frogs of the It's a dream come true-giving gladden any eye. Australian Capital Territory; au island paradise bacll to an This Tired Brown Land; A e11da11gered seabird. BY PAUL ZBOROWSKI Long Walk in the Australian 64 Bush; Dinosaurs of Australia BY DAVID PRJDDEL & and New Zealand and Other NICHOLAS CARLILE VIEWS FROMTHE FOURT DIH MENSION Animals of the Mesozoic Era. " 60 72 TIPPING AN AIR HEAD Regular Features OUT OF A STONE BED SOCIETY PAGE RARE & ENDANGERED With a roll of explosives, a Interested in nature but not slab of enthusiasm and a sure what to do or where to go? THE BACKYARD NATURALIST MELLBLOM'S smidgen of luck, Michael Nature Australia's Society Page SPIDER-ORCHID Archer and crew can pull a is a great place to start. i COOTS IN THE QUICK A Recovery Plan for Mellblom's zygomaturine out of a rock. LANE Spider-orchid has saved this The treasures of Riversleigh 74 High-speed reproduction and a tiny gem and taught researchers just keep on coming. mean disposition THE GUIDE help Northern valuable lessons on how to BY MICHAEL ARCHER Nat1.1re Ausb·alia's market Brown Bandicoots survive life manage other endangered m place. the big smoke. species. 70 BY ST 75 EVE VAN DYCK BY GEOFF W. CARR THE LAS T WO DR 16 18 NATURE MANAGEMENT: HOW NATURAL IS IT? Environmental management practices may appear to restore I things bacl, to health, but often I it's only shin deep. BY ALLEN GREER [I' 80
Q&A LETTERS Water Down the Gurgler; Common or Garden Snail; Mystery Poo; Green Spiders; Creation vs Evolution; Complex Herbivorous Carnivore; Pie Eyes; Armchair Explorer. Teasei: 4 78 N 3 ATUREAUST RALIAAUTU MN1999 vi ws of a peer. � I refer t Michael Archer's artic 0 (Nature Aust le LETT RS Koalas . Su�� mer The forum for readers to 1997-98). Surely a man' reli�ious beliefs are his air their views about their bus111es ow� s, and will certain! concerns, past articles and not be alt�r�cl by rudeness. Y Auslrah 1s interesting personal events. . � not a religious cl1ctalorsh1p. It �a� room for all shacl �s o_f religious be lief, b�lh faith_ 111 . evolution and fa1_th 111_ Creation and every lh111g 111 _bet�een. Evolution is an unsc1entrfic dogma, which Common or With a tickle and slow your garden! c�n never be proved. Cre Garden Snail slimy slop-slap. -Len Green ation also cannot be proved Wl1en a snail gets a gleam Rose Bay, NSW The account of Creation i� in it eye, Now they go their the Bible is not a scientific It is not for itself il is lugubriou way, Creation vs document. It tells what hap yearnino·. Thus lo lay up to fifty eggs Evolution pened and who ordered it man), I have read several issues but does not even attempt Though hermaphrodite, (both, Creation ex Nihilo t� ome other guy Mothered-fathered with of (Aust tell us how it came about. The fore and encl play, ralian anti-evolutionist maga theory of evolution is a Is the lover to whom it is Nature Aust series turning. After so slowly plighting zine) and one of of speculations about the their troth plan. ralia (anti-creationist). I how. They resolve that they see believe the editors of both Most people are brought eye to eye, Wlly hermaphrodite, you magazines should take a up with some sort of faith Wl1en swept on in a lather may well rant, stand against allowing and a they study and read of lu ting, Wlly not hismaphroclite as author to waste the readers' and further educate them As their tentacles feel up, an option? time and their own energy selves, they will either reject whereby Well, the thundering criticising authors of the or be confirmed in the faith They nose out that the feminist cant opposite camp. The criticism they were taught when game's worth the Won't allow this newspeak is emotional and childish. I young. It is a matter of one's thrusting. for adoption. did not expect to find a pro own choice, in a free nation. fessor of biology and geology You have so much to share First a pre-copulatory Still, unmindful of these in a prestigious university of your knowledge of the prick. sordid facts, indulging in insults and creatures native to Australia; Nickers off and removing Sexy snails, without one name-calling to prove a point. please don't allow your con the jock-strap, beg your pardon, It proves nothing except that tributors to indulge in specu Then a three-hour-long Do unspeakable erotic acts the professor lacks the matu lation and sniping at fellow lingering slick, In the secret confines of rity to tolerate the opposing researchers. The photos are
A couple of Brown Garden Snails (Helix aspersa) doing what comes naturally.
4 J 999 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUM N p
The complex eye of a cuttlefish (Sepia apama).
beautiful. Please ensure the (did he vote for Hanson?). I tion to that of vertebrates. It come in handy. I have a part text is of similar quality. concluded by stating that the has eyelids, a cornea, an iris, a time position with the city's -Judith Petterson 'science' of evolution is non single lens and a retina. The Community Services (Rec Waikanae, New Zealand existent, just like the missing retina has fewer photorecep reation) Department Inter link they are going to find ... tors than a vertebrate eye, so pretive Outreach Program, Congratulations for show one day. shape detection is poorer but which delivers classroomand ing courage by printing those -Adam Hughes still much better than in most field programs in natural and letters of complaint about other vertebrates. In all impor cultural history. When lamin Michael Archer's so-called Complex Eyes tant respects it is a vertebrate ated, the posters are very 'scientific' reporting tech I would like to take issue style eye, although evolved, as attractive visual aids or back nique (Nature Aust. Spring with John Brackenbury in his your reader correctly states, drops for display items. 1998).I was wondering when article "Insect Vision" totally independently. The I've also enjoyed the bush so meone was going to stand (Nature Aust. Winter 1997). essential difference remains: foods articles, as one of my up to him. I'm sure many of He states that "Throughout an insect-style eye has many many interests is ethno your readers feel it is long evolution, only two kinds of lenses, each ultimately forming botany. Ausb-alia is a fascinat due. 'smart' eyes have ever been a single 'pixel' of the image ing land, and I hope to visit I am a student in the sci invented. One is the verte mosaic; a vertebrate-style again. But in the meantime, ences, and recently received brate eye ... the other is the (including cephalopod) eye I'll be an armchair explorer, a Distinction for a detailed compound eye of insects and has a single lens refracting a thanks to your wonderful essay titled 'The Desperation crustaceans ...". What about complex whole-field image magazine. of Evolution". I couldn't resist cephalopods? I am under the onto the retina. -Susan Williams but refer to his almost famous impression (although I have -John Brackenbury Ventura, California, USA article "Koalas: Apostles vs not actually made a study of University of Cambridge, UK Fossi (Nature ls" Aust. Sum these molluscs) that the high NATURE AUSTRALIA mer welcomes 1997-98).The purpose of ly organised eyes of, say, Armchair Explorer letters for publication and my essay was to show (with octopuses, rivals the com I just wanted to let you requests that they be limited to �xamples) how evolutionists plexity and efficiency of the know how much I've enjoyed 250 words and typed if possible. ecome aggressive and inse vertebrate eye, and has your magazine all these Please supply a daytime tele cure when they are unable A small years.I can't quite remember phone number and type or print a to evolved separately. your name and address clearly ddress challenges to their point perhaps but one not to if I started subscribing after h ory, my first trip to Australia in on the letter. The best letter in � : hence displaying not be ignored. this issue will receive a copy of sc!ence' -Anne Drover 1983 (for the First Inter r but a desperate The diversityof life by Edward 0. �tgmg to faith. I should Wollstonecraft, NSW national Polychaete Confer Wilson plus an insect in resin er�fore ence, held at the Australian h. thank Archer for key-ring from the Museum Shop. · · timely essay The cephalopod eye is Museum) or a more 'touristy' The winner this issue is Anne r1� in which he icules the 'oppositio remarkably similar in struc venture in 1988. Drover. att n' and have acks anything different ture, development and func- Several of the posters
NATURE 5 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 . These agricultural prac llces, however, were not enou$"h lo sustain the bur geoning population on Easler ture Island. Eventually civil war Na e, uplecl, breaking _- _ clown the h1erarch1cal systems and the need for an overproduction of food, and agriculture revert Strips ed lo su bsislence farming on COMPILED BY the coastal regions. -Richard Fullagar GEORGINA HICKEY Australian Museum Jet Lag Only Skin Deep now, though, the evidence of have used this method to har Easter Island ve t sweet potatoes, as evi e elling the body Gardens such large- cale production clock Rock was missing. denced by plant remains Rafter a long-distance the In the central upland area of beneath the stones. Uphill flight can often take days to aster Island, in r Esouth-east Pacific, is Easter Island, Chris Steven f om one of the plantations, adjust. We've known for some perhaps best known for its son (Archaeological Services Stevenson excavated a time now that jet lag cannot huge stone statues, thought Consultants Group in Colum straight alignment of stones, be slept off; rather it requires to have been erected as sta bus, Ohio), along with Joan about 15 metres in length, a good close of sunlight to be tus symbols for the island's Wozniak (University of Ore that was probably used to cured (see Nature Aust.* ruling elite. Such structures, gon), came across some pret redirect surface run-off to the Summer 1990-91). Previ and other large-scale ty sophisticated forms of agri fieldbelow. Other interesting ou ly it had been assumed dwellings, would indicate culture, some of which may horticultural features include that the light signals reach that the island once support e.ven provide lessons for land stone 'planting circles' (prob the brain via the eyes, but ed quite a significant popula users today. These include ably nursery plots for trees), new research shows the tion (8,000-10,000). To sup large open-field plantations walled gardens, and circular secret to altering the body port these people, and to covered by surface stones, stone enclosures that, once clock may lie under the skin. 'fund' the construction of which Stevenson believes assumed to be small houses, Scott Campbell and Patricia elaborate statues and other were placed there in order to are now thought by Steven Murphy of Cornell University sb·uctures, a surplus of food retain soil moisture (rock son to be large processing or Medical College have shown had to be produced. Until mulch). The islanders would storage pits. that shining light directly on
Easter Island: large-scale agricultural practices would have bee n required. to support the island's once complex hierarchical society. 6 99 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 19 p
I� the Dinosaur. as it would S k·pI pY 'II' n eared 11 3 m, 10n years have app ago. ngc the body ,' --e skin can c!rn ;t th nals on humans. P clock. In lab _t atients had a beam f I sleeping p f!io·ht shone tor three hours �n the area . bc!1ind their 1tchmg o� the :I., knees. By s�v , st before the p_al1enl s , 1 light ju mPerature reached its low te 5.30 in est point. at about the ' k 1110rning. the body cloc was set back by three hours. Con versely. turning the light on after the body reached its minimum temperature allow- ' ed the body clock to advance three hours. How the skin transmits these messages to the brain is unclear. Dan Oren and Michael Terman, of Yale and Columbia Univer ities res pectively, suggest that blood may be the mes eno·er, as parts of haemoglobin are sim ilar in structure lo light absorbing chlorophyll in plants. Alternatively, photore ceptors may exist within human skin. Recent findinas in vinegar flies (Drosophil�) support this idea, as photore ceptors controlling the body clock have been identified in t�e flies' wings and legs. Either way, fmther tu dies on (he role skin plays in regulat mg body rhythm are guaran teed to be illuminating! -K.H. Skippy the Baby Dinosaur cientific S importance_ is not related to size" Pal o · ae nmlogi· · ts had reason � fe excited when Cristiano Sas O (Museo Civico ton _ di s a �turale, Milan) and Ma �o Signore (Universita � d eg I Studi di Skippy's soft bits may hold clues o apoli ' aples) rep rted a new . to the origin of birds. di . . but QU1te mmutive theropod dinosaur fr m o . 113-million-year-old specimen has lost parts of its dePosits c in ltaly. C hnstened. hind limbs and tail, but is oth twS ipi o- nyx samniticus, this erwise complete. In addition l� · gged meat-eater was to the skeleton, the fossil has qu1 ck ly du )I b , . much of the soft Dino , ed Skippy the retained s r ?� Thomas my. The most obvious is the Holtz of anato U�i� ei �ily of Maryland. the intestine, so well pre The specune n is notable for served that Lhe fine surface several r . . th easons · ot onI y 1s 1t detail is visible, and muscles e first c1· in several fo · mosaur ever to be can be recognised und t ly, relatively itely ��/ � but its exquis areas. From the alled preservatio skull and the sb-ucture rivals O n huge o ; exceeds that of any of its teeth, the researchers ther a ------�inosaur known ThP conclude that it was only revi . 'P ·o�usty ANH baby. Less that 24 centimet res long as preserved in the NATU RE AUST 7 RALIA AUTUMN 1999 A cool approach to parenting is required by the sub-Saharan Crowned Plover. limestone slab, 'Skippy' is Crowned Plover (Vanellus By crouching above the period of ancient Egyptian estimated to have been about coronatus), which nests far nest, the bird reduces the history known as the Middle two metres long had it from water on a hard shale amount of contact with the Kingdom, some 3,000 years reached adulthood. surface, neither of these hot surface and takes advan ago, and onwards. Further study of this speci options is available. Instead tage of convective cooling by But new research by men should assist in testing a the plover employs a simple the breeze. Once the bird has Johann Koller (Doerner-Insti recent challenge to the tactic of shading the eggs by cooled off sufficiently, it will tut in Germany) and col dinosaur origin of birds. raising itself two to three cen sit back on the nest and this leagues suggests that the Some scientists have inter timetres above the nest. in turn cools the eggs. One Egyptians used embalming preted apparent soft struc Colleen Downs and David may well ask whether the techniques at least 1,000 tures in another recently dis Ward, from the University of plover squats in the breeze years earlier. Embalming, it covered fossil as indicating Natal, recently studied this purely for its own relief, or now appears, has a recor? that dinosaurs had a shading behaviour and found whether it is aware that a cool that extends back to the pen lung/diaphragm organisation an interesting twist to the approach is needed for suc od of Egyptian history known more like crocodiles than bird's logic. Using a model cessful parenting. as the Old Kingdom. birds (see Nature Aust. Sum plover (made from stuffing -K.H. The researchers recently mer 1998-99). It will be inter the skin of a frozen specimen analysed fragments of collar esting to see if the internal with aluminium foil) and a Embalming the bone from the mummy of Idu arrangement of 'Skippy' sup plaster-of-paris egg, both of II known to be Secretary ports or refutes this idea. which share the thermal Very Ancient G�neral of an Egyptian trade Watch this space! properties with the real The ancient Egyptians office around 2150BC. His -Walter E. Boles things, the researchers mea I were experts at thwart tomb was discovered in 1914 Australian Museum sured their temperatures ing the natural ravages of at Giza. while in the incubation and decay. The precision with No contamination by Cool Parents shading positions. As expect which they dried and con microbes was found. Traces ed, the model's temperature served the bodies of their of chemicals suggest that the round-nesting birds in decreased when it was raised dead created mummies that bones were saturated with G hot environments risk above the nest. But to their have certainly stood the test antiseptic sodium and wood frying their eggs if they can't surprise the egg did not cool of time. tar compounds. These could keep them cool. Many birds r during shading; instead it To improve the drying only have come f om �re achieve this by soaking their became cooler when the proce s they used treatments treatment with a preserVJng breast feathers in water to model was sitting on it. This of balsams and other natural balm. wet the eggs, or covering suggests that shading behav ly occurring antiseptics. Until The extremely high level 0f them with a fine layer of sand. iour directly benefits the recently, evidence of embalm sodium indicates the balm Yet for the sub-Saharan adult, but not the egg. ing was only known from the was applied directly to the
8 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999
sd ji>
indicating that the skeleton, The Pompeii Idu II must ha�e be n Worm: hottest body of � animal on Earth? pat·tly de-0cshecl during. 1t reparation tor· buna I . P There has been . m�1ch Saharan Desert or Silver Ant (Calaglyphis 1 d bate among sc1en�1sts bombycina) at e 54° C ( bout whether the Egyptians ee Nature Aust.* Summer 1993-94). �emoved the flesh f�·om bocl The Some highly special 1·e s before embahrnng. ised , SLW- prokaryotes se of Idu II, ho. wever, (simple-celled ca 111 bacteria and blue-green
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9 Neanderthal flute or musical fluke?
males of some toothed whale and dolphin species, accord ing to Briti h researcher Colin MacLeod. By reviewing the scientific literature and through per sonal communications with fellow cetacean researchers, MacLeod identified 18 species of whales and dol phins in which old battle scars may f-unction as adver tisements of male strength. It's a case of antagonists be warned! A competitor that has already survived a lot of phin (Grampus griseus), the and sometimes even become Neanderthals' fights-with the marks to Nar whal (Monodon monocer specially adapted, for use in Bone Flute? prove it-might best be avoid os), the Sperm Whale (Phy male-lo-male combat.These ed. seter catodon) and most of the weapons can cause a lot of eadlines were made Unlike most mammals, beaked whales (family Ziphi damage. MacLeod believes H when a perforated Cave which are covered with hair, idae), white or unpigmented that healed wounds gradually Bear femur was discovered in the smooth skin of cetaceans marks persist and accumu became a signal of past con 40,000-82,000-year-old cave scars easily. However, as late, providing a record of que ts which worked to avoid deposits in western Slovenia. MacLeod points out, wounds past injuries. costly fights.As a result, the It had at least three holes don't heal in the same way in In these species, their diet repigmentation rate in the along one side and was inter all whale and dolphin species. has evolved to include mainly skin of these species declined preted by its discoverers as a In the bottleno e dolphin Tur soft-bodied prey such as so that scars could linger broken flute ...and the siops truncatus, for example, squid and octopus.Teeth are longer as indicators of world's oldest musical instru scars tend to fade relatively no longer important for feed strength. ment. quickly. But in Risso's Do!- ing but have been retained, -K.McG. Ivan Turk (from the Sloven-
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visitors to .Australia's Top End an
Contact: Max & Phillippa Davidson PO Box 41905 Casuarina NT o8n Phone: (08) 8927 5240 Fax: (08) 8945 0919 email: dassafa ris@onaustralia. com. au vorcs. But even if eanderthals didn't make this 'flute', it doesn't mean they couldn't have played it. After a bit of experimentation with their lips and their fingers, they could well have discovered there was music in them bones! -Richard Fullagar Australian Museum A Sight for UV Eyes
ale and female Blue M Tits (Parus caeruleus) may seem indistinguishable, but look again ... this time under ultraviolet light. Two recent studies, led by Staffan Andersson (University of Goteborg, Sweden) and Sarah Hunt (Centre for Behavioural Biology, Bristol) respectively, have exposed this common European tit as the first bird known to be sex ually dichromatic (that is, to have differently coloured males and females) under UV light. Unlike birds, humans are UV-blind. Our eyes are not sensitive to near-ultraviolet wavelengths (300-400 nano metres), so what may seem like imilar plumage patterns to us are trikjngly different to a Blue Tit. This finding sheds enormous amounts of 'light' on such mysteries as how female Blue Tits ch�ose mates or judge their quality. Feather on the Blue Tit's crown light up under � light, with the males showmg stronger colour than fen:a\es. Their UV-sensitive vision maximises the contrast they ee between crown feather colour and a dark forest back around suggesting the head's 'importance i� �om This c?mcid � munication. � nicely with Blue Tit eco . 1 oy-mate choice occur� 11 Male and female Blue Tits may look the same to us ... but not to them. the d_ecidu :arly spring when j ous habitat is still dommatec � ian Academy of Sciences) otherwise likely. (CNRS in France), Paola Villa by dark browns and gre r a�, and colleagues found the Can you prove that a bone (University of Bordeaux) and (dead leaves f om laSt ye 'flute' in sediments associat with holes is a flute? You can colleagues compared the and the trunks and �ran h� ed i with Middle Palaeolithic try to play a reconstructed holes in the 'flute' with es) and male sexual displ Y artefacts, rec which are likely to version of it.Thi s is just what known puncture marks in involve' head lunges a d e have been the The handiwork of Bob Fink, a musicologi t carnivore-chewed bear bones lion o( neck feathe1� s. eanderthal .a- . For many peo from Saskatoon, USA, did ... from other caves. According trength of UV head colow ple this creates a problem. a key If and he found that it worked. lo these researchers, nothing lion, Ll:en, _se_ems_ to .be indeed the bone c 111 ver- is a flute, and But that doe n't mean it was about the 'flute' requires the factor d1stmguishin,,/ a Neanderthals made it, it made for age I more that purpose.Could work of Neanderthal crafts male tits• £·om would suggest that Nean a large carnivore have creat i derthals men; they conclude that the desirable ones. . le were more advanc ed the holes? To investigate tory tnals en a ed intellectually mo t likely explanation for In labora � ose than seems this idea, Francesco d'Errico the holes is damage by carni- tits con istently c 10 MN 1999 12 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTU ales with the brightest 'v\Thle '�;·own feathers. i they �]so use male song: and body choose their partner, 'S·Iz,e to · · d ec1s1on may their ullimalt' be based on thal head patch we cannot sec. -Daina Hopenstand & Leo Joseph Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
ivaudskippers: sYO Air eep inside an inlerlidal mud1lal hardly seems tDhe ideal pl�ce for a �sh to raise its family. Mudsk1ppers ' p of s1 1all fisl are a grou : :e_s best known for their amph1b1- ous habits, bu� e��ally re markable for their �btl1ty lo live and reproduce 111 deep burrows filled with O)..rygen depleted water. The burrow How do mudskippers manage in the oxygen-depleted depths of their burrows? of one of the world's largest mudskippers, Periophthal saki University, Japan) and rows with signs of recent fish ri produces an oxygen reser modo11 schlosse , is about his colleagues studied the activity contained more oxy voir deep in the mud that may eight centimetres wide and behaviour of P schlosseri on gen and less carbon dioxide be just what mudskipper eggs extends down to about 125 intertidal mudflats in than 'inactive' burrows. need to successfully complete centimetres. This vertical Malaysia and literally stum Field observations showed their development. shaft is connected to one or bled across the solution. As that P schlosseri gulped air -S.R. more horizontal tunnels. The they were walking around the before entering their bur oxygen-starved depths of mudflats, they noticed bub rows, and looked deflated A Storm in the these muddy dwellings are a bles coming out of the mud when they re-emerged. The re fuge during high tide, and a skipper burrows. Apparently mudskippers were clearly Platypus Brain nursery for mudskipper eggs. the action of their walking carrying air into their bur latypuses only forage But how do the eggs survive compressed the horizontal rows, and sometimes spent Punder water. It's usually and develop in such an inhos tunnels, forcing gas out of the up to 30 minutes shuttling air at night, conditions are often pitable environment? vertical shafts. Analysis of the deep into their subterranean murky, and their eyes and Atsushi Ishimatsu (Naga- expelled air revealed that bur- chambers. This behaviour ears are closed all the time
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Wh·11 e . the distance of its prey. f oraging, the Platypus processes tandem s1gna1 s t · dO eJ U g 13 NATU RE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 The shifting dunes at Dunhuang in China produce booming sounds that were once thought to be the work of demons.
