Tag archives for Australia
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You may know that some dogs like to bury bones, but did you know that they can also be trained to find bones? Gary Jackson, an Australian dog trainer with Multinational K9 has trained Migaloo, a black lab, to find bones! Now Migaloo helps archaeologist search for bones that are hundreds of years old.
Migaloo locates the bones, but she is not allowed to dig them up–that’s up to the human archaeologists!
Learn more about Migaloo on National Geographic News.
What other jobs can dogs do? Find out on National Geographic Kids.
The birds-of-paradise of Australia and New Guinea are visually stunning and have amazing courtship dances. A new exhibit at the National Geographic Museum highlights all 39 species of these incredible birds with photography and video.
The exhibit is open now and will be at the National Geographic Museum through May 12, 2013.
Read more about the exhibit on the National Geographic Events website.
Get the facts on birds and more of your favorite animals on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
New Dolphin Discovered in Australia
Scientists have discovered a new species of dolphin in Australia, and it lives near Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia (by population). About 100 of these dolphins have been found in Port Phillip Bay.
What makes these dolphins different than bottlenose dolphins? Their skulls have a different shape, their dorsal fin is more curved, and they are “tricolored.” Their coloration includes dark gray, mid-gray, and white. The new dolphin has been named the Burrunan dolphin, after an Aboriginal phrase meaning “large fish of the porpoise kind.”
Read more about the new dolphin discovery on National Geographic News.
Get the facts on bottlenose dolphins in the Creature Feature.
Photograph by Adrian Howard/AFP/Getty Images
David de Rothschild set sail from Sausalito, California to Sydney, Australia in his boat Plastiki on March 20, 2010. After four months in the Pacific Ocean, the Plastiki completed that goal when it sailed into Sydney Harbour. Plastiki is made of reused plastics and aluminum. David de Rothschild and his crew wanted their voyage to send the message that waste can be reused in new ways.
Visit Plastiki online to learn more about the journey.
Read past Plastiki updates on the Green Scene blog.
Photograph by Patrick Riviere courtesy the Plastiki Expedition/Adventure Ecology
On July 26, Plastiki‘s journey came to an end when the boat reached the harbor in Sydney, Australia. The trip took four months to complete, and Plastiki traveled for 8,000 nautical miles.
David de Rothschild and his crew thank everyone who tracked Plastiki‘s voyage online.
Read about the end of Plastiki‘s journey and learn more about the boat, which is made of reused plastics and aluminum.
Read an interview with David on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Patrick Riviere courtesy the Plastiki Expedition/Adventure Ecology
Did you know that fish can walk? This photograph shows an Australian fish called a pink handfish. No one has actually seen this tiny four-inch (ten-centimeter) fish since 1999, and no one is sure exactly when this photo was taken. These fish have been spotted a total of only four times in the shallow waters near Hobart, a city on the island of Tasmania.
Scientists recently determined that the pink handfish is a distinct species from other handfish. They haven’t been studied very often, and there is not much information on their behavior. There are 14 known species of handfish, and they all live in shallow water on the southeastern edge of Australia.
See more handfish pictures on National Geographic News.
Watch a video about fish camouflage on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Karen Gowlett-Holmes
The residents of the tiny Australian town of Lajamanu were surprised to see fish falling from the sky in late February, reports Australia’s Northern Territory News. Surprisingly, the fish were still alive when they landed. The falling fish may have been sucked up along with water during a tornado and dropped back to earth hundreds of miles away.
Read more about the falling fish on Northern Territory News.
Learn about other strange weather on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Newspix/Rex USA
Violent storms can be disastrous for baby flying foxes in Australia. Strong winds can knock the babies from the protection of their mothers’ wings, and many have not learned how to fly. Luckily for the bats, there are volunteers to swoop in and rescue them.
One particularly fierce storm sent hundreds of baby bats helplessly to the ground. Over three days, volunteers transported the babies to the Australian Bat Clinic & Wildlife Trauma Centre. Doctors at the clinic treated the bats for injuries and broken bones and monitored them until they learned to fly.
Read the full story by Scott Elder in the October 2009 issue of National Geographic Kids, on newsstands now.
See a video of flying foxes on National Geographic Kids.
Read a story about Dunia, a rescued baby gorilla, on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Martin George/QVMAG
Jellyfish expert Lisa Gershwin was swimming near the coast of Tasmania and noticed a colorful blob swimming nearby. She was able to safely photograph this specimen by placing it in a small aquarium called a “phototank.” This new jellyfish species doesn’t sting, but the 5-inch (13-centimeter) long creature is very delicate and touching it can cause it to shatter.
The rainbow glow on the jellyfish comes from light reflecting off the creature’s cilia. Cilia are small hairlike projections that the jellyfish uses to swim.
Read more about this bright spot in the ocean on National Geographic News.
Watch a video of other jellyfish species on National Geographic Kids.
