The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
Bushfire. Bushfire is a distinctively Australian word. What we call a bushfire is called a “wildfire” everywhere else in the world. The name we’ve adopted comes from the Aussie habit of constructing expressions using the word “bush” or tacking on …
Is the Great Barrier Reef reviving – or dying?- Australian Geographic
Since then, the Reef has rebounded. Generally cooler La Niña conditions mean hard corals have recovered significant ground, regrowing from very low levels after a decade of cumulative disturbances to record high levels in 2022 across two-thirds of the reef.
The owls of Australia - Australian Geographic
Image credit: shutterstock. The well-known call of this medium sized hawk-owl is synonymous with that of a dog’s bark— “woof woof”. The Barking Owl inhabits drier woodland and forest type zones, often in edge habitats nearing watercourses such as creeks.
What is NAIDOC Week? - Australian Geographic
Jul 9, 2023 · Given NAIDOC is a national celebration, more funding is needed from government and local councils to fund mob to host celebrations. It would be fabulous to see government and mainstream organisations provide funding to Indigenous owned and controlled organisations to host NAIDOC events that are community-led and accessible to everyone.
Fact File: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) - Australian Geographic
Koalas use several sounds, including growling, belching, and bellowing to communicate with each other. Image credit: shutterstock. Once the juvenile koala is weaned from milk, it feeds on an unusual soft liquid faeces called pap, from its mother.This substance is thought to introduce the right bacteria to the joey which is necessary for digesting gum leaves.
Indigenous fire management began more than 11,000 years ago
Indigenous fire management is a complex process that involves strategically burning small areas throughout the dry season. In its absence, savannas have seen the kind of larger, higher-intensity fires occurring late in the dry season that likely existed before people, when lightning was the sole source of ignition.
Fact File: Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) - Australian Geographic
Numbats have an extremely specialised diet that’s almost exclusively termites. It’s because of this diet that they are diurnal. As the sun rises and the day heats up, the temperature of the upper layers of soil increases, and termites move into a network of shallow tunnels and chambers just below the ground’s surface.
Fact File: Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) - Australian Geographic
speeds of up to 50km per hour. Image credit: shutterstock. Hunted for food, celebrated in culture, and represented in traditional artworks and dance by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years, there is no specific, standard Indigenous word for emu, since there is …
Australia’s fabulous kingfishers - Australian Geographic
Feb 15, 2023 · Despite its striking red bill and long white tail feathers (which make up half its body length), this species is difficult to spot in the rainforests and gullies where it lives, but is occasionally seen in thickly vegetated gardens.
Fact File: Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus ... - Australian …
Platypus take cover in earth banks and botanical vegetation near the edges of waterways. Image credit: Martin Pelanek/shutterstock. Hunting for food, the platypus closes its eyes and ears and relies on its amazing duck-like bill, a supersonic organ that is completely covered in sensors.