they are ubmerged. And yet, the surrounding water. convinced it does. For three Musical Sands so efficient are they at catch Pettigrew believes these decades, he has been study ing insects, molluscs, crus two typesof receptor work in ing the visual cortex of pri arco Polo blamed evil taceans and the occasional tandem to tell a Platypus very mates, the extraordinarily M spirits playing musical frog that they can consume precise information about complex section of the brain instruments for the loud and up to almost hall their body potential prey. The nerves that supports binocular mysterious sounds he heard weight in prey in a single and muscles of a crayfish, for vision. Using modern stain while crossing the deserts of night. example, emit electrical sig ing techniques, a stripe-like Asia. Charles Darwin was It was confirmed over a nals that travel through water structure showing a pattern similarly fascinated by the decade ago that the secret to almost at the speed of light of dark and light bands was strange and seemingly their hunting success is a (like lightning in a storm) revealed, which Pettigrew unearthly reverberations 'sixth sense'-the Platypus and are detected by the elec believes is related to the pro near large sand dunes. Today, bill can detect small electric troreceplors. A movement of cessing of two sets of infor such acoustic wonders are currents emitted by prey. But the crayfish tail creates a mation (one from each eye) known as 'booming sands'. it's much more than a matter wave of disturbance in the and the basis for stereoscopic They occur mostly in large of simple detection, as water that travels more slow vision. Surprisingly, this isolated desert dunes. research by John Pettigrew ly (like a thunder clap) and is same stripe-like structure is A less dramatic but more and colleagues from the Uni detected by the push rods. found in the section of the common phenomenon oc versity of Queensland now Just as we can determine the Platypus brain that receives cur when beach sand shows. distance of a lightening strike sensations from the bill squeaks or whistles under The bill of the Platypus from the time between its Squeaking sand, howev light bands for processing foot. r (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) flash and the arrival of its information from the elec er, produces high-f equency, contains two types of sensory sound, the Platypus may be troreceplors, interspersed short-lived musical peals. receptors. There are some able lo judge the distance with dark bands for process The sounds created by boom 60,000 eleclroreceptors and (and shape) of its prey by ing mechanical sensations. ino· sands are of a much lower about r sonate 40,000 mechanorecep measuring the lime interval Perhaps lhe Platypus inter f ;quency and can re_ tors (or push rods). Each between the arrival of the prets the signals from the for as long as 15 mmutes. receptor sits inside its own electrical and mechanical eleclroreceplors and push They are also much louder mucous-filled pit. These close sensations. rods in the same stereoscopic and can be heard up to ten when lhe bill is exposed to But doe lhe Platypus have way lhal we process and use kilometres away. the air. They open when the the brain lo be able lo information from our two Michael Bretz and Franco bill is submerged to allow the process lhi sort of complex eyes. ori from the University of s receptors within to contact information? Pettigrew is -K.McG. Michigan believe that boom
1999 14 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN cur in sand �h re five months bone 'flute'. Antiquity72: tend to oc � old displayed 65-79. Bearsville Press and Cloud Mountain are of a similar swellings within the grains a few weeks Press: Los Osos, California. rc uncommonly of the new male's appearance Downs, C.T. & Ward, D., 1997. Does ·ze a shading and highly polished on the seen'. In spite of this, behavior of incubating shore Turk, I. (ed.), 1997. Mousterian bone !:no�th _ birds in hot environments cool the eggs g 1 1 otru 1ons and they didn't fall pregnant, nor flute and other finds from Divje Babe I (a1thou ! . y : _ � or the adults? The Auk 114(4): cave site in Slovenia. lnstitut za Arhae . ant1c� t1lso seem Lo be did the interval between 717-724. "'. ·eo-td "' . I d ologijo: Ljubljana, Slovenia. .,n 1portant 111 sounc pro uc- births change, confirming . e1· 1 L1o· ns arc cl ry. that sexual swellings in Fink, B., 1997. Neanderthal tIOn ' ) and con flute ... When all these 1·actors com- females with nursing young musicological analysis. http://www. QUICK QUIZ rcd crest of webster.sl<.ca/greenwich/fl-compl.htm bine on the sh<;'ltc have nothing to do with ovu �reales an lation. a dune and w111d Goldsack, 1. What is the name of the th111 plates of Approximately 60 per cent D.E., Leach, M.F. & Kilkenny, avalanche, large C., 1997. Natural and artificial 'singing' controversial uranium mine and are displaced and tend of infant deaths in baboon sands. Nature 386: 29. surrounded by Kakadu s unde, _ly colonies are caused by male to shear across Lh� National Park? . y111g card infanticide, because with the 111"'o- dune, like pla Hunt, S., Bennett, A.T.D., Cuthill, I.C. & 2. Where does the world's 'fl 1e comb . ne I death of her young, a female Griffiths, R., 1998. Blue tits are ultra across a deck .. ! � heaviest and only flightless s of the 111d1- will become exually recep violet tits. Proc. R. Soc. Land. B 265: acoustic vibration parrot live? as they bou_nce tive within a matter of weeks 451-455. • vidual plates 3. Do Lions purr? down are a po s,ble instead of months. Zinner up and lshimatsu, A., Hishida, Y., Takita, T., 4. What colour is the Pygmy e of the booms. believes that, by eemingly sourc Kanda, T., Oikawa, S., Takeda, T. & Blue-tongue's tongue? Further research by Dou offering the new males the Huat, K.K., 1998. Mudskippers store air Goldsack and colleagues 'come hith r' sign, the moth in their burrows. Nature 391: 237-238. 5. Which organisation owns o-las The Rainbow :i Laurentian Universit-y_ in ers are giving their babies a the ships indicates that a 1hca chance al life. Koller, J., Baumer, U., Kaup, Y., Etspuler, Warrior, Moby Dick and Canada -R.S. creltype of surface deposition H. & Weser, U., 1998. Embalming was Arctic Sunrise? used in Old Kingdom. Nature 391: 11 sand grain may also be 6. What do folivores eat? � 343-344. important in ound produc Further Reading 7. How many opposable tion. 'thumbs' does a Koala have how Andersson, S., Ornborg, J. & Andersson, Macleod, C.D., 1998. lntraspecific scar All re earchers agree, M., 1998. Ultraviolet sexual dimorphism ring in odontocete cetaceans: an indica on each hand? ever, that the explanation for and assortative mating in blue tits. Proc. tor of male 'quality' in aggressive social 8. What type of animal is a far from 'musical sands' is R. Soc. Land. B 265: 445-450. interactions? J. Zoo/., Land. 244: pobblebonk? more study is complete and 71-77. 9. Who is the author of the to fully explain the Campbell, S.S. & Murphy, P.J., 1998. needed book Throwim way leg mystery. Extraocular circadian phototransduction Nori, F., Sholtz, P. & Bretz, M., 1997. -K.McG. in humans. Science 279: 396-399. Booming sand. Sci. Amer. Sept. 97: (1988)? 64-69. 10. What is the name of Baboons Cary, S.C., Shank, T & Stein, J., 1998. Russia's orbiting space Worms bask in extreme temperatures. Oren, D.A. & Terman, M., 1998. Tweak station? Fake It Nature 391: 545-546. ing the human circadian clock with light. (Answers in Q&A} Science 279: 333-334. t seems human aren't the Dai Sasso, C. & Signore, M., 1998. I only females to fake an Exceptional soft-tissue preservation in a Pettigrew, J.D., Manger, P.R. & Fine, Karina Holden, Karen intere l in sex; baboons do it theropod dinosaur from Italy. Nature S.L.B., 1998. The sensory world of the too, but with a more serious 392: 383-387. platypus. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Land. B McGhee, Stephen Richards, agenda. By tricking males 353:1199-1210. Philippa Rowlands and d'Errico, F., Villa, P.,Llona, A.C.P.& ldar into thinking they're fertile Rachel Sullivan are regular the y may be saving the lives raga, R.R., 1998. A Middle Palaeolithic Stevenson, C.M., 1997. Archaeological Using cave-bear bone investigations on Easter Island. Maunga contributors to Nature Strips. of their young. origin of music? accumulations to assess the Divje Babe I Tari: an upland agricultural complex. Many female primates advertise their sexual recep tiveness by developing swollen pink bottom to coin cide with ovulation. In a paper pre ented at a recent confer ence on primate ocio-ecolo gy, Dietmar Zinner of the German Primate Centre in Gottingen related how f�males of his captive popula t1011 of Hamadryas Baboons \Papio haniadryas) some times developed the welling I, whe n they couldn't po sibly be ovulating, such as when , they were nursing an infant. Furthermore, he noticed that these out-of- ea on swellings occurred only after new males look control of the ghoup, an event that occurred t ree limes in the course of 14 y ears observation. ln each nursing case, all six . Pink and puffy 'turn-ons' aren't always what they seem. mothers with infants under A female Hamadryas Baboon 15 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 of the lacerations they left on our hands when we offered them a more dignifie �/','.s ACK YARD NATURALIST d lllllit'�� l J release in the bush. Perhaps they were only fastening their seal bells in prepa ration for another full loss, but their Northern Brown Bandicoots never made it to the 21st century revenge hit a raw nerve, mainly because by being nice to anyone. of the effort we'd put into raising them Silly things us humans, always expect: ing gratitude for favours never asked for. Northern Brown Banclicoots never COOTS IN THE made it lo the 21st century by being nice lo anyone. You don't gel lo be the only abundant lerre trial mar upial in QUICK LANE the big smoke by ucking up. But mus cles, a quick turn of speed, sharp teeth BY SfEVE VAN DYCK and more brawn than brain are not the truck loads of grass culling lo make it only things that keep banclicoots a step more difficult for each banclicool lo find ahead of Dogs, Cats and cars. The one another's tail and bite it off. thing that set them apart is what they The old rented house was a high-set are capable of achieving with their 'Queenslander' so, to achieve an illusion reproductive bits. of normality posthaste, we cleciclecl to They have a procreation potential so chuck all the grass out the window, rake staggering it makes Rabbits look like it up downstairs, then carefully dispose Carmelites. For a start they have the of it over the neighbours' fence. After a shortest gestation period of any living mammal-an astonishing 12.5 clays OT LO, G BEFORE WE mammoth effort, Jane looked al a job to pinkies (compare our eviction notice, the next well clone considering the underlying from hanky-panky received this to the 18-21 days of a House doorN neighbours asked us what actually motive was panic.All the floor now need went on inside the room from which all ed was a good sweep, being careful not Mouse, or the 30 of a Rabbit or kanga the dreadful screaming and huffing to clobber the banclicools that had been roo). Madame Ban di has scarcely had noises came at night. Our confession hiding all the time ... under the grass . time to consider morning sickness that we had turned a spare room over to .. what grass? The shameful truth was when it's time to deliver enough 13-mil rehabilitating half-electrocuted flying that the 'babies' had gone out one-by limetre jelly babies to crawl up to the foxes and Cat-wrested possums some one with the bath water, liberated in bil pouch and attach themselves to the how filtered through to the landlord lowing clouds of hay, and totally unno eight maggot-like teats inside. Once who ent word of an imminent visit. ticed by the hand that had launched there, the blistering pace of coot-pump Months earlier, we had raised three them! ing starts with their ingestion of a for orthern Brown Bandicoots (Jsoodon Knowing their weakness for Pal, I bait mula composed of around eight per cent macrourus) from little more than ed some cage traps in the yard at the fall milk solids. By the time they're poking squirming cheerios, and because rough out site and after a few days managed to their heads out at 45 clays, they are and-tumble life in the spare room was catch two of the coots. But our lasting drinking a 40 per cent milk-solid brew mostly stratified into the upper layer, the memory of these consummate little like warm runny Yak butter. The female young banclicoots were quite safe run ingrates was not of their toughness in then mates again, and 12.5 days later ning around on the floor. We'd covered the three-metre free fall or their now the 8.5-week-olcl Schwartzeneggers are the lino with newspaper and thrown in total indifference to our attentions, but evicted to make way for the new litter.
