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Eddystone (Tasmania)
Eddystone is a tower-shaped rock or small island, located in the Southern Ocean, off the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is situated approximately from the South East Cape on a bearing of 149° and is contained within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. An erosional remnant of the Tasmanian mainland with an elevation of above sea level, the island is estimated to have separated from the Tasmanian mainland at least 15,000 years ago. Features and location Eddystone is known for its inaccessibility and distinctive shape, described by Abel Tasman in 1642 as "a tall, obtuse, square tower". A painting from 1823 bears this out, and also shows its proximity to Pedra Branca, to the west. Approximately off Eddystone there is a recently publicised surf break named Eddystone Rock. Surfers were shown the location by local fishermen, who have known about the break for many years. The island has negligible plant life. Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evoked curiosity and wonder during the period of European presence on the island. Initially relatively unexplored by Europeans, in the mid-twentieth century the area was considered for its potential resources for development. Much of the area is now protected within the Southwest National Park and as part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The most notable controversy occurring in the region was the flooding of Lake Pedder as part of a hydro-electric development, in 1972. This was followed, further north, by the proposed damming of the Franklin River in the early 1980s, which did not proceed. Southwest is a locality that covers most of the region. The locality (and therefore the region) is in the local government areas of Derwent Valley (29%), Huon Valley (20%), Central Highlands (7%) and West Coast (44%). Its central point, near the encircled locality of Strathgordon, is about west of the town of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surf Break
A surf break (also break, shore break, or big wave break) is a permanent (or semi-permanent) obstruction such as a coral reef, rock (geology), rock, shoal, or headland that causes a Wind wave, wave to Wind wave#Wave breaking, break, forming a barreling wave or other wave that can be surfing, surfed, before it eventually collapses. The Bathymetry, topography of the seabed determines the shape of the wave and type of break. Since shoals can change size and location, affecting the break, it takes commitment and skill to find good breaks. Some surf breaks are quite dangerous, since the surfer can collide with a reef or rocks below the water. Surf breaks may be defended vehemently by surfers, as human activities and constructions can have unintended and unpredictable consequences on the quality of the break. Types There are numerous types of surf breaks. These are defined as permanent or semi permanent obstructions that causes a wave to break, rather than by the nature of the wave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Captain James Cook
Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the main islands of New Zealand and was the first known European to visit the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager before enlisting in the Royal Navy in 1755. He served during the Seven Years' War, and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the St. Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec. In the 1760s, he mapped the coastline of Newfoundland and made important astronomical observations which brought him to the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society. This acclaim came at a crucial moment in British overseas exploration, and it led to his commission in 1768 as commander of for the first of three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shy Albatross
The shy albatross (''Thalassarche cauta'', formerly ''Diomedea cauta''), also known as shy mollymawk, is a medium-sized albatross that breeds on three remote islands off the coast of Tasmania, Australia, in the southern Indian Ocean. Its lifespan is about 60 years, and it has been seen as far afield as South Africa and the Pacific coast of the United States. , the species is listed as "Endangered" in Australia; there are thought to be 15,000 pairs of shy albatross left. It is Australia's only endemic albatross. Some authorities call this species the white-capped albatross, but that name is more commonly applied to '' Thalassarche cauta steadi''. Taxonomy This mollymawk was once considered to be the same species as the Salvin's albatross, ''Thalassarche salvini'', and the Chatham albatross, ''Thalassarche eremita'', but they were split around 2004. In 1998, Robertson and Nunn suggested a four-way split including the white-capped albatross, ''Thalassarche steadi''.Robertson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide. It has a membership of more than 2.5 million people across List of BirdLife International national partner organisations, 116 country partner organizations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, the National Audubon Society, and American Bird Conservancy. BirdLife International has identified 13,000 Important Bird Area, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and is the official International Union for Conservation of Nature's IUCN Red List, Red List authority for birds. BirdLife International has established that 1,375 bird species (13% of the total) are threatened with extinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International. There are over 13,000 IBAs worldwide. These sites are small enough to be entirely conserved and differ in their character, habitat or ornithological importance from the surrounding habitat. In the United States the program is administered by the National Audubon Society. Often IBAs form part of a country's existing protected area network, and so are protected under national legislation. Legal recognition and protection of IBAs that are not within existing protected areas varies within different countries. Some countries have a National IBA Conservation Strategy, whereas in others protection is completely lacking. History In 1985, following a specific request from the European Economic Community, Birdlife International dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidmouth Rock
