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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

 

 
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Plants

Lichen
Lichen is actually a life-form that is the result of an inter-dependent relationship between two very different organisms; usually a fungus and an algae, (or a cyanobacteria, a common occurrence in the lichens lower down in the rainforest strata).
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Birds

Frigate Birds

Frigatebird
Frigatebird
Frigatebird are usually seen soaring high above the ocean or remote islands in a very distinctive silhouette, with their huge outstretched, angular wings and a forked double tail; the whole look is vaguely prehistoric. Adults of the two species that can be seen off Australia are basically black, with males having red gular patches and females usually slightly larger and with more white on the underparts. Frigatebirds apparently feed mainly on flying fish, however, they are better known for their ‘kleptoparasitic’ behavior, where they steal food from other birds. They may harass birds such as boobies, terns and gulls until they drop their catch; the frigatebird then swoops for the regurgitated mess before it hits the ocean. Frigatebirds are magnificent gliders. Their wingspan may be up to 2.3 meters, and a Frigatebird of this size may weigh less than a kilogram.
 

Mammals

Bandicoots
Bandicoots are a distinctive order of only about 19 marsupials in Australia and New Guinea. Bandicoots are roughly rabbit-sized and shaped. They have shorter, but strong, forelimbs for digging and longer back legs used in their bounding, rabbit-like gait.
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