When their preferred diet of insects and larvae gets scarce, dinner. Northern Brown Bandicoots will eat snails, worms, berries and even the Dog's 16 1999 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN d p
sums lake six (Brushtail p�)s months maintain numbers in Lhe uburbs, is iL dependence, grey kan Not bad going for something that's sup Ji·olll birth to m ga a,:y wonder Lhal other native species po hs.) In anoll:er one o_r sed Lo be Lhin on brains! • roos 18 mont two w1Lhout such a procreative potential onths t_hc young band,coots will be can't cope? Ill Further Reading cruising tor'! male them elves. The orlhcrn Brown Bandicool is a The frencttC pace docs nol end when survivor in n environmenl_ full Gordon, G., 1995. Northern Brown Bandicoot. Pp. � of things 1 The mammals po uch drops �!own (like. Lhc b_ack Lhal bark al 1l, bite it, burn it 74-175 in of Australia, ed. by R. Stra the . or squash it. han. Reed Books: Chatswood. ward-pointmg load mg ramp ol a Canbou From our per peclive, its short life and unloads them for Lhc la L see1 aircraft) ;1s Lo be over before it's begun. Bul Seebeck, J.H., Brown, P.R.,Wallis, Fem_ak orlhern Brown Bandi �hat S R.L. & Kemper, C.M. tiJ1le. )?a!· for the course when you pump (eds), 1990. Bandicoots and bilbies. Surrey Beatty & coots live for_ only abo�L 18 months and iron. lh1s coot bulks up, struts around, Sons: Sydney. males might ,1ust make 1! �o Lwo years. In and pushes off. No expensive steroid · that time the� oung bandies pack a lot of �o embarrassing urine tests. And, unlik� Dr Steve Van Dycll is a Curator of Verte food away and �ulk up Lo a massive 111 hum�n has-beens, no-one gels Lo brates at the Queensland Museum where he three kilograms ": adult n:iale and a laugh al 1l because it never turns Lo flab. has worlled since 1975. more modest 1.7 kilograms m females. ll is in Autumn when Lhe weather cools off that bandicoots are more fre- 1 quently observed. AL this lime their nat urally preferred food (insects and lar vae) get s so scarce that _the coots hunt for snails, worms, bernes, ugarcane and fruit. Thi search lakes Lh m clo er to humans, houses and camp sites.They will soon be stealing any food left in the ' Dog's bowl, bursting their way under wire netting lo gel al laying mash inside the chook hou e, or digging small coni cal hole over the back lawn in their se arch for grubs and worms. In fact bandicools are not averse to weeding your ve getable garden and turning your compost heap ... but sadly they can't see m to distinguish between the two. A male also spends a great deal of energy aggre ively maintaining hi rights lo a five-hectare territory, some times chewing th tails off would-be rivals. In some areas whole bandicoot NORTHERN BROWN BANDICOOT populations seem to lack Lail , leading to lsoodon macrourus repor ts of mini-wombats in places where they houldn't be. Classification Given that it is theoretically possible Family Peramelidae (bandicoots and bilbies). for female bandis to breed all year round, producing a litter every two Identification months and a total of 48 fast-growing Biscuit-brown with creamy white belly (very harsh dorsal fur is really a mix of straw young, it might seem strange that no coloured hairs and dark-brown to black hairs); head-body length 400 mm; tail about 170 one has pounced on the bandicoot as a mm. Posture humped, snout long and very pointed, movements jerky. Forefeet with only 3 trendy table item like quail, pheasant or long-nailed toes. Tail sometimes absent (bitten off).Similar to Long-nosed Bandicoot rabbit-there is no doubt they do taste (Perame/es nasuta), which has soft fur, more pointed ears and a much larger gap between deliciously like chicken. Perhaps their the 4th and 5th upper incisors. ferocious nature has had something to d? with it. Handling them is like dealing Distribution and Habitat with une_ xploded hand grenades-quiet From northern WA, through northern NT, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York Peninsula, down b?nd1coots can go off in a blur of lashing the east 'coast' to Hawkesbury River near Sydney. Common in inner suburbs with hmd _claw , clods of flying skin and fur, protective daytime cover (long grass, vacant lots, rubbish piles). Outside cities/towns in flashmg Leeth and much blood. But dry and wet eucalypt forests and open paddocks. tha�'s nothing compared with the mar ketmg challenge of dreaming up a more Behaviour Palatable name than 'bandicoot' to grace Nocturnal, non-climbing. Infamous for the small conical holes it digs in lawns. Heart the menus of posh Australian restau attack-inducing 'balloon-screech' call when disturbed from daytime 'nest' in long grass or rants. vegetation. Becomes sexually mature at 3-4 months, average 4 young (from 8 1 dense In spite of all the mathematics of the nipples) per litter; gestation period 12.5 days; up to 6 litters per good year. Life span less m aternity ward, the theory of their than 2 years. Heavy tick infestations Jan.-May. Droppings like peanut pods. re productive potential doesn't always �atch the practice. The average um�er Diet � garden grubs and bush tucker with Pal and laying new!� born pouch young 111 wild Omnivorous, but happy to supplement fem ales is around four, and usually only mash. thr ee leave the pouch alive Then of the act . ual 18 · 111 Threats 0 young a female produces her year of re ix Cats, Dogs, cars, whipper snippers and backyard tidiers. w1o productive life, only :3 eve� survive to sexual malunly. Whii e this recruitment rate sees them
NATURE 17 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 rhizal fungus, which invades lhe under ground orchid stem or roots. The fun gus supplies lhe orchid with necessary minerals !n return for carbohydrates. Jn a group !mown for its floral splendour, Only orchid seeds thal are infected with the flowers of Mellblom's Spider-orchid are magnificent. this fungus will germinate. Forlunalely slem ti�sue containing the mycorrh1zal fungus 1s ea y to isolate from spider-orchids and the fungus can be readily cultured on a nutrient medi MELLBLOM'S um under laboratory conditions. This allows horticulluralisls lo germinate the seeds on the fungus-infected medium SPIDER-ORCHID and young plants can later be trans'. ferrecl lo soil and planted out in the wild. BY GEOFF W. CARR Because of lhe lack of formal con er vation plans, and variou threatening to four centimetres long) and smaller processes (such as weed invasions and petal . The central lab�llum (lip� !s smeller emissions), the number of Mell white with crimson mark111gs, and 1t 1s blom's Spider-orchids has declined to hinged at the ba e so that il may be tilt around 20; more may exist but they are ed forwards or backwards. Particularly difficult to find unless flowering-a rare striking are the narrow, maroon event except after fire. coloured glandular 'clubs' (osmo However, the fortunes of the orchid phores) at the end of the sepals and are about to be reversed with the recent petals, which emit the floral fragrance completion of a Recovery Plan, a collab (although undetectable to humans). orative effort between Environment EMPERATE AUSTRALIA HA Like all Australian spider-orchids, Australia, Alcoa, the Victorian Depart the richest floraof ground orchids in the Mellblom's Spieler-orchid relies on an ment of Natural Resources and Environ world. Over 800 species have been unusual method of pollination called ment, Kings Park Botanic Garden in recognised, including 140 species of pseuclocopulation. Male flower wasps in Perth, and Ecology Australia. This aims spider-orchids (genus Caladenia) from the subfamily Thynninae are attracted to ensure survival of wild plants by southern Australia. by the flower's fragrance, which resem appropriate management, notably weed Mellblom's Spider-orchid (Caladenia bles the sexual pheromones produced control and prescribed fire; to manage hastata) was first discovered in 1940 by wingless female wasps. The enthusi the plant-out site where orchids have when a local plant enthusiast, Flora astic but naive male is duped by olfacto survived for 17 years and select other Mellblom, stumbled across a group of ry, visual and tactile cues into believing planting sites; to maximise seed produc flowering plants at Point Danger (Port the orchid labellum is a female wasp. He tion by hand pollination; to raise land, Victoria). After that it was only tries to seize the hinged but unyielding seedlings using laboratory techniques recorded from a few other locations and labellum to copulate with it and, in so (thousands have already germinated at then it seemingly disappeared, until doing, collects the orchid pollen on his Kings Park); and to survey the region 1973 when about 300 plants were redis back as he is tilted forward into the for additional suitable spider-orchid covered at Point Danger, flowering pro flower. In frustration he rushes off to habitat. lifically after a fire had swept through another flower, there to deposit the Single-species conservation programs the heath. Today almost all the species' pollen on its stigma, and pollination have received criticism by concentrating original heath and heathy woodland occurs. on species rather than habitats. How habitat has been cleared; the Point Dan Another extraordinary orchid rela ever, for successful management, we ger site is all that remains. tionship is their reliance on a mycor- need both kinds of program; Mellblom's In 1980 an aluminium smelter was Spider-orchid cannot 'manage' itself. built on part of the Point Danger orchid Furthermore, the lessons learned from site and Alcoa (Australia) Ltd commis managing Mellblom's Spider-orchid and sioned studies that have continued until its habitat are widely applicable to other this day. Plants that would have been endangered orchids, scores of which destroyed in the building process were also need conservation management. collected for cultivation or relocation to Finally, the collaboration seen here a nearby coastal reserve, while the rest between government agencies, botanic of the population was left untouched. gardens, incl u tr y, conservation biolo Mellblom's Spieler-orchid is typical of gist and community groups is heart spider-orchids_ in terms of its morpholo ening and is sure to have far-reaching gy, biology and ecology. Plants survive significance. • summer as a small Luber buried in the sandy soil._ The single, hairy leaf, up to Further Reading 1� centimetres long and 15 millimetres Backhouse, G. & Jeanes, J., 1995. The orchids of Victo wide, appears in autumn and withers in ria. Melbourne University Press: Carlton. late spring. Between September and Hill, J., Carr, G., Pritchard, A., Govanstone, A. & Back November. a 35-centimetre-long flower "' stem, bearing one and sometimes two house, G., 1998. RecoveryPlan for Me/lblom'sSpider orchid, Caladenia hastata, 1998-2002. Portland Alu � flow�rs, appears. The flowers may last minium and Department of Natural Resources and � for six weeks. In a group known for its Environment: Melbourne. "' floral splendour, lhe flowers of Mell ! blom's_ ?Pide:-orchid are magnificent Geoff W Carr is a founder and director 01 a. with while, stiffly spreading sepals (up Ecology Australia PtyLtd, a Victorian-based flora and fauna consultancy. 18 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999
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higher-40 per cent of environmental r weed there are Australian, and in the winter rainfall zone the figure reaches 59 per cent for shrubs and trees (see Seen through American eyes, Australia's Broad-leaved Nature Aust. Spring 1997). These are Paperbarli is one hecli of a tree. astounding statistics, to say the least. Australia's woody plants succeed so well overseas, I believe, because they evolved on an exceptionally harsh con tinent. They thrive in landscapes SUPERIOR degraded by human misuse, where the topsoil has washed away, or in naturally C EATIONS difficult environments. The most com R pelling examples of the latter are the Australian trees invading Florida. In two of the most severe environments BY TIM LOW there-swamps and saline dunes Aussie plants now dominate the land. Seen through American eyes, Aus tralia's Broad-leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) is one heck Some of the world's major crop pests of a tree. There are billions of them in originated here, Cottony Cushion Scale southern Florida, infesting half a million (Jcerya purchasi), Sugarcane Planthop hectares of swampland and taking over per (Perlzinsiella saccharicida) and another six hectares every day. A single Tobacco Blue Mould (Peronospora tree can drop 20 million seeds, a plant as tabacina) for instance, and many of our young as three years old can set seed ATURALISTS IN THE shrubs and trees do exceptionally well and trees can flower five times a yea/ 19th century thought that Australia was as weeds. This is some superior weed! Its regen a backward land populated by the The American book Invasive plants erative powers are amazing, with world' most primitive and inferior crea (1966) includes, among its selection of rnelaleuca fenceposts often sprouting ture . The fallacy of such thinking is America's 24 weediest trees, six from into new trees. The b·ees use up to five obvious today when we look at how well Australia-a quarter of the total. In times the water of the sawgrass prairies Australia's species do as pests overseas. South Africa the proportion is much they replace, thus helping drain the
O e of the newest of Australian � plants to go feral is Tuckeroo · A popular . . . rainforests in southern street tree in Calrforn1a and Florida, it is spreading into littoral Florida , its seeds d"1sperse d b y Ib" rds. 20 9 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 199 d Paperbark forests in Florida often form gloomy thickets within which no other plants can grow. They provide shelter for raccoons and Bobcats.
Everglades' water supply, already over along highways for 20 minutes at a time Paperbark forests taken in Maroochy burdened by farm and city water-use. seeing nothing but dense paperbark shire north of Brisbane, where I was They also cause wildfires and asthma. forests, apart from an occasional emer conducting fieldwork on this fast-disap The uncontrollable expansion of gent 'pine'. pearing habitat. When I returnedhome I melaleuca has been described as one of Paperbarks and 'pines' are not the only was dismayed to find that bulldozers had the mo t seriou ecological threats to weeds we have donated to Florida. flattened much of the largest stand of south Florida's natural systems. Accord When I travelled there two years ago I these paperbarks remaining, one I had ing to Dan Thayer, an American weed saw stands of Earpod Wattles (Acacia photographed for the Americans, and expert, "the only areas they won't auriculiformis), Weeping Boltlebrushes one I had recommended as a high prior colonise are those covered in concrete". (Callisteinon viminalis) and a few young ity for conservation. Paperbarks are the The other Au tralian 'superweed' Umbrella Trees (Schefflera actinophyl fastest-disappearing habitat in south there is the 'Australian Pine' (not a true la). Some American weed experts also eastern Queensland. I b·udged across c?nifer), an astonishing hybrid of the took me out to see an infestation of 'Car the bulldozed fields, shaking my head in River Oak (Casuarina cunninghamiana) rotwood' (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), dismay, thinking back to my friends in and Coast Sheoak ( C. equisetifolia), the Australian rainforest tree we know Florida who would love to see a scene growing with the height of the first and as Tuckeroo. Imported lo the States in like this. What they want to get rid of, we salt-tolerance of the second. This 1968, this ornamental only became pop want to save but can't. Paperbarks may �endish when many home-own be superior trees, but they are no match l' creation has taken over shore ular after 1980, lines and small islands, forming thickets ers planted it to replace tre�s dama��d for gritty Ausb·alian determination to so dark, and shedding leaf litter so toxic, by Hurricane Andrew. As an mvader 1t 1s conquer the land. • that nothing can grow below. Believe it so new that no wild trees have grown full or spro�ting not, of the several hundred exotic size; there are only seedlings, Further Reading eed and scattered saplings. ; species infesting Florida today, in the hundreds, Bodle, M.J., Ferriter, A.P. & Thayer, 0.0., 1994. The ese lwo trees rank among the top I was shown a site with a few saplings, biology, distribution and ecological consequences of hr ng to worry Melaleuca quinquenervia Ever \� � ee, beside Brazilian Broad-leaved only a few metres tall-nothi in the Everglades. In e ertree (Schinus terebinthifolius). about I thought, growing in fore�t n,ot far glades: the ecosystem and its restoration, ed. by S.M. L'k and Davis and J.C. Ogden. St Lucie Press: Delray Beach, I e most of the world's worst weeds, from a towering 'Australian Pme th But these USA. ese trees were planted on purpose, as some young Umbrella_Trees. � amentals experts are trying to �1ck new proble1�s h� , for bank stability a�d, in lea1 n Randall, J.M. & Marinelli, J. (eds), 1996. Invasive case of the_ more quickly (somethmg we could plants: weeds of the global garden. Brooklyn Botanic E paperbarks to dram the es have ver g1 a d e_s. _(The ' right, from), Lo close gates b�fore hor Garden: New York. y drain them all tree has them but by cla1mmg possession land.) bolted, and this Australian M o of the al!-eady banned st of southern Florida was originally worried. One county has Tirn low is a11 environmental consultant tre e 1 ess from nursene . and nature writer. His next book, Feral and Australian trees have 'Carrotwoods' and I future, about exotic pests, will be published ved the of Thal night we ate takeaways �:� �ltimat� colonisers . of Broad-leaved by Penguin. mpy or salme soil. You can dnve showed them slides
NATURE 21 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 h, We are separated from dinosaurs by the comforting cushion of_ 65 million years. And they are ;ust so different from us in every way. Or are they?
MOST IOVIES Tlll�RE IS OFTEN A particular scene or moment that lingers in the memory for a long time. In Steven Spielberg's "Juras- sicI Park", for me it was the one moment that brought the house down (or should I say up)-when the lawyer was plucked off the dunny by a rather cranky, and slightly peckish, Tyrannosaurus rex. Looked at dispassionately, the thought of any such interaction between humans and dinosaurs ever happening are on the remote side of non-existent. I mean, we are separated from dinosaurs by the comforting cushion of 65 million years. And they are just so different from us in every way. Or are they? I would argue that there is a funda mental evolutionary similarity between humans and dinosaurs-and the result is that we both ended up as kings of our respective castles, especially in the great impact that we have had on our ecosys tems. This similarity arose from the underlying mechanisms that fuelled our evolutionary histories. Recently there has been a PETER PAN resurgence of interest in a facet of evolu tion that fell MEETS headlong into decline shortly after Darwin published his GODZILLA Origin of species in 1859. This BY KEN McNAMARA concerns the relationship between devel opment and evolution. For more than half a century, evolution, to most people, has been syn onymous with genetics and natural selection. Missing from the evolutionary equation is an appreciation of how genes act to produce changes in shape and size. After all, this is the basic raw mate rial that natural selection feeds upon. Take humans and Chimpanzees, for example. About 99 per cent of our genes are identical-so why do we look so dif ferent?
DERSTANDI G EVOLUTIO ARY RELA U tionships comes not only from com have a relatively large head but, as we � paring adults of different organisms. It get older, our trunk, arms and legs =:; also comes from looking at the entire become relatively larger. And as we and � developn:ental histories of organisms, other animal evolved, the shapes and r � f om their moment of conception until sizes of all our body parts have de �el i the time they die. As we grow not only oped either more or less compared with � �o we become bigger, but our propor our ancestors. Parts of our bodies may � t10ns change. For instance, as babies we grow at relatively slower rates or for
22 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 p
sh in its parents or Tyrannosaurus rex, like humans, had a mixture orter peno· ds. Alternatively they may change than occurred ro retain ancestral of 'Godzilla'- and 'Peter Pan'-like features. In g w fa st er or for longer The result can ancestors, it is said to be These features grow T. rex's case, the skull and hind legs grew evol ur ion d o�n new and uncharted juvenile features. its ancestors Path stuck in a juvenile-like faster for longer periods than in way s, adapting to new niches. This less and remain while other features, such as the arms, cha o stage while the rest of the organism o °:: � the rate and timing of devel- of ancestral developed in the opposite direction. pm t 18 known as heterochrony. matures. I call this retention [f the 'Peter Pan s o· ne or more animal or juvenile features pe features of an it is known as cies undergo less developmental syndrome'. Technically
NATUR 23 E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 --
adult has, obvi usly, a 111Uchlarger body paedomorphosi�, meaning 'child-like send the developmental trajectory way _ ? _ off course, producing a very different than the Juvenile, bul 1t also has a rela shape'. This particular aspect of hete tively more ma sive skull and huge hind rochrony has played a very important looking Dog. leg . Recent research on dinosaur role in the evolution of dome lie Dogs Evolution may also follow the opposite growth rates, based on the microstruc The earliest Dog path lo the Peter Pans of this world, with (Canis familiaris). ture of their bone, indicates that these found in archaeological sites look very one or more features in the descendants similar to juvenile wolves. Moreover, changing more during their develop huge creatures grew very rapidly. They have delayed the point juvenile wolf behaviour was al o ment. They may grow for relatively may also at retained by adult domestic Dogs. It longer than in the ancestor, or al a faster which they reached maturity to allow for seems probable that selection, unwil rate. This is the 'Godzilla syndrome', a long �ro�i!,g period. It is even likely lingly or otherwise, focussed on these named after a Japanese movie monster that, as 111 l1v111g male African Elephants youthfol behavioural traits. Small breeds of the 1950s. Known more formally as (Loxqdonta africr:,na), they may have of Dog, like Chihuahuas and King peramorphosis (meaning 'beyond continued growing throughout their Charles Spaniels, are even more Peter shape'), this process has been the dri lives. Many of the morphological fea Pan-like. Because Dogs change a lot in ving force in dino aur evolution. Take tures in T rex and other large dinosaurs shape as they grow, any slight tinkering for instance our dinosaur with the taste such as hadrosaurs, ceratopsians and with the rates or duration of growth can for lawyers, Tyrannosaurus rex. The sauropods, are likely to have evolved from extended periods of rapid growth. �ut what about the tiny, useless arms My research o ?f T re�? _n heterochrony 1s sh?w111g that many anunals are in fact a m1xt�re of paed9morphic and per amorph1c features. Tyrannosaurus rex's tiny arms are paedomorphic evolution ary flotsam-unwanted, unused struc tures that arose a developmental trade offs when selection pressure diverted energy and gro:vt� to other morphologi cal features. A similar example is seen in the wings of flightless birds such as the Emu. Like T rex, the trade-off was for large body size and massive legs.
HILE SOME BIOLOGISTS A1 D Wanthropologists have suggested that humans are the Peter Pans of the ape world, because of a superficial resemblance of adult humans to baby _ Chimps, I would argue that we are, in many respect , quite the opposite-the Godzillas of the ape world-peramorphs that have developed beyond ancestral apes. But like T rex we resonate with the distant echoes of Peter Pan. During the 4.5 million years of human evolution, adult body weight and size more than doubled; brain volume more than trebled; and the hind limbs length ened relative to the trunk. These changes led to our evolutionary success, for they bequeathed us our bipedal gait and our large cerebral cortex. Herein lies the seat of our conscious thought, our memory, our intelligence, and our speech. In these feat11res we have devel oped beyond our ancestors and beyond all other primates. However, the secret to our evolution ary success lies not in increases in our rate of growth, but in our life span. We live, on average, much longer than any other primate. What is special about human evolution is the extended dura tion of all our growth phases-embry onic, infantile, juvenile and adult. Each period of development has been stretched out. Like other animals we grow and develop fa ter earlier in our
It's the way in which this newborn develops, not just what it looks like as an adult, that is important to understanding the evolutionary history of the human race. 24 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 The retention of juvenile features or the 'Peter Pan Syndrome' has played an important role in the evolution of the domestic Dog. development, particularly as embryos tionary strategy of gut reduction was sapiens crafted more intricate stone and infants. The evolutionary conse accompanied by a paedomorphic tools, or used other material like bone. quence is that in later hominid species diminution in jaw and tooth size as later Late Homo sapiens hops into a car and features such as brain size, lower limb hominids were not constrained to drives to the nearest McDonald's. and foot bone , as well as body size, chomping through a diet of coarse, abra In Steven Spielberg's world, Tyranno developed 'beyond' the comparative sive vegetation. saurus and Horno could coexist. And as tage in earlier species. The evolution of our extended child the lawyer stared in abject terror at the The impact of such sb·etching-out of hood-much longer than in any other T rex, he could be forgiven for not giv ho minid life histories on behaviour, ing much thought to the parallels in social tructure and diet would have their evolutionary heritage, both of been profound. Evidence from fo sil which are dominated by the Godzilla teeth sugge t that the earliest syndrome (the biggest and meanest of hominids, the australopithecines, were I would argue their respective groups) with echoes of exclu ively vegetarian. Members of the Peter Pan (tiny arms in T rex, small jaw genu Homo that evolved about two mil that we are, in many and teeth in H. sapiens). But in the real lion years ago incorporated more animal world, we can be comforted by the material into their diet. This change may respects, the Godzillas thought that no rampant T rex will ever be a consequence of the increase in attack us because, as we know, brain size. But where did the energy of the ape world. dinosaurs are long extinct. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the view that, come from in the first place to produce a r more-than-three-fold increase in brain as birds evolved directly f om dinosaurs, tissue? Recent research suggests that, primate-has been tremendously signif your cute little Budgie is really a like T rex, there has been a develop icant, for this is when we learn most dinosaur in feathered di guise ... But mental trade-off, with bigger brains trad readily. Compared with our ancestors, that's another story. • �d for smaller guts. Our guts are rela our more complex brain stores and tively small, compared with other pri processes greater amount of informa Further Reading mates, whereas our metabolically hun tion; we articulate a sophisticated lan McNamara, K.J., 1997. Shapes of time-the evolution gry brains are larger than they should guage; we can manufacture elaborate of growth and development. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore. be.� mall guts only function with high tools and engage in complex, social qu activity. _ahty, easily digested food, like meat. McNamara, K.J. & Long, J.A., 1998. The evolution rev With selection so strongly favouring Even from the fossil record it is possi olution. Wiley & Sons: Chichester, UK. !ar ge brains that require a high energy ble lo infer that, during the course of input to grow, the major developmental hominid evolution, the exlen ion of childhood has led to increasing behav Dr Ken McNamara is Senior Curator of trade-off was with the gut resulting in a Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Western chan�e from a vegetarian to a more ioural complexity. The result was lhal omnivoro ral Horno habilis used a simple, worked Australian Museum in Perth. He has stud us diet. The behaviou ied heterochrony in many groups of anirnals, top�i�tication that ca e with the larger stone to obtain its food. Later species, ra1_n m � like Horno erectus, used a slightly more frorn trilobites and echinoids to dinosaurs, cluded the ability to use tools to Dogs, lampreys and humans. achieve this dietary change. The evolu- complex, worked stone. Early Horno
NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 25 \ ; \ ...,1 ,-,, � . •\ •\ ,· �
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�::, i"' � --' ::, rt An Australian White Ibis displays the characteristic ""':i:_' sickle-shaped bill of ibises.
