p lJp Front ne misty morning, while camp cl near a . adu ational Park, I was lucky enoug bi11 ab on,,a in Kak . h to . ellied Sea-Eagle catch mg its first meal of the witnes s a White-b . ama IJ1g Sight, as seem1 gly f m OU� day. Jt was an � � . rn of . swooped !own, th1 ust its nowhere a massive bird : talons 111�0 a large silver fish. In the the water and pulled out same fluid to a nearby perch and proceeded to 1110tion it then flew . tear its catch apart. After weeks of seemg t h ese b'1r d s perched sile ntly along the rivers of the far orthern Territory, it wa thrilling to finally see one hunting. Penny Olsen ha studied so A shower of airborne droplets trail a White-bellied Sea-Eagle as it these magnificent birds for over 15 year don't miss her struggles to gain height, a fish firmly grasped in both feet. article "Winged Pirates" as it provides a view into the world of tlie White-bellied Sea-Eagle-and includes her own fir t-hand full of vicious pointed teeth. Related to modern-day snakes, experience of the power of those massive talons. these reptiles propelled themselve through the water by From Sea-Eagles to sea monster , we go to Western powerful front and rear paddles, and used their teeth to crack Australia and join John Long as he describes the excitement open the hard-coiled shells of ammonites. John also describes of discovering Australia's largest and most complete keleton the other types of marine reptiles that dominated our seas at of a 1110 asaur-a ten-metre-long marine reptile with a head the time of the dinosaurs. Wade Sherbrooke's article on Thorny Devils and horned toads is a fascinating comparison between two of the world's weirdest-looking lizards. They share amazing similarities in appearance and behaviour, right down to their preferred food, yet one lives in Australia and the other thousands of miles away in America. So just why do these lizards look and act so alike? Other stories in this issue include bettongs that have bounced back, perfectly preserved three-dimensional fossil insects from Queensland, venomous bandy-bandies that only eat blind snakes, and a pictorial look at the seasonal changes in Australia's alpine region. One mosasaur attacks another. -Jennifer Saunders WHAT COULD BE MORE romTHAN SHARINGantic OUR _wi t i yourself 1n You will need more than JUst one night o mmerse Name ___________ never forget S�uated most stunning coastal wilderness area National 1ns,de Freycinet the beauty oITasmania's Park. Just a walk away Address ___________ from famous More time to share our range of highly acclaimed natural : lass Ba� Freyanet Lodge comforts � is a relaxing, actM!Jes. More tJme to share the Lodge's quiet _______ Ph _____ ·award w i inn ng haven i --=== Your travel agent knows of with n an area at the end of a fulfilling day 5Pectacular F re y c i n e t L o d g e Send this coupon to: Freyc,net Lodge natural scenery. rey Inet Lodge Ask about us today flt(YCIN['J NATIONAL f>ARK• COL(S DAY aII about F c PO Box 225 Kmgs Meadows 7249 TASMANIA A. Phone (03) 6257 0101 Fax (03) 6257 0278 ¥-J"'' OF ATU RAL AC TIVITIE S NATU RE AUSTR ALIA SPRING 1999 Articles ure A FIRST FOR NORFOLK Nat 26 NUMBER 6 When Captain Cooh visited SPRING 1999 VOLUME Museum Trust Norfolh Island in 1774, there Published by the Australian wasn't anyone there to greet 6 College Street. him. Yet discoveries have Sydney, NSW 2000. 9320 6000 confirmed a well-established Phone: (02) human population on the Fax: (02) 9320 6073 Web: http:/ /www.auslmus.gov.au island between 1200 and 1600. Trust President: Malcolm Long Who were these early settlers, Museum Director: Michael Archer and why did they disappear? MANAGI G EDITOR BY PETER WHITE & Jennifer Saunders, B.Sc. ATHOLL ANDERSON PREHISTORIC SEA email: [email protected] 26 MONSTERS OF THE WEST SCIE TIFIC EDITOR When dinosaurs roamed the Georgina Hickey, B.Sc. Earth, monsters swam in our email: [email protected] seas-giant reptiles over 15 PHOTO & EDITORIAL RESEARCHER metres in length with jaws full Kate Lowe of pointed teeth. join John long email: [email protected] in Western Australia as he DESIGN At\/D PRODUCTIO unearths a number of these Watch This! Design amazing marine reptiles. PRI TI 1G BYJOH LO G Excel Printing ADVERTISING 46 Robbie Muller Phone: (02) 9320 6119 email: [email protected] UBSCRIPTIO S Robbie Muller Phone: (02) 9320 6119 Toll-free (1800) 028 558 WINGED PIRATES Fax: (02) 9320 6073 White-bellied Sea-Eagles are email: [email protected] one of our largest and most Annual subscription (4 issues) powerful birds of prey, and Within Australia $A33 Other countries $A45 they are