The Bush Blitz aquatic team has been diving deep around Gabo Island just off the coast of Mallacoota bringing back some amazing images of creatures great and small.
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Bush Blitz new spider species named to honour famous ballet dancer
After discovering a tiny dancing peacock spider on a Bush Blitz expedition, Dr Barbara Baehr of the Queensland Museum decided to pay tribute to one of the world’s most iconic classical ballet dancers, Li Cunxin, by naming the new species in his honour. Li Cunxin is most famous for his autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer, which […]
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Tasmania’s Wild South West
In early February a team of 17 scientists embarked on a Bush Blitz expedition into the remote and magnificent Southwest National Park which forms part of the Tasmania Wilderness World Heritage Area. This is Tasmania’s largest national park and is made up of wild rivers, jagged mountain ranges, rolling buttongrass and cushion plant plains, patches […]
Read More →A Wildlife phenomenon
By Dr John Westaway As a botanist, my role in the team was to study the plants, but it was impossible not to be awestruck by the birds. We were witness to a true wildlife phenomenon that plays out each year on the islets of the Coral Sea in the form of mass seabird nesting. […]
Read More →Spitting Spider on Coringa Islet (S 16o 58’, E 149o54’)
By Dr Barbara Baher Under the Octopus Bushes (Argusia argentia) on Coringa South-west Islet a slow crawling Spitting Spider (Scytodidae) surfaced on the litter. Spitting Spiders have long gangly legs and six eyes arranged in three groups. Called a Spitting Spider because of their bizarre prey capture method – they spit deadly glue onto their […]
Read More →Tough plants for a harsh environment
By Dr John Westaway Vegetation on the Coral Sea islands was in undisturbed condition and appeared lush and in good health perhaps reflecting recent rainfall, and there were not weeds. The small isolated coral sand cays of the Coral Sea support vegetation communities comprised of a limited suite of hardy plants that can withstand the […]
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