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HKl'S 11 IAT FU NY LOOKING the White Ibis easily finds plenty of At Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria while bird over there al things to eat. for example, While Ibises are a nui'. third man?" queries the So successful are While Ibises in our san_ce. People have been known to have usually all-knowing landscape Lhat lhey roost at nighl in the their lunch snatched by the birds. Even Richie Benaucl. The scene is Lhe Sydney tree in city parks, and this has almost more insulting, ibises roosting in the Cricket Ground during lhe recenl Lesl inevitably led to the starl or urban breed trees ab�ve s�e17: to cleli_ght in aerially cricket match, and an Australian While ing colonies in most Au tralian capital bombard mg p1crnckers with their excre Ibis (171resl?iornis molucca) has landed cities. In Melbourne, for example, they ment. This S?rt of thing, and the dirt that on lhe playing field during a lull in Lhe have bred at Lhe Westgate Park for many they often pick up from sometimes-sor game. To ju L aboul anyone who has years. You'd think we'd be delighted that did foraging, not only spoils the ibis' some conlacl with lhe natural world, Lhe image but also its clean white plumage bird is immediately recognisable as an S�m� ?f them c�n look pretty grotty. But ibis because of lhe long clownwarcl this 1s Just one side of these multifaceted curvecl beak, perfect for pushing deep The Australian White animals. inlo waler or muddyground in search of its natural prey. Il seems thal the Aus HAT'S THIS ABOUT EGYJYr!AN Goos?. tralian White Ibis is following in Lhe Ibis has lost the usual WThe well-travelled reader will seagull's footsteps and becoming a regu almost certainly have seen statues and lar feature of urban life. skittishness of wading paintings of ibises in the great museums There is no doubt that this species has and galleries of the world. If you've wan become more common as a clirecl result birds and learnt to dered through the maze of halls at the of woodlands and forests being clear cl British Museum in London, the Louvre for agriculture and settlement, creating capitalise on the broad !n Paris or the Vatican in Rome, to name many opportunities for yet another bird Just three, you surely will have been � with catholic tastes. But its move into att,?ct�? to their coll�ctions of Egyptian � array of foods that our ant1qu1t1es. And pr mment among the cities is quite remarkable as it is the _ � these i only large wading bird to have clone so. collect,ons are the images of ibises. The :;; The Australian White Ibis has lost the cities now provide. ancient Egyptians revered many gods 15 usual skittishness of wading birds and and symbolised them with animals, and � learnt to capitalise on the broad array of foods that our cities now provide. Not these wild creatures have overcome the Superficially resembling Australia's White only can they feed on the larger insects man-made changes and adapted to our Ibis, the Sacred Ibis was worshipped by the at the cricket ground, but they also glee environments-surely a triumph for Egyptians. The birds were kept in temples in r fully gobble up the leftovers f om the nature and reassurance that humans their thousands and, after death, mummified cricket fans-the sickle-shaped bill cer don't always upset the balance of nature. and placed in animal necropolises. r tainly doesn't stop them f om picking up To many folks, yes, these birds are a wel Unfortunately, the species is now extinct in a half-eaten meat pie. Likewise around come sight; but to others they are a Egypt due to habitat destruction but thrives tips and even rubbish bins in our parks, headache. elsewhere in Africa.
The Australian White . Ibis is the on 1 y 1 arge wading bird to have successfully moved into cities. 28 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999
The Waldrapp, from northern Africa and record a favourable verdict! owing to desb·uction of its wetland ha�i Turkey, is highly endangered. Ibises are Live ibises were kept in temples, and tat, although it thrives elsewhere m specialised waders and, as a result, many of were fed and tended until they died-a Africa. the species are vulnerable to human impacts. gigantic task given that there are Ibises occur on all continents except reports of 60,000 live ibises being kept at Antarctica althou(}'h the Buff-necked 1999 30 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN Each bird had been carefully wrapped in intricate linen bandaging, and sealed into its own pottery jar. At other burial sites the ibises were contained in small wooden or stone coffins. AUSTRALIAN IBISES Classification Order Ciconiiformes, family Threskiornithidae. 3 Aust. spp.: Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca), Straw-necked Ibis (T. spinicollis), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis fa/cine/lus). Identification areas of northern Africa and Turkey, ecked have naked Large robust birds with heavy sickle-shaped bills. White and Straw-� _ and the Oriental Crested Ibis (Nipponia heads, and stiff plumes on upper breast. Glossy more slender m build and lacks nippo black n) from Japan and China. Both breast plumes. pecies are now known from only a few birds and their loss would be tragic, not Habitat only from a biodiversity perspective but wetlands, wet grasslands. White and Glossy als? sh e I tere d marine· h ab't I at s; becau Terrestrial _ e they are colourful, beautiful Straw-necked sometimes in dry agricultural lands; White m broad range of human bir�s, much more spectacular than our settlements. W)11te Ibis. Another species, the Bald lb_1s (G. calvus) from South Africa, exem Distribution . plifies and occas1ona· II y ·m N ew the ecological radiation that ibises All 3 spp. found throughout Australia, but rare m the Cent�e, have Guinea, Glossy also throughout undergone. It has adapted to a Zealand. White and Straw-necked also in southern New landscape where are rare, " large trees Africa, Asia and Europe. because frequent lightening strikes �e I � burnt out much of the native forest. Breeding is spring and summer (at 1 h oug h w1'Id b'ir d s m · . species now nests on sandstone In south ern A u St., Usually breed during �hffs, mont of t h e year ) ; m· nor thern Aus t., during · often beside waterfalls, that are Healesville Sanctuary have bred in every � nacces r Generally serially monogamous, 2-4 (usually 3) eggs I i sible to predators. Anothe wet season. Communal roosting. · . n s n it to fledging. } b u ual adaptation for an ibis is show laid but only 1 tends to make r/ the Haclacla _(Bostryc_hia hagedash) 0m central Africa which feeds and nests Status in dense fore�ts that would nor All common. mally no t suit an ibis. But perhaps the most spectacular ibis is the aptly named NATU 31 R E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 It, their adaptable nature, Whites have from their own brooding duty to Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) from of sexual 'socialise' with the _n ighbours, which South America. This bird is scarlet all been documented in all sorts � encounters. Most bird seem to stick are usually_ most will111g l� cooperate. over, except for black tips to the wing the Perhaps this type of behaviour feathers and its dark eye. The Scarlet with serial monogamy, whereby creates for some sort of group bond in the Ibis is now recognised as a subspecies of males are attentive to a single female neigh move on bourhood that makes them stick the American Wl1ite Ibis one breeding attempt, and then togeth (E. a/bus), It er h n argetecl _by predators which has scarlet only on the legs and to another male in the same season. � � , or other (and While Ibises, w 1ch sometim part of the bill. may be that the males are keen � es try to take ver nest sites. Ne But back to our local ibises, of which ready) for another breeding attempt but ? �ertheless the reecl1 g s 1ccess of there are actually three species. Similar their partners are just slower al getting ? _ � � Whites, like most il 1ses, 1s_c u1le poor compared looking in shape and size to the White restarted. A few pairs slick together year � ! with other bird famil1E: . Ibis is the Straw-necked Ibis (Thresllior in year out, but surprisingly this i not Of the three eggs that are normally la1cl, nis spinicollis), but which is predomi usually only one will make nantly black and has clelighlful straw it past the fledging stage. coloured plumes at its throat. The Wanderlust seems lo be typical in ibis Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), well Extramarital affairs es. After they fledge the nest most named because of its shiny young Whites and Straw-necks prepare purple-brown plumage, is quite a differ are common and obvious. for travels that are wide and far. Metal ent bird altogether, being smaller, slim bands attached lo the legs of these birds mer and more graceful lookina. The Most male Whites show that juveniles leave their natal sites Glos y is al o found throughout Africa, in south-eastern Australia and journey Asia and Europe, whereas the other two frequently initiate as far afield as the Top Encl of the North are found only within the Australasian ern Territory, Cape York and New Region. Guinea. Straw-necks banded in the Comparing the ecology of the three copulation with females south-west of Australia have been recov Australian species reveals some intere t ered in New South Wales, and have ing variations. Straw-necks are the most from nearby nests. probably travelled clockwise around the terre trial feeders, Glossies are almo l coast. The few banding data for Glossies entirely wetland feeders, and Wl1ites use show that these birds also move as juve both wet and dry habitats. Accordingly reflected in any increase in the number niles from the Murray-Darling Ba in to their main foods differ: Straw-necks can of birds that survive to fledge. In a cou Cape York, and I suspect that they are feed happily on hordes of plague-locusts ple of cases, a male bird was thought to regular travellers to ew Guinea. Inter and field crickets, Glossies focus on have simultaneously tended two nesting estingly, most Straw-necks do not return worms and water bugs, and Wl1ites take female , but the data for this are equivo to their natal area, whereas many Wliites a wide range of food, including those cal and the attempts were apparently do. meat pies at the cricket match. unsuccessful. Whites also seem to be stay-at-home Extramarital affairs are common and types as adults. By observing adults with EKNOW A LOT ABOUT THE LOVE-LIFE obvious. Most male Whites frequently unique combinations of coloured plastic Wof the vVhite Ibis but virtually initiate copulation with females from leg bands, we know that Wl1ite Ibises at nothing for the other species. True to nearby nests-they take a short break Phillip Island, Victoria, stick to a fairly Of the three Australian species of ibis, the Straw-necked Ibis is th e most terrestrial feeder and likes to eat plague-locusts and field crickets. 32 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 l ( The Scarlet Ibis from South America, with its bright red plumage, is definitely the most spectacular of all the ibises. reg�lar routine over at least a three-year f penod (and probably for their entire a_dult life). In summer they feed on inter tidal mudflats, often using the same I patch day after day, taking crabs and small fish. In winter they move to nearby pastures and feed among cattle, picking t1 up drowned earthworms and cockchafer (beetle) larvae in their wake. In spring [, they move into the local breeding sites I a�d often fly to feeding grounds over 15 • kilometres away. This seems to contra- diet the common image of Whites being nomadic and following the weather l cycles; at least in the south of their nge � they are resident birds that get to \. ow th eir local area pretty well. Pre �u ab_ly n � this gives them real advantages I inchng food and avoiding predators. It is a wetland feeder that Press: London. ay_also help them keep in touch social The Glossy Ibis eat worms and water bugs. 1; 'w �th both their breeding partners and prefers to Spencer, A.J., 1982. Death in ancient Egypt. Penguin: ela t1v es. at Harmondsworth, UK. nf rtu bred at the magnificent wetland� I snU nately we don't even have this ing wme ' �ot Boo! Lagoon near the C_oonawarra Dr Kirn W Lowe studied ibises (and other sp:P� of the lives of the other ibis now ma\< while working for degrees at the e a�d district in South Australia and waterbirds) th ' we can only speculate �bout of Aus rah University of Melbourne between 1975 and / gre �- antics. ing its way up the east coast � � to wetlands, But back at the cricket of N�w Gu1n�a. 1984. 1he studies tooll hin1 , _Mark Taylor has nicked a rising into the steamy swamps museums and rubbish tips in Australia, � ba�t��d ibises are a !ot m_ore mterestmg Africa, Europe, South-east Asia and North t ?'ght at the_ lone ibi , hich has Perhaps • r Policy aken �i � � than we might have 11nagmed. Ainenca. Currently he is a P incipal o ght and flight. As ,t disappears Analyst with the Victorian Department of ut of _sight it's we are left to wonder where Further Reading Natural Resources and Environment, s g_ omg. Is it ng 1992. Storks, working on several biodiversity co11servatio11 ite returning to its breedi J.A., Kushlan, J.A. & Kahl, M.P., ar y y Park, Hancock, the world. Academic projects. or is'� '1e ? � de or Centennial ibises and spoonbills of t cont111u111g on wider travel , hav- �AT UR 33 E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 t l'ORS AND POLITI !ANS ARE eel has been recorded. This could be clue with human visitation, and ways of min ot the only one lo find it to a change in behaviour (they could be imising the impacts of this disturbance. tressful under the spotlight. hiding or retreating farther into the for ew research in Queen - est) or a reduction in numbers. OST OF Till� OCTURNAL ANIMALS land'sA northern upland rainforest indi Of concern is the fact that these pos M are fairly easy lo locate al night cate that ringtail possums also find the sums occur naturally in low numbers with a low-intensity spotlight, despite full force of the spotlight hard lo take. and are sparsely distributed through being dull brown, grey or black in As part of a new ecolourism experi their restricted range in the upland trop colour. This is because these animals ence in the Wet Tropics of far northern ical rainforest. They are al o small (less have a reflective layer (the tapetum Queensland, nio·ht-time spotlighting than a kilogram) leaf eaters, operating al luciclum) at the back of their retina that tours are increasingly being conducted the physiological lower size limit for this reilecls light back to the obser ver. What he observer ees is a air of eyes glow to locale and watch our ringtail po sum type of poor-quality diet. As a conse � _ p and other arboreal animals. Being noc quence they have limited energy avail mg 111 the dark. Once s1ghtecl, the animal turnal, they are not used to bright lights able lo cope with the challenges of daily can be held in the beam of light and with the aid of binoculars. and the impact on the possums is life, making them particularly vulnerable watchecl_ _ thouo-ht to be comparable to our experi lo human disturbance. Any increased Bnght light, h?we�er, _ temporarily ence with flash photography or car head demands on their energy budget may destroys an animal s n1ght-aclaptecl light on full beam. A 55-watl limit has lead to stress (that is, phy iological vision and it has been suggested that it been et on the intensity of spotlight , changes) and it has been shown that takes half an hour for night vision to be but there is concern that this is still loo stress in animals ha long-term conse fully restored once the light is removed. bright for these nocturnal animal . Most quences for the overall fitness of the Many operators therefore use a reel filter spotlighting lakes place from the roads population. Research in the 1980s by once the animal has been located to that skirt the forest margins, because of Rick Speare and colleagues al James lower the intensity of the light. the difficulty of eeing the animals deep Cook University found tress was the With some practice it i possible to tell within the forest. This means the same major cause of disease and death in both the various species apart from the differ populations may be targeted night after wild and captive pos ums. Animals that ent colour and inlen ity of the eye-shine. night. Although there are restrictions on are slressecl are less likely to breed and Lemuroicl Ringtail Possums (Hemi visiting some locations, other sites can are less able to cope with natural distur be�i�eus lemuroides), for example, have a be so inundated with eager observer bance (such as predators or limited bnlhant white eye-shine in contrast to (each with their own light) that the for food), so the population risks going into the dull reel eye-shine of the Herbert est sometimes looks like a re-enactment decline. River Ringlail (Pseudochirulus herberten of "Star Wars". We know nothing about the impact of sis) and even duller reel eye-shine of the Whal effect does this form of human spotlighting activity on the fitness of the Green Ringtail Possum (Pseudochirops intrusion have on the rainforest ring rainforest ringtails. My PhD research is archerz). tails? At some spotlighting locations a looking at how these animals cope with Apart from their eye-shine, animals decline in the number of possums sight- light and noise disturbance associated can be located by listening for move- A captured Lemuroid Ringtail Possum is measur . . back into ed and fitted with a radio-collar. After the forest. the effects of the anaesthetic wear off it will be released 36 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 A Lemuroid Ringtail Possum returns to the forest, having been fitted with a radio-collar so it can be tracked. menl. Lemuroid Ringtails make fre quent leaps of one to two metres between tree and sometimes drop two to three metres to foliage below. The other ringtail possums prefer to be in contact with a branch at all times and are more cautious in their movements. All ringtails use their prehensile tail as an extra limb while moving through the for est, often hanging by it as they stretch out for adjacent foliage. While feeding they often drop material and this noise may al o alert observers to their pres ence. Prior to commencing experiment to see how the rainforest ringtails respond to light and noise, I had to first under s�nd how they behave in the absence of bnght lights. For this, I captured and attached radio-collars onto several indi viduals of each of the three ringtail species in my study site. Over a period of several months I monitored them to gain knowledge of their movements and �ome ranges, and watched them under 111fra-red light and low-intensity (ten watt) light. From these observations I w�s able to build up a behavioural reper toire by which I could evaluate the �haviour of the possums in response lo Ringtail Possum demonstrates � _ . . . reflection from the eyes of this Herbert River 1Herent noise. The brilliant white and allows treatments of light and I uc1"dum ' which reflects light from the back of the eye The Le has a the function of the tapetum . . muroid Ringtail Possum while spotlighting. very small home range of about half a observers to locate animals 37 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 A Herbert River Ringtail mother and young. hectare and is more gregarious than lhe other two ringlails. ll fr quently occurs in pairs, or groups of three consisting of male and female adults and a subadult. There is little overlap between the home range of neighbouring Lemuroids. Green and Herbert River Ringlail Pos sums are usually solitary and have slight ly larger home ranges than lhe Lemuroid Ringlails. The only limes I saw Herbert River adults logelher was when a male wa following a female, most probably in oestrous. The males made a clicking noise while pursuing the female, and once I heard a female snorting. I have never heard the other ringtail species vocalising, which is in marked contrasl to the guttural noises produced by the other commonly sighted possum in the area-the Coppery Brushlail (Trichosu rus vulpecula johnstonit). My radio-tracking and observational studies suggest that the animals use the forest margins only for short periods (one to two days), so the same animals are not sighted every night. Po sums with dens bordering the road may be sighted more frequently early in the evening but they tend to move back into the forest during the night. Because of permit restrictions, all my radio-tracking was undertaken in non-tourist areas. It would be interesting to carry out further radio-tracking studies in tourist areas to assess the full impact of human vi ita tion. For my spotlighting experiments I decided to observe the possums under two light treatments, a 30-watt lamp with and without a emi-opaque filter (which lowers the intensity by a quarter). I was able to show a marked difference in their response to the two light levels. Under the less intense light, the possums made fewer agitated movements and, com pared with the bright light, I was able to watch them for a longer period of time before they moved off. I also saw nearly twice as many possums during routine surveys with the less intense light, which suggests that the possums were turning or moving away from the bright light. Reel filters are commonly used once possums are sighted, on the assumption that red light is tolerated better than white light. To test if different wave lengths of light were important in min- te imising the impact of spotlights, l corn- � pared the behaviour of the possums � under red, green and a semi-opaque filter � using a 30-watt lamp. All filters reduced � the light intensity to a quarter of that of ! the 30-walt lamp, however I found little g difference in the behaviour of the pos- � sums to cl1iferent-colourecl_ lights._ The e � results show that the filters are useful in � lowering light intensity but the colour i does not appear lo be important in lower- "' Left: A Lemuroid Ringtail Possum under the spotlight. 