Search results

Native BeesThere are over 2000 species of native bees, although only about 1700 have been named! The smallest is Cape York's 2mm long Quasihesma bee, and the largest is the carpenter bee found in Queensland and northern New South...

Native Lichen One of the things that you'd very easily miss when you walk through the Australian bush is some of the very beautiful lichens. At a glance it looks like a bit like snow on the ground...

New Mantis Shrimp A giant predatory shrimp previously unknown to science has recently been found in the waters east of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The creature was discovered by marine biologist Shane Ahyong, as part of an ongoing study of crustacea...

Numbats Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an aboriginal name that has become the common name for the small striped marsupials that lived in south western Australia 200 years ago. They lived in hollows of mallee trees which...

Don believes that the original concept of conservation was wrong, because the world is changing. There is really no part of the planet that isn't feeling the impact of man's hand, so trying to preserve things...

Orb Weaving SpiderAlthough spiders are unpopular with lots of people, they play a very important role in the garden. They assist in the pollination of plants, recycle dead plant and animal matter, and help to keep insect populations under...

Owls in RehabilitationBurke's Backyard visited Sydney's Taronga Zoo, which has a clinic for the treatment of injured native wildlife. John Dengate talked to rehabilitation officer, Libby Hall, about a barn owl. After being hit by a car, the bird...

Paper Wasps There aren't that many dangerous insects compared with the thousands of harmless and useful ones but among those which are aggressive are Australia's native paper wasps. There are two kinds of paper wasp,...

Primate Research - Crocodylus Park A new initiative at Crocodylus Park, Darwin is research into the behaviour of various primates and monkeys and observing their similarities to humans. For example the Colombian Cotton-top Tamarin is one of...

Re-Planting Local Environments Don visited a remnant cabbage tree palm forest on Sydney's northern beaches and gave local residents some tips on preserving these beautiful native palms. The mature cabbage palms looked healthy, but they were growing in...