Australia Reference Libraries
The black-flanked rock wallaby (Petrogale lateralis) is a marsupial that is native to Australia. Its other common names include the warru and the black-footed rock wallaby. Its range includes western, southern, and central areas of Australia, along with some islands close to the continent. Its populations are scattered across this range. It prefers a habitat within rocky areas with many types...
The Allothereua maculata, found in Australia, is also known by its common name, the house centipede. This common name is also attributed to other species elsewhere. A. maculata has a body that is approximately 0.8 – 1.0 inches in length and is comprised of 15 segments and 15 pairs of long legs. One pair of antennae are located on its head. There is also a single long pair of caudal...
The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius), also known as the Arabian camel, is a completely domesticated species that appears on the IUCN Red List with a conservation status of “Domesticated”. It is thought that when wild, its native range was mainly in the Arabian Peninsula. It can now be found in South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The only dromedary camels that display wild...
The sawfish is the common name for a family of rays, called Pristidae, containing seven species within two genera. Also known as the carpenter shark, it is not related to the similar looking sawshark. Sawfish prefer to live in the tropical or subtropical regions of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic. Its largest populations are found in Australia and in Florida. This species can be found living near...
June 7, 2012: Perth Australia was hit by a tornado. Tornadoes occur anywhere in the world when the conditions are right and this is a great example of hitting in a unique location. When we think of tornadoes Australia is not the first place that comes to most of our minds. However, it is not uncommon for tornadoes to hit in Australia, they just don’t hit as often as in the United States....
The Australian Grayling (Prototroctes maraena) is a freshwater fish found in coastal rivers in Tasmania and southeastern Australia. This fish has often been called the Cucumber Mullet or Cucumber Herring due to its cucumber-like odor. This fish is streamlined with a vaguely trout-like shape. It is silver on the flanks and dusky olive on the back, overlain with a golden shine. It can live 2...
The White-spotted Sea Squirt (Pycnoclavella diminuta), also known as the White-spotted Ascidian or White-spot Ascidian, is a species of tunicate found in the Indian and West Pacific oceans, and found along Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It lives at depths of 16 to 66 feet in the benthic zone in caves and under ledges. It often occurs in environments...
The Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria atra), also known as the Lollyfish, is a species of marine invertebrate in the Holothuriidae family. It is found in the Indo-Pacific ocean region, extending from the Red Sea and East Africa to Australia. It is found on the seabed, in shallow waters on reefs and sand flats and in sea grass meadows at depths up to 66 feet. It prefers reef flats where it is...
The Coral Nudibranch, (Phyllodesmium horridum), is a species of sea slug in the Facelinidae family. It is found off Australia and Japan, as well as around the South African coast from False Bay to Sodwana Bay. This species is intertidal, existing in the low to high tide regions, but some reaching depths up to 100 feet below sea level. This creature is a marine gastropod mollusc. It generally...
Astrocoeniidae is a family of stony corals endemic to the waters around Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. Their habitats are steep slopes where strong currents rise from below, in crevices and below overhangs. These are reef-building colonial corals containing an algae known as zooxanthallae. These algae typically encrust corals up to 20 inches in diameter. On reef slopes, where...