38 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 The more trusting Coppery Brushtail Possum often comes to the ground and readily acclimatises to human activities. Many casual observers confuse it with the Lemuroid Possum but it can be distinguished by its large pointed ears and tapering tail. ing the impact of the spotlight. Interestingly, the coloured lights did attract the attention of some of the local community. I was stopped one night by a group of people looking for the source of strange lights in the sky. They were convinced we were being visited by UFOs! I also carried out experiments to address the impact on the possums of repetitive spotlighting within the ame night. The possums tended to move away from the road and higher up into the trees with each subsequent visit. In other words, they modified their behav iour even though they didn't appear to leave the area. Next I monitored the behavioural response of the ringtail and brushtail possums to a selection of natural forest sounds and sounds associated with human visitation. Their main predator is the Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa) whose call. is a low-frequency 'whoo whoo'. Most ot the ringtail remained alert while I played a tape recording of its call. How ever, on three occasions Herbert River Ringtails continued to feed at the top of the canopy while a Rufous Owl (the real Herbivorous possums, like this Green Ringtail, have limited energy stores to cope with the thing) called les than 25 metres away. stresses of daily life. So what impact does spotlighting have on the fitness of these rainforest All the possum pecies responded to animals? animals moving and crashing through 40 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 > tion. They either tl e vegeta turned und, alert ai d t;wards the s? � listening, r made a rapid departure 111 the oppo- 051·te direction lo the sound. Sounds associated with human visita tion that appeared lo di_stress the ani mals most v\l'r<'. scrunch1_ng gr�vel a�d, to a lesser extent,. snapping twigs. 1 he animals would rapidly retreat and defe �ate. Other sound , such as lhe clicking of a 111icrocassette or a camera, resulted in an intermediate 1:esponse with the ani mals either assummg an alert posture, moving within the tree possibly to hide, or turning their back on the noise. The sound of passing traffic (car , motor bikes and trucks) was ignored but eno-ines running in close proximity re;ulted in the animals assumi1w an alert posture or moving away. Adult speaking voices were generally ignored by all species. At one site where frequent spotlight ino- activity occur the Coppery Brush taIT seems to have habituated to many of the sounds associated with human vi i tation (vehicle movements and sliding doors) and were even attracted to humans. In contrast to the rainforest ringtails, the brushtails will readily take any food offered by the tourists. Lemuroid Ringtail Possums have forward-facing eyes and fine stereoscopic vision, allowing THER TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE them lo leap about in the rainforest canopy. Orecently been used to monitor stre s in animals are physiological on the animals are explored further if been sighted, avoid noisy gravel sur telemetry, in which heart rate is mea- populations are to survive. My research faces and limit the number of times a site ured at a distance, and the analysis of has identified some aspects of human is visited in any one night. • faecal steroids. I considered using heart visitation that are disruptive to the rain rate tran mitters in this study, but clecicl- forest ringtails, such as certain noises - eel against it as the transmitters current (scrunching gravel) and bright lights. In Further Reading Bowles, A., 1995. Responses of wildlife to noise. Pp. ly available were too bulky for ringtail particular, the 55-walt limit currently in 109-156 in Wildlife and recreationists: coexistence and had to be surgically implanted. The place is still too high. Although reel fil through management and research, ed. by R.L. Knight manufacturers also commented that the lers are important in lowering the inten and K.J. Gutzwiller. Island Press: Washington, DC. transmitters could be unreliable and sity of light, the colour does not appear ' would need to be monitored in captivity Lo play a role in reducing the impact of Creel, S., Creel, N.M. & Monfort, S.L., 1997. Radiocol prior to releasing the animals. As the light on these possums. Therefore, laring and stress hormones in African wild dogs. Con attempts by other researchers to hold with these animals it is probably better serv. Biol. 11: 544-548. the Lemuroid Ringtail in captivity have to use a semi-opaque filter so people can failed, and the fact that this species is on see the animals more readily and thus Speare, R., Haffenden, A.T., Daniels, P.W.,Thomas, A.D. the 'near-threatened' IUC listing, I spend a shorter time searching for and & Seawright, C.D., 1984. Diseases of the Herbert River . Ringtail, Pseudocheirus herbertensis, and other north decided not to go clown this track. observing them. Queensland rainforest possums. Pp. 283-302 in Pos ' A non-intrusive technique that has Although my studies suggest that sums and gliders, r ed. by A.P. Smith and I.D. Hume. Sur been gaining popularity is to collect fae ringtail possums move away f om distur rey Beatty & Sons Pty Ltd: Sydney. cal droppings and analyse them for bance associated with spotlighting activ stress hormone (glucocorticosteroicls). ities, we don't yel know whether this has Winter, J., 1991. Mammals. Pp. 43-54 in Rainforest �owever, this technique needs to be ver an effect on possum numbers in fre animals. Kowari 1, ed. by N.A. Nix and M.A. Switzer. ified as it has been found that a two-to quently spotlighted areas. Rainforest Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service: Canber ten-fold change in the level of stress hor- possums can die f:rom stress-related dis ra. ,' �ones can occur within individuals clur eases, and we should aim Lo balance the Wingfield, J.C., Hunt, K., Creagh, B., Dunlap, K., mg the cour e of the day. Levels are also negative impact of spotlighting against af f Fowler, G.S., Freed, L. & Lepson, J., 1997. Environ e�ted by gender and position of social the benefit of allowing people acces to mental stress, field endocrinology and conservation i �?mmance. At present, gaining a sample the world of these fascinating animals. biology. Pp. 95-131 in Behavioural approaches to con 1 0':1 an in�ividual possum on c�e, fol- Studies that look al the impact of various servation in the wild, ed. by J.R. Clemmons and R. 10 r• :Vmg a disturbance treatment 111 the spotlighting regimes, inclu�ling con� Buchholz. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. tnforest, f � _ is considered too difficult. mercial activity, on the behaviour, physi owever, 1t may be possible compare ology and health of the animals will l elp Robyn Wilson is a PhD student in tlie ile ' a to � po' _collective sample of possum 'poo' from determine whal are the best pracltce Departrnent of Tropical Environment Stud �it disturbed and undisturbed sites Lo gain with minimal impact on ringlails. In the ies and Geography at jarnes Cooli Universi so me general insight into the i1�1pacl of meantime, to ensure our ringlail pos ty. Her research is addressing the impact of t h i anthropogenic disturbance on the rainforest 'r/, u nan . v·1s1 ·.tat ·1011· on ra111· [oresl possums. sums remain bright eyed and ready for 1 . ;11i SP otltght111g nocturnal rainforest ani- viewing, we should use low-intensity ringtail possums and is supported by a Coop 1 erative Research Centre for Tropical Rain ,01 �als is on the increase and il is impor- lights (maximum of 30 walls), _ attach a ant tha forest Ecologyand Management scholarship. rv# t methods to reduce Lhe impact semi-opaque filter once the animal has NATURE 41 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 11ii: - HE TELEP!-1O E RANG. IT WAS Spencer Gulf. . Wlien J got there, the Velenn�ry Offi- Keith Murray from the Aus virus had tralian Animal Health Labora cer on the island told me the the quara' 1- tory in Geelong. Rabbit Cali spread to more pens within_ . penmenls we1 e civirus Disease (RCD), being tested on line compound. The ex further spread wild Rabbits on Wardang Island, had being shut down lo slop _ combmg the escaped from one experimental pen nd and a search party wa _ � of the disease broken out in another that was bemg island on fool for igns prepared for later work. Within hours I outside the quarantine area. My initial task on the i�land was lo was on my way lo the island in a Cess�a, from the loaded with boxes of food and equip remove the last few Rabbits quarantine pens and, for a fe':" clays, all ment needed by the field team. We 0ew 11 em from Adelaide, aero s St Vincent Gulf seemed well. But, one mornmg, ; y bers from the search party arrived and Yorke Peninsula, and landed on v ar A dang Island, seven kilometres out mto breathless al Lhe compound fence. EUROPEAN RABBIT Oryctolagus cuniculus Classification Family Leporidae freshly dead Rabbit had been found! My worst fears were confirmed a day or so Identification later when the test results came Agouti-coloured coat, belly white or grey, long ears and short tail, black above, through. conspicuous white fur below. Ears not black-tipped or as long as in Brown Hare (Lepus More bad news followed; the walkers capensis). Domestic varieties, more variable in size and coat colour, are also widely began seeing sick Rabbits over a wider kept. area, so Rabbit eradication was stepped up to include the whole island. Our Habitat and Distribution hopes eventually began to rise as the Originally the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). It has since been introduced to number of new cases of RCD dwindled, much of western Europe and other countries including Australia (in 1859), New but then four weeks after the initial scare Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Favours Mediterranean-like climates but persists in we discovered that the virus had slipped sub-Antarctic islands and subtropics. through the net and had appeared on the mainland at Point Pearce. Behaviour Leaving the island, on a fishing boat A burrowing, largely nocturnal animal, feeds on grasses, herbage, browse and seeds. this time, and looking back at the jetty Coprophagy (reingestion of soft faeces) used as a means of recovering extra nutrients and red cliffs in the late sun, I realised fro ":' poor, fibrous diet. Normal social group 2 males and 4 females in a well-defended that the carefully planned experimental temtory. _ Mature at 3-4 months. Breeding corresponds to periods of pasture growth, work on Warclang was over. Another 1th � 4-6 young (born blind and naked) produced in successive litters at 28-day intervals. round of unrelenting work awaited as �p to 8 litters a year. May live 7 years in the wild. Major causes of mortality Point Pearce became the next campaign are predat1 �n b� Fo�es and Cats, and infection by myxomatosis and, now, RCD. stop Myxomatos1s s centre in this desperate attempt to �1II _kills about 50% of population. Rabbit populations of Australia's arid the virus. areas have enod1Cally , p boomed and busted' with large increases following good rain and large d1e-offs The Aboriginal people at Point Pearce due to starvation during drought. were quick to help, offering support and suggesting how the area could be quar antined. They also protected me, where 44 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 possible, from the growing media inter The use of RCD to control Rabbits had With the demise of Rabbit populations came est in the outbreak. This enabled our also become international news and the return of many native grasses, and Red small team of CSIRO and District Coun drew criticism from some overseas sci Kangaroos were quick to take advantage of cil staff to start reducing Rabbit num entists. Many of these concerns were this returning food supply. b_ers and thus limit 1 the pread of the extremely simplistic-a common asser virus until fresh team of people from tion being that the virus might 'mutate' lagus cuniculus). the State Animal and Plant Control Com and 'jump' into species other than Rab The release of a virus to conb·ol Rab mission arrived to complete the work. bits. However, these easily absorbed bits is not a new idea in Australia. In At that point, the stress of working 18 word pictures hide the fact that there is 1950 the myxoma virus was responsible hours a day for weeks on end proved too far more to the process of viruses chang for alleviating the Rabbit problem in ruch; my head ached an� I felt shaky as ing hosts than mutation alone. most of Australia's farming areas. How . headed back to Adela1cle to catch a All life forms can mutate and are ever, the sporadic impact of this disease flight home. It was a few days later when genetically variable. Consequently, in arid areas, which is tied to the appear � lear�ed that th_e virus had turned up mutation of viruses is accepted without ance of the mosquito vectors after rain, und1 eds of kilometres away near question. More important, however, is has meant that it is not a completely Yunta, north-east of Adelaide. At this the immense natural selection against effective method of Rabbit control. Slage all thought of its containment had any aberrant viru es; few go on to infect Other methods, such a warren-ripping lo be abandoned. the next host unless conforming to pre and the use of poisons, have always been cise genetic templates. Although there prohibitively expensive in inland Aus I PREMATURE ESC PE OF THE A RCD WAS A are plenty of viruses that infect a range tralia. Some other form of biological con great concern.Thi s was not because of different animals, there is no example trol seemed the only option. "t spre \)� _ ad was considered dangerous, of a virus suddenly switching to other Weighed again t the nebulous possi t sunply because it took away the hosts that have previously shown no sus bility of RCD virus switching hosts is the \h ance of having proper public debate ceptibility to it. As far as we know, RCD stark certainty that Rabbits have caused a out the proposal to release it. It also is host specific; extensive testing in Aus enormous damage lo Au tralia's heart Upset plans to maximise the effective tralia and overseas shows RCD only land. In the encl, it is a question of ness of any releases. affects the European Rabbit (Orycto- whether introducing the calicivirus, NAT UR E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 45 brr already present in over 40 countries numbers in that area were reduced by persist. The mauve fringe lily Thysanotus over 95 per cenl and two years (and two sp. was also unusually common but it is around the world (see box), is a greater r risk than leaving Rabbits uncontrolled. further bouts of RCD) later still uncertain whether this followed f om RCD has now spread across mainland remained al Len per cenl of their original the reduction in Rabbits or whether Australia and into Tasmania. It has even number . favourable rainfall also helped. crossed the Tasman Sea into ew Early measurements of Lhe many As grasses recover, grazing animals Zealand, although this was an apparent changes in vegetation flowing from Lhe will increase. In Lhe Flinders Ranges ly deliberate but unauthorised introduc reduction in Rabbits show a wide range Reel Kangaroos (Macropus rufus) and tion. The initial impact of RCD was par Common Wallaroos (M. robustus) quick ticularly well documented in South Aus ly Look advantage of Lhe extra food on r the experimental blocks where Rabbits t. alia where Greg Mutze, Vicki Linton Rabbit numbers and David Powell (Department of Pri were controlled by Mulze and his col mary Industries, Adelaide) were already leagues. In the immediate aftermath of were reduced by over RCD however, the kangaroos dispersed studying the effects of Rabbits on native r vegetation in the Flinders Ranges f om those havens as food became more ational Park and the adjoining sheep 95 per cent and two years widely available. station, "Gum Creek". These Birds have also flourished as a result researchers had found that, where Rab later still remained at of RCD. In late 1996, Budgerigars bits were common, the number of Ele (Melo/Jsittacus undulatus) appeared in gant Wattles (Acacia victoriae) ten per cent of their swirling, chattering Docks of iridescent increased very slowly and a large golden green when a combination of good rain daisy (Senecio nzagnificus) was steadily and low Rabbit numbers allowed prolific disappearing. However, they also original numbers. flowering of summer grasses. showed that, on removing Rabbits, wat The wattles now regenerating will tle numbers increased more rapidly and of regeneration, with wattles, saltbushes soon provide food and shelter for birds the decline in daisies reversed. and wild Dowers appearing in profusion. and insects through their foliage, flow The arrival of RCD on the study site Twelve months after the initial spread ers and seed. But longer successional totally disrupted the experiments. The of RCD, native perennial grasses were changes will take at least 20 years to three researchers could no longer work noticeably more abundant in the become obvious. Mistletoes (Amyena as planned, but they quickly saw the Flinders Ranges than usual. Normally, at spp.) spread by the Mistletoe Bird opportunity to measure the effects of that time of year, Rabbits nip off Dower (Dicaeurn hirundinaceurn) and Spiny RCD. Mutze estimated that in the heads on native spear grasses (Stipa cheeked Honeyeaters (Acanthagenys Flinders Ranges ational Park in South spp.), ef fectively stopping seed set. How rufogularis) will colonise the maturing Australia more than a million Rabbits ever, such damage is now limited to only wattles and in turn provide food for the were killed within a few weeks. Rabbit a few sites near warrens where Rabbits larvae of butterflies such as the Wood The numbers of both feral Cats and Foxes have significantly declined in areas where RCD has been effective at killing Rabbits. 46 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 With Rabbit populations decimated, wattles are beginning to recover and will provide food and shelter for many species of birds and insects, including the larvae of butterflies such as this Wood White. White (Dilias aganippe). This beautiful have never been present! Eagles are also 1 pecies, with white wings outlined in adept at feeding on road kills or the offal b\ack and distinctive red spots on the left by kangaroo shooters, and they have h1�d wing, is heavily dependent on recently been seen vigorously hunting mistletoes. young kangaroos. Neverthe-less, rarer . ot all the changes associated with predators, such as the Black-breasted falling Rabbit numbers are favourable. Buzzard (Hamirostra melano-sternon), Foxes, Cats and native predators such as have important breeding colonies within 1 goannas and Wedge-tailed Eagles Rabbit-infested areas and their breeding (Aqui�a audax) that rely on Rabbits have success should be carefully monitored. expenenc_ed food shortages, which have In the Flinders Ranges, Foxes have Prior to r�sulted m population declines and a been forced to change their diet. wi�er :ange of prey being taken (prey RCD, Rabbits comprised about 80 per swi�chmg). This is a two-edged sword. cent of food in the stomachs of shot While declines in Fox and Cat numbers Foxes, but since the release of RCD Rab are welcome, declines in native preda bits only amount to 40 per cent of the �ors are not. Similarly, while prey-switch diet. Lindsay Best f rom ational Parks ing to a common species is not a con and Wildlife South Australia says that, �ern, swit species Rabbits are still important diet ching to a threatened although r 18 ess1 desirable. items, Foxes now at more f uit and Whil_e �h�se concepts are easily under invertebrates, and scavenge on road st_ood,_ it 1s important to realise that it is a kills. Cats seem less adaptable, relying �f Phfication of the :ea\ situation. heavily on the now-scarce Rabbits. This ho ugh. a lack of Rabbits has a(fected may account for a greater fall in the num W d e than Foxes. However the fa 1 g -�iled Eagles, causing nesting ber of Cal i �re 1� some areas, it cannot cause abundance of both Cats and Foxes has Over the years many techniques have been th employed in an attempt to control Rabbits in 1r extmction. Wedge-tailed Eagles are declined significantly in areas where 00� confined to ar�as occu�ied by R_ab RCD is very effective. Australia. Most have proved expensive and not bits'�nd a prop n In some situations, action by National all that effective-this 'Rabbit-proof' fence ortion of their populatio was simply burrowed under. live s 111 Parts of Australia where Rabbits Parks staff has alleviated the problem of NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 47 b A Wedge-tailed Eagle dines on a Rabbit. Although the decline in Rabbits has affected this native bird in some areas, it will not place the species in danger of extinction. Cals and Foxes preying on lhe few remaining colonies of small native mam mals. Foxes in the Flinders Ranges have been reduced by laying poisoned meal bails around colonies of Yellow-fooled Rock-wallabies (Petrogate xanthopus). This reduction in predators, coupled wilh regeneration of grasses and shrubs, appears lo be working. The wallabies are increasing in numbers quite rapidly and appear lo be ranging well oul from their rocky refuges lo feed. The colonie of rock-wallabies that are not protected by Fox bailing have also survived well since RCD arrived, having increased more than expected from seasonal conditions alone. We might expect other changes too. The Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is consid ered lo have been affected by Rabbits because ils decline is strongly correlated with the spread of Rabbits across Aus tralia. Today most Bilbies live beyond the northern limits of the Rabbit's distri bution. Travelling in south-western Queens land recently, my wife, Pam, and I checked one well-known colony of Bil RABBIT CALICIVIRUS bies, confirming its continued exi tence from the characteristic scratchings and Name burrows. As expected, ther was no evi Official name is Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus; common name in Australia and dence of Rabbits at the site, but they had New Zealand is Rabbit Calicivirus. not been very far away. In the reel and hills, 70 kilometres south towards Mode of Action Birclsville, old weathered Rabbit clung Incubation only 2 days, with Rabbits showing few external signs apart from lethargy and Rabbit bones were common but over the last few hours. Death follows quickly with little struggle. The liver shows a clearly Rabbit numbers had fallen characteristic, finely mottled (lobular) pattern, the spleen is enlarged and the lungs sharply in recent times. Their warrens congested. Death caused by coagulation of blood in the circulatory system, and were collapsing and not a fresh Rabbit haemorrhages in the lungs and other organs appear as a result of blockage of blood track or scratch was seen. Local people circulation. said that RCD had arrived in the prev ious autumn. History It i po sible that RCD may cause Rab Although the virus was first described in China in 1984, it probably had European bits to contract from their northern lim origins. The virulent form of the virus spread through Europe, assisted by trade in its reducing their interactions with rare domestic Rabbits. Its appearance in wild Rabbits in Spain prompted interest in its use species like the Bilby. Elsewhere along for controlling wild Rabbits in Australia. After escaping from Wardang Island, SA, in the northern limits of the Rabbit's distri Spring 1995, it has since spread across southern Australia. Natural spread has been bution, there is additional evidence of supplemented by further deliberate releases. Today it occurs in over 40 countries in the effectiveness of RCD. Will Dobbie Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and, most recently, New Zealand. from the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory informs me Field Notes Able to spread that Rabbits on 'The Garden" cattle sta by both contact transmission and insect vectors (including at least 7 tion, 100 kilometres north-east of Alice species o fly, 2 mos uitoes and 2 Rabbit ! � _ fleas). Mostly noticed in autumn and spring. Springs, are at their lowest levels for Low surv1val of the virus at _ high temperatures may explain its poor spread in summer. many years and again Rabbit warrens he disease kills up to 95% � of adult wild Rabbits, although young Rabbits survive a are collapsing from disuse. little better. Surviving Rabbits have antibodies to the disease and young Rabbits temporarily r carry maternal antibodies passed across the placenta. T THIS STAGE THE LONG-TER�I Use in Control Abenefits of RCD for conservation In most f ? .