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Ecosystem Guide Books Print E-mail

Accompanying our biology programmes and tours are the Ecosystem Guide Books. The first in the series, "Rainforest of tropical Australia", has now been released as a second edition. The second in the series "Ocean Surfaces of Australasia" is also available. They are found in all good bookstores in Cairns and in souvenir shops and info centres throughout the rainforest areas of North Queensland. If they haven't got it, ask them to order it in! It's RRP is $35-$40. It is also available online at:

www.ecosystem-guides.com

 

 
Activity Tour of Tropical Australia Print E-mail

This trip has been designed for more general interest and younger student groups. It visits a range of iconic regions, from the Great Barrier Reef, to the rainforests and rivers of the Daintree, to the caves and bush of the outback, and to the mountains, lakes and waterfalls of the Atherton Tablelands. We conduct a range of activities within the trip including hikes, ‘bushwalks', boat cruises, snorkeling to wildlife viewing and night-spotlighting. We see tropical rainforest, coal reefs, kangaroos, shops and beaches. With sufficient lead time, the trip can have it's focus and design changed to suit the interests of the group. You are guided by a biologist or ecotourism qualified guide for the entire trip, and other various local guides during the tours. We stay in a range of accommodation, from lodges in the jungle, to hotels in tropical cities, to permanent tents in the bush. We taste of a range of food, from hotel breakfasts, to picnic lunches, to BBQ dinners, to local fruits.

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Biology of Tropical Australia Print E-mail

This tour combines marine biology, botany, zoology and ecology into a full 10 day tour programme of tropical ecosystems. It is designed to take in as wide range of ecosystems as possible, going from the deeper water reefs, along the coastal beaches and mangroves, into the lowland rainforest, up into the mountain forests, and finally into the savanna woodlands and wetlands of the outback.

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Birds

Boobies and Gannets
Boobie and baby
Boobie and baby
Boobies and Gannets are rather large, robust seabirds. They have big heads, strong beaks and look a little bit like a large, ocean going duck. Their feet are big and fully webbed. Their walk is a cute, duck-like waddle. When flying, their body is often described as ‘torpedo’ or ‘cigar’ shaped. The 9 species are found all over the world. While Boobies are more tropical in distribution, Gannets inhabit the colder, temperate seas. They are essentially an ocean going bird, and are only really found on land when nesting. They were given the derogatory name of ‘Booby’ from the Spanish word bobo which means fool or clown. They may plunge dive for prey from heights of up to 20 or 30 metres, with heights of 100 metres reported. Their nostrils are small and not externally visible and close to prevent seawater entering the nostrils when hitting the surface at high speeds. The air sacs under their skin are particularly well developed in the frontal region of the body and likely serve to cushion the body during their steep dives.
 

Mammals

Rodents
If there is one group of mammals that is even more successful than the bats, it is the rodents, with about 2000 species worldwide and at least 60 species in Australia, which is again almost a quarter of the mammals of the continent.
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