Australia's only Two-year subscription (8 issues) representative in a group that Within Australia $A63 Other countries $A83 includes America's Bald Eagle. Three-year subscription (12 issues) But unlihe many other large Within Australia $A89 Other countries $A116 predators they can still be found New subscriptionscan be made by credit card on the NATURE AUSTRALIAloll-free hotline (1800) 028 558 or use the form in hunting in areas close to this magazine.ff it has been removed, send cheque, money human habitation-including order or credit card authorisation to the address above, made Sydney Harbour. THORNY DEVILS payable to the 'Australian Museum' in Australian currency. BY PENNY OLSEN All maten'a/ appearing in 'ATURE AUSTRALIA is copyright. AND HORNY TOADS Reproduction in part or whole is not permitted without written 30 You'd thinli that a lizard as a11t/zorisatio11 from 1/ze Editor. NATURE AUSTRALIA welcomes bizarre as Australia's Thorny articles on the natural and cultural heritage of the Australian BANDED BURROWERS Devil would be a one-off, but Region. Opinions expressed by the authors are their own and do Bandy-bandies are beautifully thousands of kilometres away in not necessarily represent the policies or views of the Australian America there is a band of Museum. All articles in NATURE AUSTRALIA are peer-reviewed. striped, practise body-looping, NATUREAUSTRALIA is printed on archival quality paper refuse to eat anything but blind spiny look-alikes that appear to suitable for library collections. snalies and prefer to retire share many of the Devil's Published 1999 IS SN-1324-2598 under ground-definitely not peculiar behaviours. The your usual venomous snahe. question is, why? NATURE AUSTRALIA (as ANH) @) BY SARAH SMITH BY WADE C. SHERBROOKE is pr?ud ;,vinner, of the 1987, '88, '89, 90, 91, 92 & 93 Whitley Awards for 38 54 Best Periodical, and the 1988 & '90 Australian Heritage Awards. Front Cover Some scattered brown feathers among the white identify this as a subadult White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). The elongated feathers on its crown and nape are slightly raised in threat or curiosity. Photo by Nicholas Birks. 2 l NATURE AUSTRALIA SPRING !999 THE LAS T WORD Hornbills Feast and Fly; Auto­ ar Features Erotica; Light-fingered Sponges. Regul SCIENCE AND THE MEDIA Getting information out to the 6 public is a common goal for REVIEWS both science and the media. So Under Bungonia; The Flower why can't they be friends? Chain; Dawn Till Dusk; BY RICHARD FULLAGAR & Birdwatching in Australia and PAUL WILLIS New Zealand; Wild and Free; Wildflowers of the Snow 80 Country; Australian Kangaroos; Fraser Dingo; Columns Australia's Unique Wildlife; Wildflowers of Western Australia. LETTERS Do Lions Purr?; Long Live 72 Whale Strandings; Australian Elephants?; Cockroaches and SOCIETY PAGE Disease; Former Expats. Interested in nature but not p H O T O A R T sure what to do or where to go? 4 ature Australia's Society Page ST THE BACKYARD NATURALI ALPINE SEASONS is a great place to start. Enjoy the seasonal changes of NATURE STRIPS A Tale of Two Tigers; Termites HOT IN THE Australia's alpine region. 74 GREYS and Moth Balls; Riddle of LONG-JUMP STEAKS BY ROSS DUNSTAN We've hunted them for sport the Red Nectar; Seals 'See' and shot them as pests. But how 64 with Whiskers; Polar Gender THE GUIDE do you convince people that Nature Australia's market actually eating them may be place. to our part of the answer_ 75 habitat destruction problem and quest for ecologically sustainable meat production? BY STEVEVAN DYCK 20 RARE & ENDANGER ED NORTHERN BETTONG Life for one of Australia's rarest marsupials has taken a turn for the better,with the discovery of a new population 300 kilometres outside its known range. BY ALLE McILWEE 22 Benders; Scrofulous Mummies?; Birds' Navigational Nightmare; Sunfish Flaps and Female . Choice; Beetlemania; Basking ead-butts About It; Cases· No H Q&A Agai�st the Flowi Tadpole . Blue-tongue; Sponges; Overhill Black Schools· Why Spice?; The Eyes Have It; Split Iris; Killers Play or Und�rhill?; Kiwi Pie Tease1: Frisbee·, Quicli Quiz; Sex Shells; Wormholes in Deep r·ime.; ' 78 W I L D T H I N G S VIEWS FR OM THE FOURTHDIMENSION FIRE, SEEDS AND BUGS AND BONES IN PARROTS Bus ANCIENT STONES hfires and Australia are Perfectly preserved three­ syno nymous and many of dimensional insects that are Australia's Plants have evolved of years old. They w re a millions , � , close relationship with fire. the time, but the trick But there all what's this got to do with knowing how to !ooh for our was in Parrots? them.