�ustralia th� virus persists as a self-sustaining, biological control, however can only be glimpsed al, but there are the poss1bihty _ of releasing more virus, applied to baits, is being investigated as a some extremely promisino- signs. The means of increasing_ _ final outcome depends on RCD continu its usefulness. It is recommended that such releases are made in autumn whe the e ing lo kill a Rabbits � � are few young Rabbits with natural resistance or protection from high proportion of maternal nt1bo _ _ � �1es. With the first autumn rains, and while the weather is without becoming attenuated or faltering released _ still warm, virus will have an opportunity for further spread by insect vectors. because of increasing resistance in the Rabbits. Nevertheless, RCD is in Aus tralia lo slay and, added lo myxomatosis, il can be expected lo benefit arid-zone 48 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 I' This aerial view of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia gives an idea of the extent of the Rabbit problem. The white areas represent Rabbit warrens. ecosystems for many years. From a personal point of view there are obviously many things about the introduction of RCD that I wish had turned out differently. However, I have absolutely no regrets about the benefits now flowing on to ecosystems in inland Australia. The scale of the Rabbit prob lem in arid Australia warranted the use of another biological control, even though thi was likely to be controver sial. Whether RCD brings lasting ecologi cal changes to the arid zone is yet to be seen . evertheless, the blueness of the juvenile leaves of freshly germinating 0- Acacia seedlings, a sea of flowering 0· ummer grasses, and the sight of young :e kangaroos crambling back into the 1g pouch or racing ahead of the mob, show n·, that ignificant changes are truly under of way.• 1ie JO Further Reading ne Mutze, G., Cooke, B. & Alexander, P., 1998. Initial ta impact of rabbit hemorrhagic disease on European rab ce bit populations in South Australia. J. Wild/. Diseases 34(2): 221- 7. for .. 22 !OS Mutze, G.J., Linton, V. & Powell, D., 1995. Changes in grazing patterns, range condition and soil erosion fol lowing rabbit control in South Australia. Pp. 203-206 in 10th Australian VertebratePest Control Conference, Proceedings. Dept Primary Industries and Fisheries: Hobart. Dr !3rianCooke is a Principal Research Sci en tist with CSJ RO Wildlife and Ecology in Canberra. He has carried out field research on Rabbits for over 30 years in Australia, �Pain and France, and hds assessed the impact of Rabbits on Australian ecosystems as well as developing more effective Rabbit Despite prey-switching by Foxes, populations of the endangered Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby control methods. have increased as their food supply of grasses regenerates. NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 49 The Green and Golden Bell Frog can be HAT A BEA TIFUL ANIMAL gloomy, some positive actions have occurred. Governments, both Common distinguished from most other frogs by the the Green and Golden pale racing stripe along the side of its body Bell Frog is! Wl1en out wealth and Stale, have drawn up lists of frogs (and plants and other ni nals) hat and the blue-green colour of the groin and basking in the daytime � ! � thighs. sun, its brilliant green and gold back, are considered 'threatened with extmc conspicuous pale racing stripe from tion and have adopted legislation that nose Lo hind limbs, and bold blue-green requires the impacts of proposed human in biological survey work, leading lo a groin and upper thighs distinguish it activities to be considered, and possibly much improved knowledge of the pat from olher froo-s. With these colour ameliorated, before they gel any terns of distribution and abundance of and its o-ood athletic abilities, it is indeed approval. At present, the Green and frogs and other organisms. But there is a trne Au Lralian! And this acclaimed still an urgent need for more research swimmer and high-jumper already has a on frogs, especially in terms of the fac connection with the Olympic Games! tors that control their distribution and One of the largest known populations of abundance. the Green and Golden Bell Frog in ew It was so common Along with Arthur White (Director of outh Wal s is found at Homebush Bay, Biosphere Environmental Consultants which is also home to the new Olympic that it could be collected and a Research Associate at the Aust tadium. Could this be a good omen for ralian Museum), we have been docu Australia's performance in the year menting the Green and Golden Bell 2000? by the bucketful and was Frog's past distribution, studying known Sadly, like many other frogs in Aus locations where it still occurs, and inves tralia and worldwide, the Green and used as a standard animal tigating any reports that come our way Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) has of possible sightings. One of our earliest declined enormously in disb·ibution and for dissection by goals was to determine the frog's habitat abundance. It was once one of the most requirements, especially in terms of commonly encountered frogs on the university students. breeding, as this should enable us to bet coast of outh-eastern Ausb·alia. Indeed ter manage the species through man it was so common that it could be col agement of its habitat and to be more lected by the bucketful and was used as efficient at locating additional popula a standard animal for dissection by uni Golden Bell Frog is considered 'endan tions of the species through targeted versity students. Since then, however, it gered' in New South Wales and 'vulnera r habitat surveys. Our interest in the has di appeared completely f om over ble' nationally. (Both 'endangered' and Green and Golden Bell Frog is shared 90 per cent of its range and, in ew 'vulnerable' are categories of 'threat with a number of our colleagues who are South Wales, is resb·icted to only about ened', the risk of extinction being carrying out complementary research at 30 locations, where most of its popula greater for species in the 'endangered' various locations, including Homebush tions are small. category.) Bay. Although this situation is rather There has also been a huge increase At first glance, the Green and Golden ' The disused brick pit at the Homebush Bay-a useless . ' . � hole to some, but it s home to the endangered Green and Golden Bell frog. 52 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 b Bell Frog occurs in an amazingly diverse with rainfall). These sites also generally Green and Golden Bell Frog, we have array of seemingly different habitats. It contain places where the frogs can seek been searching for sites where it still has been found in a variety of natural shelter (thick ground-level vegetation, occurs, as well as sites potentially suit swamps and ponds. It has also been rocks, timber or other suitable material), able for its introduction. Serendipity has found breeding in human-disturbed bask in the sun (suitable vegetation) and played a major role. sites, including farm and garden ponds forage (nearby grass or other low vege and water bodies created by mining tation). 1997 l LEARNT OF Loi G REEF GOLF activities. Indeed, some of the sites These features and other aspects of I Course, in the Sydney suburb of Col where the species occurs are completely the frog's biology suggest that what we laroy, as a potential site for introduction human-made, which suggests that we are dealing with is essentially an endan of the Green and Golden Bell Frog. I should, if we can determine the correct gered 'weed'. The Green and Golden read an article in the local newspaper recipe, be able to create new habitat for Bell Frog is a relatively long-lived that described a program of wetland it in places where such habitat does not species (adults have been kept in captiv development on the golf course and presently exist. ity for over 15 years), with strong move wondered if it might be suitable for frogs The common features of all these sites ment and dispersal abilities (individuals in general and the Green and Golden provide us with clues as to the actual may travel about a kilometre a day while Bell Frog in particular. habitat requirements of the Green and foraging and some have apparently tra One thing led to another. A visit to Golden Bell Frog. In general, the breed versed over 15 kilometres from one site Long Reef revealed to me that, in tl1e ing sites of this species consist of water to another) and a potentially enormous process of developing a series of ponds, bodies that are unshaded, fresh (rather reproductive rate (usually 4,000-5,000 suitable habitat for the Green and Gold than saline or brackish), still or moving eggs per clutch). And, as described en Bell Frog had inadvertently been cre very slowly, free of the introduced above, it seems to favour disturbed sites. (Gambusia holbrookz) ated. Information about a wetland that Plague Minnow These are typical characteristics of so occurred on the golf course up to about and other fish that eat the eggs and/ or called 'weedy' species. 1930, and nearby past records of the frog tadpoles of frogs, and that fluctuate sig Armed with this knowledge of the (which is believed to be extinct between nificantly in water level (in accordance apparent habitat requirements of the the Parramatta and HawkesburY 54 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 GREEN AND GOLDEN BELL FROG Litoria aurea Classification Family Hylidae (tree frogs). Identification Relatively large frog (adults 5-8 cm long) with varying amounts of green and coppery gold on the back, pale stripe along both sides of its body from nose to hind limbs and a conspicuous area of blue-green around groin and upper thighs. Males generally' smaller than females. Reproductively mature males have thumbs that are swollen through the development of nuptial pads. Distribution Native to south-eastern Australia, mainly along coast from about Byron Bay (NSW) to Lakes Entrance (Vic.), but also throughout Southern Tablelands and adjacent Western Slopes. Now restricted to coastal locations in Aust. but has been introduced to New Zealand, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Habitat During the warmer months of the year, male Generally requires water that is still or flowing slowly, unshaded, free of predatory fish, Green and Golden Bell Frogs give out growl and that fluctuates significantly in water level. Also does best at sites that provide like calls to attract females. They usually do reeds, rushes or other emergent aquatic vegetation for basking and foraging, nearby this from the water and sometimes, as in this grassy areas for foraging, and rocks or timber under which it can shelter. case, their calling will alert other males to their presence. Biology Although a member of the 'tree frog' family, it spends most of its time in the water, on the ground or on low reeds and other vegetation, and does not usually climb trees. Rivers), also indicated the likelihood Breeding occurs mostly in warmer months from about Oct.-Mar. Males generally call that the Green and Golden Bell Frog in water. Their call is rather growl-like. Females deposit once occurred at this very site. So I while partly submerged 3,000-10,000 eggs in a floating gelatinous mat, which sinks after 6-12 hours. approached the golf club with the sug . Tadpoles hatch in about 2 days, and about 2 months later may crawl out of water as gestion that the course become a home immature frogs. Under some conditions, development can be much slower with animals onc! again, for this frog, and also Taron� remaining as tadpoles for several months or more. ga Zoo with a request that some of the progeny from its captive breeding colony Diet be translocated to the golf to feed on algae, bacteria and organic detritus, while frogs are o rse. Tadpoles are believed i u This breeding colony is derived catholic in their food habits, feeding on anything that moves, can be captured om a popula Golden extremely tion of Green and can fit in the mouth. As adults they are known to eat insects such as crickets and Bell Frogs at Rosebery not far and a suburb cockroaches, as well as other frogs, including members of the same species. �.outh of the centre of Sydney and a loca ion closer to Long Reef any other than Status present location species. These of the 'Endangered' in NSW; 'vulnerable' nationally. ideas were enthusiastically adopted and r.esulted in the formation of a collabora- tive tea m, invo· I vi · ng the Australian· Muse- um, Long Reef Golf Club and Taronga NATUR 55 ... E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 The creation of wetlands for water purification and irrigation at Long Reef 901f Course has created suitable habitat for the Green and Golden Bell Frog. Tadpoles were introduced to the site early in 1998 and so far appear to be doing well. Zoo and supported by Warringah Coun In the process of monitoring the Green and Golden Bell Frog we have cil (the council responsible f?r the golf course). A proposal was submitted to the also come across other naturally occur ew South Wales National Parks and ring frog species, including the Bro:"'.n Wildlife Service, resulting in the neces Striped Frog (Limnodynastes peronzz), (Litoria peroniz) sary licence to carry out th� introduc Peron's Tree Frog and tion; Long Reef Golf Club earned out fur the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia ther habitat enhancement forthe benefit signifera). We hope to gain valuable of the Green and Golden Bell Frog; and information about these additional frog Taronga Zoo arranged for their frogs to species, and determine the natur� of any breed and produce tadpoles that could interactions between these species and be moved to the golf course. the introduced Green and Golden Bell On 15 January 1998 we released 1,400 Frog. These other frogs may also pro Green and Golden Bell Frog tadpoles vide food for the Green and Golden Bell into a total of six ponds on the course. Frogs, which are renowned fortheir will We chose tadpoles rather than frogs ingness to eat virtually anything that because frogs that grow up and emerge moves, including members of their own from a pond are believed to be more like species. ly to consider that pond and the sur By mid-April, three months after the rounding area as 'home' than are indi initial introduction, the tadpoles had viduals transplanted as frogs. We shall passed their first milestone, with about on the golf course. After that the popula be testing this presently unverified idea 200 having successfully metamorphosed tion should increase until it reaches by also releasing some frogs to the site into three-centimetre-long immature some roughly stable level. We shall fol and comparing their behaviour with that frogs. Two of these frogs were found on low the population through all these of the frogs transplanted as tadpoles. golf course greens up to about 100 stages. As soon as we introduced the tadpoles metres from the nearest pond. Another to the golf course we began a monitoring frog had moved about 600 meb·es from ECENTLY WE HAVE ALSO HAD THE program to follow their progress. Dur one pond to another. Although still Rgood fortune to find a large and ing the day we look for frogs under arti young, some of these frogs have already previously unknown population of Green ficial shelter boards that we placed reached adult length of five centimeb·es and Golden Bell Frogs on Broughton around each pond, and sweep a net or more, and some of the males had Island about three kilomeb·es off the through the ponds to catch tadpoles; at begun to develop nuptial pads on their coast �f New South Wales just north of night-time we search for active frogs. thumbs (used to clasp females during Hawks Nest. Broughton Island is only Any captured frogs or tadpoles are mea mating), a sign of advancing reproduc about 200 hectares and, if you were look sured and weighed before being tive maturity. All signs so far indicate ing at it from a boat or helicopter, you released at the same place they were they are doing well in their new home! wouldn't think it could harbour many captured. Frogs are also individually By the time this article is published, frogs, let alone the endangered Green identified either by toe-clipping or inser the frogs should all have grown to reach and Golden Bell Frog. Its coastline con tion of an electronic microchip under the their adult length of five to eight cen sists of a few sandy beaches, with rocky skin. timetres, with some possibly breeding cliffs and intertidal areas along most of 56 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 it circumference. There are no appar uary 1998. We first checked out the The spectacular Green and Golden Bell Frog �nt r creeks or swamps, and the vegeta soak, but found no f ogs. Then we is endangered in New South Wales and is n �i _g�nerally indicates relatively dry walked across the island to the pond famous for its large population at the nd1tions. Yet we knew Green and where Ross had first seen the tadpoles. Olympic site at Homebush Bay. 01 f tn Bell Frogs lived on the island It was about three metres in diameter th t ur _White had found one on th� with a moist drainage line leading into it. rare since the species began its precipi 0 ulhern side of a the island in 1975 at a The water was almost completely cov tous decline in the 1960s. P 1 ce wh ere ground ' (Typha Upon further investigation we found t water seeped ered by bulrushes sp.), which r h rough to the (Phragmites that the small areas of f ee water in the d surface and trickled gave way to reeds sp.) and �wn to th� ocean. And when Ross other plants with increasing distance up pond were absolutely thick with Green D on x (Kurn Kurri TA E) and fami the drainage line. and Golden Bell Frog tadpoles. The tad y1 e . F his - w re . wa lk ,�g m about the same We approached the pond, pushed poles also occurred in several other on the area ,s nd in late 1997, a Green and aside some of the plant stems and nearby ponds, the largest of which was Gold e � wh n �II Frog jumped out from peered inside and around the water no more than five metres across. At one erever ,t . of these ponds we saw large numbers of brie . was hI d.mg and landed logged vegetation. As soon as we did f] on h s daug ' advanced tadpoles and at least ten imma recall� ! hter s leg! Ross also this, we were amazed to find many eyes r d eem tadpo looking up at us and then to realise that ture f ogs. By now it was becoming on the O 1 � les in a small pond t er side of the island these eyes belonged to at least a dozen apparent that these ponds supported a Pr om pted. b Y t I1_ ese sigh· adult Green and Golden Bell Frogs. ignificant breeding population of the and I or tmgs,. · Ross gan,sed a tnp to the island in Jan- Sadly, such encounters have become Green and Golden Bell Frog. NAruR E A 57 USTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 The Green and Golden Bell Frog is unusual among frogs in that it often sits on reeds during the daytime and basks in the sun. The next two days rgave us a good idea of just how many f ogs lived in _ these ponds. With the help of everyone m our group we captured and marked 24 adults at the first pond. The rfollowing day _we captured a imilar 23 f ogs, five of which had been marked the previous day. Using a simple calculation (23 x 24/5) we concluded there were about 1�0 adult Green and Golden Bell Frogs _liv ing around this pond. We also earned out similarr mark and recapture tec� niques, f om around all the ponds this time, and we calculated there must have been a total of about 166 adult Green and Golden Bell Frogs living at the site. During this visit to Broughton Island we learnt of yet another site on the island where the Green and Golden Bell Frog is able to live and breed. Some passing bushwalkers told us how, about two weeks earlier, they had seen amplex ing (mating) frogs in a small pond �n_the western side of the island. So we V1s1ted an this site on our last r day there dd Life on the edge at Broughton Island! Here a population of Green and Golden Bell Frogs manages although we saw no f ogs, we did fin Be 1 to survive the occasional ocean wave, which would kill the tadpoles in the ponds. In between large numbers of Green and Golder n \ waves, the frogs do well in fresh water that seeps through the ground into the ponds. Frog tadpoles. The amplexing f ogs hac apparently been successful! 58 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 - Despite talking w_i�h ma!1y peop!e who fam1har with the island, are extrenwly e learnt of no other places where the ireen and Golden Bell_ Frog seemed The ponds where r the Green and Golden Bell Frog live are likely to occur. !\�sum,ng that<': some adult f ogs we:e hvmg around th pond 111 also uncharacteristically close to the ocean and at the second site, the total populallon �n would the island was probably somewhere ge of 200-300. seem susceptible to occasional inundation with salt water the ran r S ewhat strangely, we found only r om one other f og species on Broughton during storms and rough seas. Island. This wa� the Brown Stripe? Frog and it was relatively rare, accountmg for ·ust one per cent of al) f:ogs. On lhe by contrast, 1t 1s one of the ·:nainland, :i most commonly encountered frog sail water during storms and rough seas. tI e population at the Homebush Bay specie . . . Such inundation would certainly kill any site. And as our Australian athletes strive Broughton Island 1s different �-om the Green and Golden Bell Frog tadpoles. for gold in the year 2000, they may take mainland in a number of other mterest There are so many important and heart in the fact that they will be doing ina respect . It has, for example, only exciting things still to do in terms of so alongside another green-and-gold bat 01�e snake species,(Herniaspis the Black-belli. signata),ed research on the Green and Golden Bell tler, of the frog kind. • Swamp Snake Frog. Using Long Reef and Broughton Further Reading whichfroas is known to feed on lizards and Island as our principal study sites, we plan, for example, to determine howr pop Pyke, G.H. & Osborne, W.S. (eds), 1996. The Green including presumably Green and and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea biology and conser Gold�n Bell Frogs. Mainland sites would ulation sizes of this frog vary f om one vation. Aust. Zoo/. 