The Sidmouth Rock is a rock islet or small island, located in the Southern Ocean, off the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is situated approximately south-east of South East Cape and is contained within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. An erosional remnant of the Tasmanian mainland with a diameter of , the island is estimated to have separated from the Tasmanian mainland at least 15,000 years ago. Location and features The Sidmouth Rock is located approximately east of Eddystone, another islet located off the South East Cape. The islet is frequently wave-washed and supports no land-dwelling life. Important Bird Area Together with the nearby Eddystone and Pedra Branca islets, Sidmouth Rock constitutes the Pedra Branca Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports over 1% of the world populations of shy albatrosses and Australasian gannets. See also * List of island ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pedra Branca (Tasmania)
Pedra Branca is a rock islet in the Southern Ocean, off the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is situated approximately south southeast of South East Cape and is contained within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. An erosional remnant of the Tasmanian mainland, the island is approximately long, wide, with an elevation of above sea level. The island is estimated to have separated from the Tasmanian mainland at least 15,000 years ago. Features and location Pedra Branca experiences wet and windy weather, and large waves. With an area of , the island is small enough to provide an example of an outcrop that lies on the border between being a rock or islet and an island. The geology features three breccia cones of dolerite and sandstone. Flora and fauna The only plant species found on the island is the succulent ''Sarcocornia quinqueflora''. Recorded breeding seabird species include fairy prion, Pacific gull, si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hauling-out
Hauling out is a ethology, behaviour associated with pinnipeds (true seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses) temporarily leaving the water. Hauling-out typically occurs between periods of foraging activity. Rather than remain in the water, pinnipeds haul out onto land or sea ice for reasons such as reproduction and rest. Hauling out is necessary in seals for mating (with the exception of the Baikal seal) and giving birth (although a distinction is generally made between reproductive aggregations, termed "rookeries", and non-reproductive aggregations, termed "haul-outs"). Other benefits of hauling out may include predator avoidance, thermoregulation, social activity, parasite reduction and rest. There is much variation in haul-out patterns among different seal species.Hoelzel, A. Rus. (2002). ''Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach''. Blackwell Publishing. . p. 197. Haul-out sites may be segregated by age and sex within the same species. Many species of pinniped have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand Fur Seal
''Arctocephalus forsteri'' (common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New Zealand. The name ''New Zealand fur seal'' is used by English speakers in New Zealand; ''kekeno'' is used in the Māori language. , the common name long-nosed fur seal has been proposed for the population of seals inhabiting Australia. Although the Australian and New Zealand populations show some genetic differences, their morphologies are very similar, and thus they remain classed as a single species. After the arrival of humans in New Zealand, and particularly after the arrival of Europeans in Australia and New Zealand, hunting reduced the population to near-extinction. Description Males have been reported as large as ; their average weight is about .Harcourt, R.G., (2001)"Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990–2000: Pinnipeds" ''Journ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Fur Seal
The brown fur seal (''Arctocephalus pusillus''), also known as the Cape fur seal, and Afro-Australian fur seal, is a species of fur seal. Description The brown fur seal is the largest and most robust member of the fur seals. It has a large and broad head with a pointed snout that may be flat or turned up slightly. They have external ear flaps ('' pinnae'') and their whiskers ('' vibrissae'') are long, possibly growing back past the pinnae, especially in adult males. The fore- flippers are covered with sparse hairs over about three-quarters of their length. The hind-flippers are short relative to the large body, with short, fleshy tips on the digits. The size and weight of the brown fur seal depends on the subspecies; the Southern African subspecies is, on average, slightly larger than the Australian subspecies. Males of the African subspecies (''A. p. pusillus'') are in length on average and weigh . Females are smaller, averaging in length and typically weighing . Males of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairy Prion
The fairy prion (''Pachyptila turtur'') is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of blue-grey upperparts with a prominent dark "M" marking and white underneath. The sexes are alike. It is a small prion which frequents the low subantarctic and subtropic seas. Taxonomy The fairy prion was formally described in 1820 by the German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl under the binomial name ''Procellaria turtur''. It is now placed with the other prions in the genus ''Pachyptila'', introduced in 1811 by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ''pakhus '', meaning "dense" or "thick", with ''ptilon'', meaning "feather" or "plumage". The specific epithet ''turtur'' is Latin for " turtle dove". The word comes from the Ancient Greek word , meaning "a saw", which refers to the serrated edges of its bill. The fairy prion is a member of the genus ''Pachyptila'' and of the subgenus ''Pseudoprion'' Coues, 1866. Along with the blue petrel, they make up the prions. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
