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800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica These large shorebirds return from their breeding grounds in north eastern Siberia and Alaska in August/September each year. After arrival they spread around the coast without crossing the inland. They can be found along most of the Australian coast feeding on molluscs, crustaceans, marine worms and other invertebrates on the sands and mudflats exposed by the tides. The major threats to shorebirds are habitat loss and disturbance, which can occur not only in Australia but in all the regions the birds visit from their breeding grounds to the non-breeding areas.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Onychogalea fraenata The endangered bridled nailtail wallaby is one of three species of macropod that has a small horny spur at the end of the tail. At the time of European settlement this was a common species with a distribution reaching the west of the Great Dividing Range, north to Charters Towers in Queensland, south to north-western Victoria, and possibly extending west to eastern South Australia. The bridled nailtail wallaby now survives in only five percent of the area it once inhabited. Competition with domestic herbivores, habitat alteration and predation by introduced predators, especially foxes, have all been suggested as reasons for the species' decline.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Petrogale penicillata The vulnerable Brush-tailed rock wallaby occurs in southern Queensland extending 200 km north of the Queensland border and inland to the Stanthorpe district, Qld. Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies inhabit rock faces with large tumbled boulders, ledges and caves. The principle threats to the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby are thought to be predation by introduced carnivores, particularly the Red Fox and reduced dispersion between sub-populations due to habitat fragmentation and reduced survival away from predator-proof refuges. Competition for food with other herbivorous mammals may be an issue at some sites, as may inappropriate fire regimes.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia One of the largest of the sandpipers and relatively easily identified by its conspicuous white underside, rump and back. It is one of the most widely dispersed wader in Australia but nowhere is it abundant. It does not flock like most waders but is found in ones or twos. The major threats to shorebirds are habitat loss and disturbance, which can occur not only in Australia but in all the regions the birds visit from the breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere, to the non-breeding areas in the Southern hemisphere.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus The estuarine crocodile is Australia's largest predator and a very strong reminder that wild animals deserve our respect. In the past, fear far outweighed respect and crocodiles were killed on sight. Today research is revealing the important role that estuarine crocodiles play as the top predator in the food chain. With effective public awareness and management we are also learning how to safely co-exist with this impressive reptile.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Greater Bilby Macrotis agotis With rabbit-like ears as cooling surfaces, elongated claws and toes for digging and a pointed nose for finding its food under the sand, the greater bilby sports the best in desert fashion. But changing fire regimes and grazing have exposed this animal to introduced predators like the feral cat and fox. Bilbies are now receiving a different type of "exposure" through an effective community awareness program. Now it's bilby versus bunny at Easter time, with chocolate bilbies and bilby merchandise funding the construction of a predator-free enclosure and supporting vital research.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Green Python Morelia viridis Choose the richest colours of the Cape York rainforest: the brightest yellow and richest brown of a fallen leaf or the brilliant green of new growth; and you will have some idea of the colours taken on by this python. The green python begins life with a yellow skin flecked with brown. Adults then become light green with a series of white scales along the middle of the back. Its beauty has also been admired by reptile collectors, and illegal collection has played a significant part in its decline.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Green Turtle Chelonia mydas Green turtles have survived for millions of years beating the odds from the moment they hatch. During the first hours of life they fall prey to gulls, crabs, sharks and other fish. The survivors then start on an amazing migration that takes them across thousands of miles of ocean. This migration has been called "a gesture of ancient faith and present courage". Today, this faith and courage is being tested by new threats: boat strikes, entanglements, illegal hunting. Go slow for those below" when boating in areas inhabited by turtles and carefully dispose of plastic nets and fishing line.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Spotted-tailed quoll The northern spotted-tailed quoll inhabits coastal ranges (usually 600 m or more above sea level) between Townsville and Cooktown. There have also been unconfirmed sightings to the west of Townsville and as far south as the Mackay-Whitsunday area. The southern spotted-tailed quoll occurs in coastal areas and adjacent ranges throughout south-eastern Australia from southern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania.The spotted-tailed quoll is usually nocturnal and solitary. It eats a range of animals either as prey or carrion, including insects, reptiles, birds and mammals up to the size of a small wallaby. Clearing for development and agriculture have reduced the area of available habitat and den sites and caused declines in populations and even local extinctions. Clearing has also exposed spotted-tailed quolls to secondary threats including indirect poisoning from 1080 baiting, hunting, vehicle mortality, predation and competition from feral animals and its eradication as a pest of poultry. Feeding on cane toads has also resulted in the poisoning of animals.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Koala Phascolarctos cinereus The koala is the true symbol of Australia and its unique wildlife. In south-east Queensland, locals and visitors alike can still see them in the wild lounging in trees or carrying their young. Today, the fragmenting of open forests by roads and development has left them vulnerable to a number of threats: they are being killed by cars or attacked by dogs as they move between trees. Symbols are meant to last forever and this one can too if we control our dogs and drive carefully.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Northern Bettong Bettongia tropica The endangered northern bettong is a delicately built rat-kangaroo about the size of a rabbit. The species occurs in the Wet Tropics of northeast Queensland and has undergone a large range contraction. It has completely disappeared from two of its previously known locations. The actual threats still remain uncertain but the most likely reason bettong populations are in decline is habitat alteration. Other threats may be domestic pets and foxes.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii The endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat is the largest herbivorous burrowing mammal in the world. It may already have been uncommon at the time of European settlement, when a combination of drought and grazing pressure from cattle are assumed to have accelerated its decline. The species is now restricted to a single population in central Queensland with only about 100 animals surviving. The small number of animals put the species at risk from loss of genetic diversity, wildfire, disease, drought predation and competition.
800 x 600 \| 1024 x 768	Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata This is one of the most abundant shorebird migrating to Australia. These birds make up most of the world's population. It travels south from its breeding grounds in the Siberian tundra by way of Mongolia, eastern China, along the Asian coast and may end up in Melanesia, Australia or New Zealand. The major threats to shorebirds are habitat loss and disturbance, which can occur not only in Australia but in all the regions the birds visit from their breeding grounds to the non-breeding areas.

Last updated: 20 November 2006

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