30: 1-258. aenerally have several snake species time and place to another, and to explore that would be significant predators of the reasons behind this variation. We Dr Graham Py/le is a Principal Research the Green and Golden Bell Frog. The hope also to find additional sites that are Scientist at the Australian Museum. He and ponds where the Green and Gol�e1� Bell potentially suitable for introduction and Dr Arthur White jointly coordinate the 1 • Frog live are also uncharactenstically to learn of further places where the Museum's Frog Behaviour & Ecology close to the ocean and would seem sus species still occurs naturally. Meanwhile Group. ceptible to occasional inundation with other scientists will continue to monitor r. The back of the Green and Golden Bell Frog displays a mosaic of green and coppery-gold. The relative amounts of these two colours vary substantially and individuals can often be recognised by their particular colour patterns. NATURE 59 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 RECLAIMING A PETREL'S PARADISE BY DAVID PRIDDEL & NICK CARLILE In a world first, our research team has achieved on Cabbage Tree Island what many land managers on the mainland can only dream about. ly turned the tide. In a world first, our research team has combined the deadly S THE LAST OF 100 RABBIT calicivirus with a new type of poison to traps were removed from achieve on Cabbage Tree Island what • Cabbage Tree Island, the many land managers on the mainland clattering of metal on rock can only dream about. elicitedA an unmistakable call-that of a Gould's Petrel, a critically endangered rare Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leu species, spends most of its 30-40 years coptera leucoptera) hidden among the of life at sea, soarimt on the relentless rock scree. Woken from its daytime winds of the southe1; oceans in search I · slumber, this bird was oblivious to the of small fish, squid and krill. Adults come • recent changes that had taken place on ashore between September and April the island; changes that herald a new each year to breed on two small islands � chapter in the struggle for survival by near the entrance to Port Stephens, New 1 Australia's rarest endemic seabird. South Wales. Most of the population � For the last 90 years the diminutive (about 500 breeding pairs) breed in rock Gould's Petrel, only 30 centimetres long cavities on the rugged lopes of Cabbage and weighing less than 200 grams, has Tree Island; a dozen or so pairs breed on seen its principal breeding ground slow nearby Boondelbah Island. Gould's ly destroyed by Rabbit . But an innova Petrel breeds nowhere else on Earth. tive and successful eradication campaign Cabbage Tree Island supports the by the New South Wales National Parks most southerly off hore rainforest in and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has recent- Australia. Despite its remoteness, the 60 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 > island has not escaped the influence of breeding adults exceeded the recruit- Top left: Cabbage Tree Island's western shore humanity. Foremost among the distur ment of young into the breeding popula- is fringed by an impenetrable rainforest and �ances has been the ill-advised introduc tion. Experimental action undertaken this is home to Gould's Petrel. Above: adult tion of Rabbit in 1906. Over the ensuing recently by the Threatened Fauna Ecol- Gould's Petrels only come ashore between the decades, these voracious herbivores ogy Unit within the NPWS, however, has months of September and April to breed; the hav� systematically devastated much of achieved a dramatic recovery in breed- rest of the year is spent at sea. the ,�land' ubtropical rainforest. What ing success. Nowadays, approximately remains is severely degraded, existing 500 pairs lay eggs during ovember and only as an ageing canopy with little or no December, and more than 300 fledglings understorey. depart the island around April each year. For lhe petrels, this change in vegeta This remarkable turnaround has been t" n structure T� has proven disastrous. achieved through direct control of the e removal of the understorey has currawongs and by removal of Bird-lime �posed nesting birds to predatio by Trees from within the nesting habitat of iie n d C urrawongs (Strepera graculina), the petrel. The underlying cause of these a d to ent � anglement in the sticky fruits problems-the changes brought about e native Bird-lim (Pisonia by Rabbits-has not, until no�, been �mlh . e Tree ellifera_). By the early 1990s mor addressed. The removal of Rabbits from ty tali and disturbance at their nesting Cabbage Tree Island has long been g r?und had b pu heel Gould's Petrel to the regarded as an impossible la k. The dif nnk of- ex t·1 _nct1 ficulty of destroying each and every Rab 2S . on. Each year, fewer than . PairsO laid their bit is compounded by the ruggedness of h . ' single eggs J)roduc- ll1g w[e er t· an 50 fledglmgs. Mortality of the terrain and the difficulty of access lo N ATURE A USTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 61 > Gould's Petrel chicks must begin to fend for themselves less than a week after hatching. many parts of the island. The 30-hectare island sits atop a wedge of volcanic rock thrust up from the seabed. It measures just one kilometre long and 450 metres wide, but rises steeply to 125 metres above the swirling seas below. Just get ting around this island requires enor mous physical effort. To eradicate the offending Rabbits we designed a program that called for the sequential application of several mortali ty agents, including both biological and conventional methods. The Rabbit popu lation was first reduced by an epidemic of myxomato is. The controlled intro duction of calicivirus followed soon after. The survivors were then baited with grain-based pellets containing the poi son brodifacoum, an anticoagulant that is toxic to all mammals. AJthough not used previou ly in Ausb·alia this bait. known commercially as 'Talon 20p', has been used with success to eradicate Rab· bit and other mammalian pests from A Gould's Petrel nesting on the floor of Cabbage Tree Island's rainforest. 62 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 > Zealand. The absence isla nds in New of mammals on Cabbage an Y native · Tree l s'la nd elimmate. cI any po t ent· 1a I ns. I < to arget spcnes._ non-t . Eio-hl weeks of 111tens1ve effort were eeded before all Rabbits were dead. n tinu d for a furthe1- x fonitoring co1� c _ s! months to venfy our succe_ss. vV1th111 this lime there wa:' ample evidence of a dramatic increase 111 the cm�rg�nce �md o-rowth of many plants. Monitoring sites had become engulfed in lush herba�e, tracks wer� blocked . by fa t-growmg vines and idle Rabbit trap became th grasses an climber . entwined wi _ � . We will contmue to mo111tor vegetaUon for several year to fully document the overy of the rainforest. After almost a rec r century, Cabbage Tree Island is f ee from the ravages of Australia's most despised mammalian pe t. As the last As the last Rabbit traps are removed, an atmosphere of tranquillity descends over the island; the se renity now broken GOULD'S PETREL Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera only by Gould's Classification Petrels returning from Order Procellariiformes, family Procellariidae. Gould's Petrel is currently treated as a subspecies of the White-winged Petrel, with the other subspecies P. /. caledonica breeding P. I. brevipes the ocean. in New Caledonia and in the Fiji, Cook and possibly Solomon Islands area. Identification Length 30 cm, wing span 75 cm, average weight 180 g. Black to sooty brown above and white below. Head with a dark hood and speckled forehead, and underwing with a Rabbit traps are removed, an atmos distinctive dark diagonal stripe. phere of tranquillity descends over the island; the serenity now broken only by Distribution the enigmatic Gould's Petrels returning Most often seen at sea beyond the edge of the continental shelf off south-eastern NSW. from the vastness of the ocean to Thought to spend non-breeding period in the southern Tasman Sea. re claim their island paradise. • Habitat Further Reading Breeds exclusively on two islands at the entrance to Port Stephens, NSW. Principal site is Priddel, D. & Carlile, N., 1998. Conservation of the Cabbage Tree Island with a covering of subtropical rainforest over rock scree slopes. endangere d Gould's Petrel Pterodroma /eucoptera leu Nearby Boondelbah Island is a wind-swept location with only a few pairs limited to small coptera. Pacific Conserv. Biol. 3: 322-329. areas of rock scree. Both islands are Nature Reserves with restricted public access. Priddel, D. & Carlile, N., 1997. Boondelbah Island con e , firmed as a second breeding locality for Gould's Petrel Behaviour and Breeding 97: 245-248. Nocturnal at its breeding locality, arriving and leaving under cover of darkness between { Pterodroma leucopteraleucoptera . Emu and fallen palm fronds. Birds �- September and May. Nest made in crevices among rock scree return annually to the same nest site to lay a single white egg. Pair bonds appear to be for David Priddel is a Senior Research Scientist life and incubation is shared between sexes with individual shifts extending up to 21 days. 1 hin 1tJt the Threatened Fauna Ecology U nit, Chicks hatch after 49 days incubation and are brooded for less than a week before fending ot WS. He has been involved with Gould's visits from both parents. 500 breeding pairs produce 300 p tre for themselves between feeding gP, i/ t (or almost a decade. Nicholas Carlile fledglings yearly. i I liv_o;ect Manager N S for Gould's Petrel at »·· an_ 1 has spent much of the last five ea l v g Status 111: �ea ;� i i!'- alongside these secretive internationally. 1. , ird s. The Foundation for National Endangered nationally, critically endangered Ruar ks and V f Wildlife is raising much-needed ds for the conser (;ir vation of Gould's Petrel ol ee call: 1300 656563). NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 63 Pyralid moth, Glyphodes canthusalis, 20 mm across. Geometrid moth, Eumelea rosalia, 40 mm across. Noctuid fruit-piercing moth larva, Othreis ful/onia, 30 mm long. 9 64 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 199 PHOTO ART MOTHS BY PAUL ZBOROWSKI Drepanid moth, Hypsidia erythropsa/is, 26 mm long. 65 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 p H O T O A R T Choreutid metallic moth, Saptha libanota, 7 mm long. 66 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 Lasiocampid (snout) moth, Eremaea zonaspila, 15 mm long. Arctiid (tiger) moth, 28 mm long. NATURE 67 AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 p H O T O A R T Noctuid moth, Cyclodes spectans, 35 mm across. Geometrid moth, Uliocnemis partita, 25 mm across. 68 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 - Anthelid moth, Anthela sp., 32 mm across. 69 NATUR E AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 ... explosive called Reel Cord. Twenty-two years of experience had taught us that, although Reel Cord is normally u eel to Whatever the nature of the sheletal beast that claws _its way out of link explosive charges so they go off those blocks, it will soon find itself brought back to life. simultaneously, it has in itself sufficient '00mph' to cleanly pop limestone blocks from the wall. After clearing the area and checking the wires, I taped on the elec tric detonator and then waded through a TIPPING AN AIR sea of spinifex to join the others shelter ing behind a tree. Checking again to see that everyone was accounted for, I shout HEAD OUT OF A ed "Firing!", then counted down ''Three, two, one" and on "zero" detonated the charge. There was a boom, a puff of STONE BED smoke and a lot of intense curiosity about what might appear. BY MICHAEL ARCHER Looking down into the quarry, a 300- kilogram block lay on its side 20 cen timetres from the wall. It was in perfect ial requires the skills of a master rock nick, having been carved away like a cutter-which is exactly what our 1998 giant slice of Christmas pudding. When team of Earthwatch volunteers had in we rolled it over, the sun glinted off a abundance. Chris ('Lizard') Cannell and beautiful set of shiny teeth jutting out Graham Hogan, from the mining compa from the base of an equally beautiful and ny Pasminco, caressed the quarry wall complete skull. The teeth identified the with their hands and eyes, much as a jew creature as a species of Nimbadon, a eller would study a rough diamond cliprotodonticl genus previously named HE LIMESTO E OF RrvER- before risking the first cut. Eventually by Suzanne Hand (University of ew sleigh's AL90 Site is harder than cement, they determined the position for the drill South Wales) on the basis of a few jaws as a legacy of blunted chisels, shattered holes that would be needed to crack the and teeth. These were calf-size plant-eat sledge-hammers and damaged digits rock in the desired direction. After they ing marsupials that are all now extinct. attest. To collect large blocks of this pos- had bored the holes with our electric Diprotoclontids included more than 20 sibly 17-million-year-olclbone-rich mater- rock drill, I inserted folds of the thin ICI kinds of wombat-like marsupials ranging A family of small zygomaturines from Riversleigh about to share an eternity in stone. 70 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 frorn 24-rnilli?n-year-old_ Dog-_ size l�af Creek and Alcoota in Lhe Northern Ter an exhibition that features the treasures eaters lo rhinoc�ros- 1ze giants like ritory, described zygomaturines as 'air of Riversleigh, to be completed by the Diprotodo11 that died oul 40,oqo years heads' b cause much of the rear part of Australian Museum and the Riversleigh " ago. Sue concluded that "f' '.1b<:101'. their kull was made up of hollow sinus Society in Lhe year 2000, much of what species were amo_ng ll:e most pr11rnl1ve_ e and other brainless spaces that has been recovered will go on public dis of 11,e zygomalunne d1prolodonl1ds and together increased the outer area of the play. Here Nimbadon will be reunited hence ought to reveal a_ grea� deal about skull where the enormous mu cles with the beautiful fox-size Nirnbacinus their evolulionar� relal1onsh1ps t� ol�er needed for chewing were attached. (an archaic 'marsupial wolf'), a power groups of rnarsupials. Bul _lo do this w1lh Karen Black (University of New South fully muscled and bizarre kangaroo that confidence, far mor� than Just tooth rows Wale ) , who has been studying River galloped rather than hopped, an enor would have lo be discovered. Enter the sleigh cliprotodonLicls as part of her PhD mous flightless bird that stood almost prehistoric treasury of AL90. . research, is now running her hands three metres in height, a cleaver-headed use I was focu eel on the kull Jut excitedly over the surface of these new crocodile that may have dragged its prey Beca r ting out f om the block, it to?k a 'hoi' AL90 blocks, anticipating the many mys up trees, and many other creatures so frorn Lizard to draw my attention to the teries they will resolve. Whal were the far only known from the World Heritage other end of the block where he had limb proportions of these ancient crea area of Riversleigh. But the most fascin spotted what s�emed to b� both i?e ,,of tures? Could they use their hands to ating of born-again beasts in this display a pelvis (the hip bon�s): 'Very nice! I manipulate objects? Could they have may well be one that springs out at us thought, but the f·ull s1gmficance o_f w�at climbed trees in earch of leaves? Would next year as we continue to delve deep we were looking at was slow to s111k 111. they have been able to stand on their er into the catacombs sealed in stone ot until I had examined another small hind legs to reach titbits beyond the below the spinifex. • er block that'd been previously cut from reach of smaller contemporary kanga fue quarry wall did t�e ha!r� start to rise_ roos? Would the base of the skull indi Further Reading on my neck. Here, Just visible and 111 � cate relationships to wombats, koalas, Archer, M., Hand, S.J. & Godthelp, H., 1994. River graceful arc, _was a complete set of tat! mar upial lions or even stranger groups sleigh. 2nd ed. Reed Books: Sydney. bones extenclmg from the large verteb such as ilariids or wynyardiicls? Here rae at the base of the tail to the tiniest was the cliprotodonticls' book of revela Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 1997. IRiver ones at ilie tip. Rushing back to examine tion just waiting to be opened. sleigh discoveries) Volume 41 (Part 2). the eclae of the main block,it was instant Whatever the nature of the skeletal Michael Archer is the newly appointed ly clea: that the smaller block with its set beast that claws its way out of those Director of the Australian Museum, and of tail bones had been attached to the blocks, it will soon find itself brought Professor of Biological Science at the Uni point where the back of the pelvis was back to life alongside other rainforest versity of New South Wales. His major visible. Now the block had my total and creatures trapped millions of years ago research interests are the fossil faunas of undivided attention. in the cave that was to become AL90. In Riversleigh, north-western Queensland. In front of the pelvis, I could just make out ilie ghostly outlines of the vertebrae of the lower back. Farther towards the skull, the side of several ribs, all parallel to each other peeped, out from the rock's surface. Returning to the pelvis with growing excitement, I could now Get a life. make out the thigh bones disappearing into ilie deeper mass of the block, a dis covery suggesting that the rest of the Holida�!-, legs and feet were tucked safely out of r' , sight. Excitement spread quickly-the first complete and possibly articulated skeleton of a zygomaturine had just been found at Riversleigh! As the importance of this unexpected discovery sunk in, so did the despair about how we would get this monstrosity safely back to the lab in Sydney. Pasmin co came to the rescue. Early next morn ing a six-tonne truck sidled up to the edge of the quarry and a beautiful-to behold hydraulic hoist stretched its pow erful arm sideways to dangle chains above the treasure. To cheers and the overwhelming relief of back-weary Expe dition members, the massive limestone sarcophagus was levitated out of the quarry and eased clown onto the back of the truck for the firstleg of its trip to Sycl �ey. There, after the delicate ministra tions of skilled preparators and thou sands of litres of dilute acetic acid, this e_ntombed beast of the Miocene would nse again. Peter Murray (Northern Territory Museums & Art Galleries), who has �Pent years discovering equally fascinat ing but younger fossils from Bullock NATU 71 RE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 REVIEWS This book addresses the success of the book, description of the call. A very usef-t.il system labellingof the pre-eminent issues of our although some pictures are times-ecological sustain too dark or dense to show photos with important fea tures of the animals goes a ability and population details. The layout by two stu growth. In doing so it covers dent designers, Paul Monk long way towards making r identification easier. And numerous related issues ivitch and David Fox f om including the environment Swinburn Design Centre, is there's a selected bibliogra r phy and index at the back too, demography, sociology, eco'. fesh and appealing. Some of nomics and morality. This the content is repetitive and for those who wish to look up more information. intensely political mix is the book is most suitable for made all the more provoca fossickers visiting the Vic But the book is not without torian gem sites. However its problems. Sometimes the tive by forthright discussion many can enjoy having the language used is a little con of political correctness and book on their shelves as a voluted and the sentences a suppression of the population ...... � triflelong. Some of the defini debate. The author is Mark ...... ,.._,... -_ .. 'loo<"I".,_ ..... 11o..,..s..�"'"'- reminder of the beauty and diverse origins of those sup tions are a bit unclear, for O'Connor, a poet with a long example, "Reptiles are distin standing interest in ecologi- erior mineral varieties called r Gem Minerals of gemstones. A recommended guished f om all other life Victoria buy for the price. forms by three features: a By William D. Birch and Oermot A. -Lin Sutherland scaly skin, sex organs which Henry. Special Publication No. 4 of Australian Museum permit internal fertilisation, There are urgent the Mineralogical Societyof Victoria and a dependence on exter published in conjunction with The nal sources of warmth to environmental, Royal Society of Victoria, 1997, allow bodily functions to con 120pp, $42.50rrp. Rep;JJ.es tinue" -if that's the case, there are several fish that economic and This book follows up the Ftdgs qualify as reptiles including of the the mosquitofish, Gambusia social reasons pioneer efforts of the Rev. Australian Capital Territory John Bleasdale, an enthusias holbrooki. Overall, however, tic promoter of Victorian the book is quite easily under why Australia gemstones (and Victorian stood. wine-growing capabilities) in All in all, however, the needs to slow its the late 1800s. The book cap book's good photos, ease of tures Bleasdale's spirit in its use and clever design make it treatment of the little-known a very useful addition to any population but diverse Victorian gem Ross Bennett nature library and will offset stone scene. It presents an any of its problems. growth. engaging balance of historical -Martyn Robinson background, field views, sci Australian Museum entific illustrations and colour photographs of both rough ea! sustainability. The fact and cut gemstones, all set Reptiles & Frogs that he can weave these within an informative script. of the Australian threads together is a testa The book proceeds from Capital Territory ment to his breadth of know the rarer, potentially more By Ross Bennett. National Parks ledge, quite a polymath in valuable, gemstones to the Association of The Australian fact. more abundant, less valuable ' Capital Territory, ACT, 1998, 86pp. O'Connor's thesis is that gem materials. It deals with $14.95rrp. "there are urgent environ in order, the history of ge� mental, economic and social finds, geolog_ical setting, dia This is an excellent region reasons why Australia needs m?