The first episode of Sir David Attenborough’s new series commenced in the heart of the world’s longest surviving rainforest. Here, Big Bertha, Grand Dame of Cassowaries, reigns supreme. She is almost 2-metres in height when she pumps herself up to her full height to impress or to defend her domain. The vision of stately old-growth [...]
Inspired by the name of the wolf 'Two-socks' in the film 'Dances with Wolves', this young male dingo’s name 'No socks' was abbreviated to 'NOX', when he arrived towards the end of a very wet January, probably evicted from the litter, looking saturated and crestfallen. In the way of dingoes in the wild, he is [...]
Living with Cassowaries - Part 2 Big Bertha has become accustomed to public admiration. She was first described as The Grand Dame of the Daintree, in the Port Douglas Mossman Gazette and her image was distributed to readers across Tropical North Queensland. Standing tall, with her head in line with her massive feet, [...]
The art of camouflage Daintree Rainforest showcases the art of camouflage and is renowned as the World’s longest surviving rainforest. This claim is based on the number of families of primitive flowering plants called Angiosperms that remain today. However, the enormity of this claim is dwarfed by the intricacy and variety of [...]
Until recently, sightings of this rarely-seen Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura melanura) could have been counted on one hand, then approximately fifty of them were found on one tree in our tropical fruit orchard. A star-apple fruit tree (Chrysophyllum cainito), with an abundant growth of epiphytes, was loaded, but given the amazing mimicry of a dead leaf, it is possible that in the [...]
After more than twenty-years of searching Daintree Rainforest for all manner of cryptic life forms, we have at last photographic evidence of this rare Red Boobook (Ninox boobook lurida). The Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook) is also known as Mopoke, Morepork, Spotted Owl or Marbled Owl. This Red Boobook is a smaller bird and a subspecies that is darker in [...]
I recently chanced upon a curious fluorescence out the corner of my eye, beneath the movement of a small black invertebrate. Upon closer inspection, I was delighted to see the Northern Jewelled Spider (Gasteracantha fornicata), weaving its fluorescent green egg-sac. For many years I had wondered which spider was responsible for the moss-mimicking green pillows [...]
Daintree Tree Frogs have become synonymous with environmentalism. Their beauty, diversity and susceptability to environmental stresses, have elevated their importance to a level of almost universal appeal. Every now and then we are advised that certain species are disappearing in the wild. Green-eyed Tree Frog (Litoria genimaculata) is one species that attracts such concern. I [...]
As a newcomer to the rainforest you will see a great many trees of incredible diversity, but you will be hard pressed to see the intricate and secretive wildlife. You really need to go with a local expert, someone who lives in the rainforest, to help you to see, say, the secret world of spiders. [...]
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii), resplendent in his camouflaged coating and ornate headdress, had a fortuitous visit this morning. A Giant Tropical Mantid (Hierodula majuscula) made the mistake of walking into sight of the ever-vigilant dragon and swiftly became breakfast. Boyd”s Forest Dragons are endemic to the rainforests of Australia’s Wet Tropics. They can reach a total length of 54-cm and [...]