�d, sapphire, ruby, zircon, �! field guide for those living to slow its population ohvme (peridot), anortho m or near the ACT. It covers growth". In Part One, he clas� (feldspar), topaz, tour �II the reptiles and frogsmost assembles facts and argu maline, beryl, garnet, quartz, hkely to be encountered in · ments to show that the planet ag��e a�d other gems. The the area, as well as their con and Australia are overpopu wntmg is clear, straightfor servation and the environ lated and not ecologically ward, full of useful facts and ment of the ACT. The book is st laced with the odd humerous sustainable. In sharp contra well set out with a page and to g1:owth advocates, his con comment. �t is illu_strated by good colour photo for each fic over 200_ 11lustrat1ons, with clus10ns have a scienti species. The description for foundation. Indeed, he expos ?ver 150 m colour and histor each species includes size ical black-and-white pictures es various fallacies and spuri colour, distribution, and vari� This Tired Brown ous claims made to support a among the remainder. ous other a�pects of biology The gemstone photos by Land much larger population. such as habitat and breeding By Mark O'Connor. Duffyand Included here are economic Francesco Coffer and John not s. I_n the case of frogs Broomfield contribute to the � Snellgrove, NSW, 1998, 335pp. analyses that reveal the large the1 e is also a written $16.95rrp. costs associated with immig- 72 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 p . Part Two. he deals but also Adam Smith, Charles lralia and New Zealand. In h In Darwin, �'\pulation gr�)Wth, �spe Francis Bacon and fact, Long surveys the �r�11 P , Plato. It lake entire � /1 immigratton-dnven them out into record of Mesozoic c1a the the Australian bush lo dyse ts the scene for smell L�lrapods-wilh amphibians, an_ d 1cl larO'est section enti- the wild flowers. bird_ , mammals, turtles (h1r a1 "' . 1 1 and d "Suppressmg t e It is ostensibly an account manne reptiles all given pride tie ,, of a 1993 walk along the Bib o( ate place along with Minmi Deb · art, ! l 1e ABC bu lmun track, a 6 50-kilomel Muttabu:7:asaurus In this third p . ' and many ederation of Ethnic re trail through the Jarrah less familiar slablemates. F and Karri munity Councils of AL'.S forests of southern Long's attractive and enjoy g��n _Fed�, al Western Australia. The al�le . lia and the then boo!� should atisfy a 111�11gration author, however, is chiefly wide aud,ence-schoolkids, au of h DINOSA R C w ��re vigorously cone rnecl with detailing the , R earch are all Featuring T-rex, exclusive s _and _cen�or deliberate and disastrous /0 1he Mus a1�!cked for bia eum. 1 ing 11111111grat1on impact of man on these once $14.95 l S11Pl · coi Cern . • . d the mult,cultw a 1 111 dus - magnificent forests, through �?y. As well, the pro-gro�th almo t 200 years of logging, by is exposed as h?vmg milling, mining, farming, lob clamming and clieback. This narrow, short-term ell 1_n_ter and excessive poht1cal catalogue of shameful treat est ment is framed around the influence, support for. the John Ralston Sau! �he 1s of daily rhythm of the walk, sus corporatism overndmg dem tained over five weeks, and is ocracy. How el�e can large placed in the context of a immirrration mtakes be broader ideological criticism explained against the wishes of Western society. Lines over 60 per cent of Aus argues against the human DANGEROUS SEA CREATURES • of KILLERS tralians and theclear environ urge to 'manage' nature and OF TI-IE DEEP of overpopu harness the present for a on CD Rom mental evidence From 1he Na1ural Leaming Series, lation? future of economic growth. a fabulous reference of marine bi1ies. As always, the urgent He tellingly deconstructs science teachers, fossil buffs, $19.95 (short-term economics and many ideas whose value we and even professional political advantage) drives take for granted-such as palaeontologists. The most out the important Oong-term environment, well-being, self important fossils are illustrat sustainability and quality of fulfilment and change-and ed with colour photographs life). This book serves the puts forward an alternative and drawings of the bones; nation by advancing a debate view of our place in the world. most species are reconstruct that must now be considered For some readers, Lines' ed with line drawings or both important and urgent. humourless litany of criticism paintings, with a number of As such, it deserves to be will not appeal. He draws a field photographs and histori both widely read and influen bleak picture, unapologetical cal accounts of discoveries. tial. ly leaving little room for hope Introductory chapters ex -Alan Jones or compromise. He is often plain geological time, how Australian Museum ARCHAEOLOGY OF AllORIGINAL too harsh or overly simplistic fossils are found, prepared A STRALIA in condemning human and reconstructed, as well as An i111pona111 book for anyone endeavour, and consciously basics about dinosaurs (tl1eir wi1h an interest in Australia's eschews any personal narra evolution, classification and Aboriginal heri1age. tive that would have theories about their extinc $39.95 enlivened his account. But for tion). A glossary helps the me, the power and profound layperson understand even sense of Lines' thoughtful the more technical parts of text won out over these dis the text, and tl1e bibliography tractions. I commend it to cites all scientific publications those seeking a provocative, on Australasian Mesozoic troubling reflection on our tetrapods. Australian readers relationship with nature, or to may be less familiar with those who prefer simply to recent discoveries in ew enjoy their Marx by a water Zealand, and should be inb·igued by these accounts. SNAKES: 1· fall. AUSTRALIAN ;! ) -Gareth Prosser Twenty years ago a book A NATURAL HISTORY University Technology, Sydney on Australasian dinosaurs Covering 1he biology and life u conceivable, but his1ory of snakes, visually splendid. A Lon was scarcely !Y g Walk in Dinosaurs of the tenacity of a few persis $29.95 �": ustralia has � s: n Australia and tent palaeontologists New Zealand and turned up an impressive fie ' � 1. Lines. U Get them all from: �9� NSW Press, NSW, Other Animals of range of dinosaurian diversi ,� 'Z02pp. $19.95rrp. if in many �ases f the Mesozoic Era ty, even AUS'IK,\I IA� ,� l By John A. Long. UNSW Press, species are known from Just a Mll:,bl '• S1101' (3 Karl M 6 Col.I tGt Sr rx clai bones. But, as Sll)"' NSW waterf � med that a NSW, 1998, 188pp. $45.00rrp. few tantalising a II as no value with big animals 2000 the if not Long shows, F"' (02) 9320 6066 T odu�t p11o,t: (02) 9320 6150 i of hu goes a long way. J h � man labour. book is a defin even a little \\\l\\,\I :,1\1US,GO\ \U i e John Long's \Hll"'IH: f mingly modest book itive, up-to-date account of all -Greg Edgecombe takes o ta Australian Museum sk not only Marx ' dinosaurs known from Aus- NATURE AUSTR ALIA AUTUMN 1999 SOCIETY PAGE to further the cause of he subject that you hold dear. societies, large and small, local and national, which exist ! Get involved! Across Australia there is a network of active _ there s a society for you. national parks, bushwalkmg or a particular group of animals, Whether your special interest is conservation, birds, science, Ph: (07) 4096 6556 PALAEONTOLOGY ANIMAL WELFARE Ballarat, Vic. 3353 Ph: (03) 5333 1483 or Contacl: Beryl Davidson Dinosaur Club of Victoria WIRES - NSW Branch freecall 1800 032 501 Monash Science Centre PO Box 260 •••• Contact: Madeline Townsend Membership fees: $15 family; Monash University Forestville, SW 2087 $10 single; $5 junior Clayton, Vic. 3168 Ph: (02) 9975 5567 •••• Membership fee: $30 Ph: (03) 9905 1370 Contact: Joel Kalz INSECTS Contact: Prof. P Vickers-Rich ••••• Tasmanian Conservation Membership fee: $20 carer/ Australian Entomological Trust Membership fees: $12 - $20 re cuer; $30 subscriber Society 102 Bathurst St C/- Dept of Entomology Hobart, Tas. 7000 REPTILES BIRDS University of Queensland, Ph: (02) 6234 3552 Qld 4072 NSW Field Ornithologists Hawkesbury Herpetological Contact: Alistair Graham Ph: (07) 3365 1564 Club Inc. Society • Contact: Dr David Evans Walter PO Box 2 PO Box Q277 Membership fee: $25 QVB Post Shop, NSW 1230 Whalan, NSW 2770 Membership fee: $60 Ph: (02) 9625 7561 Ph: (02) 9698 7263 EARTH SCIENCES Contact: Penny Contact: Jeff Banks MUSEUMS Drake-Brockman Australian Field Geology • •••• Club Queensland Museum Membership fee: $10 Membership fee: $35 16 Arbutus St Association Mosman, SW 2088 Box 3300 WILDLIFE Ph: (02) 9969 2135 South Brisbane, Qld 4101 South Australian MANAGEMENT Ornithological Association Contact: Doug Raupach Ph: (07) 3840 7632 100 Fifth Ave ••• Contact: Carol Middleton Australasian Wildlife Joslin, A 5070 Membership fee: $20 ••• Management Society Ph: (08) 8303 4498 or Membership fees: $25 single; C/- State Forests of SW (08) 8362 2820 EDUCATION $30 family; $20 concession & Locked Bag 23 e-mail: jhatch@economics. CSIRO's Double Helix country Pennant Hills, SW 2120 adelaide.edu.au Club Ph: (02) 9980 4550 Contact: John Hatch PO Box 225 TAMS, The Australian Contact: Debbie Ashworth ••• Dickson, ACT 2602 Museum Society •• Membership fee: $30 single;\ Ph: (02) 6276 6643 6 College St Membership fee: $30 $40 family, $24 concession Contact: Lynn Pulford Sydney, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9320 6225 zoos CONSERVATION Membership fee: $25 Contact: Michelle Ball Australian Society of Zoo Australian Bush ••••• Keeping Heritage Fund Marine Education Society of Membership fees: $55 single; PO Box 248 GPO Box 101 Australasia $70 household; $40 student/ Healesville, Vic. 3777 Hobart, Tas. 7001 PO Box 461 pensioner Ph: (03) 5957 2800 Ph: (03) 6223 2670 East Bentleigh, Vic. 3165 Contact: Michael Taylor Contact: Doug Humann Ph: (03) 9503 9823 The Waterhouse Club •••• Contact: Jody Plecas SA Museum Membership fee: $45 Membership fee: $30 •••• North Terrace Membership fees: $30 ordinary; Adelaide, SA 5000 Australian Trust for $45 institution Ph: (08) 8207 7389 Conservation Volunteers Contact: Mary Lou Simpson Are you a Box 423 ENVIRONMENTAL ••••• Club Secretary? Newsletter/Journal Independent Landcare Membership fees: $60 - $80 • Monthly meeting PO Box 116 NATURE AUSTRALIA's • Bi-monthly meeting Port Sorell, Tas. 7307 NATURAL HISTORY Associate Society Scheme is Annual meeting/conference Ph: 019 978 541 Tasmanian Field • Weekly meeting designed to help your club or Contact: David Lane Naturalists Club • Quarterlymeeting society with free publicity, • Field outings/fours •••• GPO Box 68A Membership fee: $5 • Conservation/Working programs Hobart, Tas. 7001 funds and member benefits. • Discounted Goods Ph: (03) 6227 8638 Call Robbie Muller on (02) Magazine FROGS Contact: Genevieve Gates • Social/Education Activities Tablelands Frog Club Inc. ••• 9320 6119 for more details . • Nature Australia magazine Mail Bag 71 Membership fees: $20 adult; • Seminars Yungaburra, Qlcl 4872 $15 concession; $25 family 74 - NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST for possible sale of Natural World Renown Private History tours Natural Our 1999 program includes FurneauxIslands cruises February/March Lord Howe Island History 22-29 May Outback byAir 8-2OJune Museum Eyre Peninsula and Nullarbor Incorporating:- Marine whale-watch, S.A. 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Endangered species such as ,:lossy black cockatoo,koala, Parma wallaby, potoroo, powerfulowl, and rifle bird, findrefuge at "Carawirry", a sanctuary �::,�::. io:Jbe fofuted'.f()Othills.· &<;:;:, of the Barrington Ranges N.S'.W. ,i,:.,��=b�::::r?;;: Each'self-containedcabin iS:seffu/ '.: ;tfie forest;.;µidprov1des modetn '( :fully equippedcomfort and prjyaey;i Over 10 km. of signposred tracks lead through th.erefuge, where wildlife ill abundant and trusting. Guided walks, ./, ·. an arboretum, reference library, avail. free. • Researchers welcome._ , -��--�i� : $160 couple wk/end or mid/wk ·-,. I Groups· to-iOpercabin [lower pp]' Phone John & Vicki Lloyd on {02) 4992 1859 orfax{02}4992 3255 77 Reader-s please mention Nature Australia when replying to advertisements Who's poo is this? clockwise now aboul those in the northern hemisphere. Q This sense of rolalion has been popularly allribuled lo all forms of natural rotation but the effect of Coriolis actu & ally becomes insignificant as Lhe scale of motion becomes small. Thi means thal water flowing clown a drainpipe can rolale in either direction in A bolh hemispheres. What's imporlanl al this scale is any background sense of rota Water Down the tion, such as the motion of Gurgler the water before the plug is If cyclones in the south pulled, and Lhe shape and tilt Q •. ern hemisphere rotate in of the basin itself. You can building with a number of gaps in come from a reptile because a clockwise direction, why does experiment with this by the walls and around the roof, but they also resemble some I the water down my drainpipe drawing your hand slowly hardly large enough to admit a have seen from large skinks. rotate anticlockwise? around Lhe basin before bird of any size. The local agricul However skink seats are usu -Mandy Masters pulling lhe plug. The water tural department has not been ally capped with some white Randwick, NSW should flow out with the able to throw any light on the uric acid and there was no same sense of rotation as matter, nor have the shearers sign of any white material in • The wind blowing your hand. seen anything like them else this sample. One thing is cer A• around cyclones is -Andrew Treloar where. tain: they are not macropod balanced by three main Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney -W.N. Feathers seats as they are the wrong forces-the force due to the Borenore, NSW hape, content and smell! pressure gradient, the cen Mystery Poo -Barbara Triggs b·ifugal force of circular . I enclose some drop • I think the seats are Genoa, Vic. motion, and a force due to • pings (pictured) that A• those of a large the rotation of the Earth consistentlyQ appear on the floor amphibian, as they closely known as Coriolis. The direc of our wool shed, in the hope that resemble my reference sam Green Spiders tion of the Coriolis force someone can identifythe creature ples of Cane Toad seats. I I found a beautiful green changes as you move from responsible. These specimens doubt if these pests have .• huntsman-like spider in one hemisphere to the other, have been observed over many reached central New South myQ garage the other day. What falling to zero at the equator. months, mostly in one small Wales but perhaps there are kind of spider is this and is it This results in a clockwise square-metre area. The door to some other large frogs or rare? flow around southern hemi the shed is always locked, toads in the area. My only -Jennie Phillips sphere cyclones and an anti- although it is a pretty draughty other suggestion is that they Hornsby, NSW 78 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN !999 > . Some huntsman spi • It is most unusual that • ders arc green when A • a picler would eal a Answers to Quiz in brown cake crumb. ome spiders Aung but change to Nature Strips (page 15) yo Others , my like huntsmen, have bee1� s they mature. � 1. Jabiluka a es from time known to eat recently dead have green patch time but these ar� more prey (and can be hancl-(ed 2. New Zealand 10 111s f a this), but there has been kely to be the rerna � li wh1 h nothing recorded about spi 3. No emi-digested meal, � certam ders eating cake. It was prob 4. Pink iay be seen through > � body ably Lrying lo the mois anslucent areas of U1� get tr are ture out of the cake, and in so 5. Greenpeace wall, or green eggs which of doing, the cake crumb disin produced by the females 6. Leaves tegrated, giving the illusion some species. In tl'.ese cases 7. Two he colour change 1s 0Taclual that it was being eaten by the t com spicier. and the spicier is never 8. Frog pletely green. However, there -Kate Lowe 9. Tim Flannery is at least one unnamed Australian Museum species of huntsman spicl�r, 10. Mir found in eastern Australia, Do jumping spiders eat cake? that is green all over during all stages of its life. It is not common and would normally only be seen at night hunting on low shrubs, although sometimes wandering males venture into buildi1ws during their search for a mate. The crreen huntsman is related to ; group of spid�rs commonly referred to as badge hunts- ' men . -David Hirst S.A. Museum Herbivorous Carnivore Tom White's Letter on •. carnivorous herbivores (NatureQ Aust. Winter 1998) brought to mind my observation of an herbivorous carnivore. I once watched a jumping spider, one of the most carnivorous ani mals I thought, demolish a cake crumb on a picnic table. Is this an unusual observation or quite common? -Eleanor Stodart Curtin, ACT p C T E A s E R Do you recognise this? If you think you know what it is, then send your answer to Pie Teaser, Nature Australia Magazine. Please don't forget to include your name and address. The first correct entry will win a copy of The diversity of life by Edward 0. Wilson plus an insect-in-resin key-ring from the Australian Museum Shop. Summer's Pie Teaser was a jewel spider (Gasteracantha sp.). NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 79 breeding, such quotas ensure that these the ones THE LAST WORD extremely fit individuals are that will be culled. This leaves the breed ing to a smaller, less rigorously 'tested' group of animals. Indeed_, our ma�a�e We should not deceive ourselves by believing we are preserving a ment practice may be a kind of artificial completely natural situation. selection for animals to mature and breed al a smaller size, that is, before they are large enoug� to. be caught. Because many other b1olog1cal features of animals such as the number of eggs NATURE or offspring produced, change with size, a 'simple' alteration in the average size of individuals within a population can MANAGEMENT: have long-term effects. Similarly, harvesting trees and other HOW NATURAL plants when they reach a certain size can also lead lo highly 'unnatural' out comes. A forest harvested on a 30-, 50- IS IT? or even 100-year rotation may be 'sus tainable' from a human point of view BY ALLEN GREER ("gee, look at all those trees"), bu� not them is often 'let go' to any manner of from the point of view of the organisms land use, and some of the consequences that can only live in the forest after it has of this land use continually 'leak' into the reached even greater maturity. reserve. A rampant weed species, a feral Consider, also, captive breeding pro Cat, or a fire frequency different from grams-perhaps the most high-profile the average natural frequency, can alter of all environmental management pro a natural community profoundly. grams. Unfortunately, the individual 1E OF THE PRIMARY Rehabilitation programs are a major organisms that humans select for breed goals of environmental management is initiative to try and undo environmental ing are not necessarily the ones nature to preserve as much of nature as close damage. Most of these efforts involve would select. And the individual organ to its natural state as possible. The inten the establishment of a few conspicuous isms that are suited for surviving the tion is to preserve both the current fun species with little or no thought for rigours of captivity prior to release 'back damental units of nature (species, popu other less conspicuous species, such as in the wild' are unlikely to be the ones lations and even genes) and the natural invertebrates. Yet in reality the least that would be best suited to survive the interactions among those units (their conspicuous species make up the bulk rigours of nature. The same applies to ecology and evolution). Although it is frozen tissue programs (using sperm generally unstated, the degree to which and eggs)-so highly touted in this the programs achieve a 'natural' out The inexperienced eye high-tech age. A sperm that may be come is measured by how far removed it maximally suited to survive deep-freez is from human influence. The less may see rehabilitated ing for several years may not necessari human influence there is, the more nat ly have been the perm that would have ural the outcome. areas as natural; won the race to fertilise the egg in a nat Some people may believe that many of ural situation. our environmental programs lead to Finally, many environmental pro very natural outcomes. This may appear the informed eye sees a grams involve the b·ansportation of indi so on the surface, but close examination viduals to a new locality within the range of even our most conscientious environ highly simplified of the species. However, such programs mental programs shows how far from can affect local populations by disrupt completely natural most of these envi and artificial community ing established social sb·uctures, intro ronmental initiatives are. Consider these ducing parasites or diseases, and putting examples. with only cosmetic genes in places where they never Nature reserves are perhaps the most occurred naturally. significant environmental management changes. Of course, almo t all of our environ tool in use today. By creating reserves, mental programs can be defended on we hope to fence off a piece of 'natural the basis that they are better than letting habitat' in which nature can 'take its species go extinct, or better than bare course', relatively removed from the of any natural community. The inexperi ground. Thi may be b·ue. But at the influences of humans. However, most enced eye may see rehabilitated areas same time, we should not deceive our reserves are little more than 'islands' as seemingly more natural; the selves by b lieving we are preserving a and consequently are often very differ informed eye sees a still highly simpli All ent from the once-continuous habitat completely natural situation. we are fied and artificial community with only really plant from which they were carved. One of preserving are disturbed cosmetic changes. and animal populations that are some the biggest differences is that many of Harvesting quotas for many animal man the plants and animals become perm what closer to nature than the un pecies such as crustaceans and fishes aged alternative. anently trapped on the 'islands', because are the preferred means of managing or they cannot cross the developed land 'sustaining' the resource. Many of these Dr Allen E. Greer is a Principal Research surrounding them. Hence, when climate quotas include a size limit, the catch Scientist in the Herpetology Section of the changes, as it inevitably will, the many being restricted to individuals above a Australian Museum. species that cannot move to a more certain size. However, because it is usu appropriate area will perish. ally the larger animal that have sur The Last Word is 011 opi11io11 piece Another significant characteristic of vived the proce s of natural election a11d does 110/ necessarily reflect the views reserves is that the land surrounding and are the ones that do mo l of the of the A11stralia11 Museum. 80 NATURE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1999 SSUES AND _ SUPPL B A C K' EMENTS 23/6 23/7 23/8 23/5 23/9 24/1 24/6 24/7 24/2 24/9 24/10 24/12 25/1 25/2 25/3 25/4 25/5 25/6 25/7 25/8 25/9 25/11 26/1 26/2 SUPPLEMENT SPECIAL OFFER Nature Australia's Library box holds twelve issues of the magazine. Finished in durable, dark green PVC, it will ensure your copies 26/3 S2 remain in mint condition. Tracks through Time T o 0 r d e r ,n 0 p 0 s i u s e t h e f 0 r p t e Every month we receive orders for our popular Nature Australia posters. We print a few extra posters just for this reason. (A rare Species.) These posters are available flat, without folds, and mailed to you in a rigid mailing tube. If you've had a favourite poster and wish to replace it or several you should have ordered and didn't, you can order them now. See the back of your address sheet for the list of available posters and how to order them.