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Penguin Island (South Australia)
Penguin Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in Rivoli Bay on the state's south east coast of approximately south of Beachport. From 1878 to 1960, it was the site of an operating lighthouse. Since at least 1972, it has been part of the Penguin Island Conservation Park. Description Penguin Island is located about south of Beachport and about south-east of the headland known as Cape Martin.DMH, 1985, chart 3. The island consists of two outcrops which are reported as being unofficially known as Outer Penguin Island and Inner Penguin Island. The latter outcrop came into existence in 1968 when a storm caused the collapse of a section of Cape Martin thereby creating a channel of about in width between the remains of the headland and an isolated stack of remnant cliff now known as Inner Penguin Island. Both outcrops are surrounded by vertical cliffs that rise to between to in height above sea level, with exception to the south-western end ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rivoli Bay
Rivoli Bay () is a bay located on the south-east coast of the Australian state of South Australia, about south-southeast of the state capital of Adelaide and about northwest by west of the regional centre of Mount Gambier. It was named in 1802 by the Baudin expedition of 1800–03 after André Masséna, the Duke of Rivoli and Marshal of France. It is one of four ' historic bays' located on the South Australian coast. Extent and description Rivoli Bay lies between Glenns Point or Cape Martin at its northwestern extremity and Cape Buffon at its southeastern extremity, on the south-east coast of South Australia. The central part of the bay is described as "obstructed by numerous reefs, rocky patches, and shoals and is dangerous for navigation" and as having "a sandy beach". A small island named Penguin Island of height is located immediately adjacent to Cape Martin. Rivoli Bay is one of four bays on the South Australian coast considered by the Australian Government to be a " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bower Spinach
''Tetragonia implexicoma'', commonly known as bower spinach, is a species of plant in the Aizoaceae, or ice-plant family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili .... A similar species is ''Tetragonia tetragonioides'', however this species has larger leaves and a shorter flowering time. Distribution and habitat Bower spinach is found mainly in coastal regions of New Zealand and southern Australia as well as on many nearby island groups. It occupies a variety of habitats from sand and shingle beaches through coastal woodland, shrubland and grassland, and as exposed, Salt pruning, salt-pruned vegetation on cliffs and Stack (geology), stacks. It may also be found well inland, in farmland where it is grown in Berberis, barberry hedges, or on calcareous sandstone or limestone outc ... [...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] |
Feral Pigeon
Feral pigeons are birds derived from domesticated populations of the rock dove ''Columba livia'', descendants that have escaped and are living independently from (and often unwanted by) humans, having gone "feral". They are sometimes given the scientific names "''Columba livia domestica''" or "''C. l. urbana''", but neither of these subspecific names is accepted by any of the ornithological authorities like the IOC World Bird List or BirdLife International. They are also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons,Nagy, Kelsi, and Johnson, Phillip David. ''Trash animals: how we live with natures filthy, feral, invasive, and unwanted species''. Minneapolis (Minn.), University of Minnesota Press, 2013. and (locally, in Britain), skemmies ( skemmy). Wild rock doves, domestic pigeons, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Many domestic birds have been lost, escaped or been released over the years, and these gave rise to populations of fer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Starling
The common starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of the year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the ''Mabinogion'' and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare. The common starling has about 12 subspecies breeding in open habitats across its native range in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to western Mongolia, and it has been introduced as an invasive species to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Fiji. This bird is resident in western and southern Europe and southwestern Asia, whil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silver Gull
The silver gull (''Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae'') is a gull in Oceania. It is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus''), which also lives in Australia. The silver gull should not be confused with the herring gull, which is called "silver gull" in many other languages (scientific name ''Larus argentatus'', German , French , Dutch ), but is a much larger, robust gull with no overlap in range. Taxonomy It has traditionally been placed in the genus ''Larus'', as is the case with many gulls, but is now placed in the genus ''Chroicocephalus''. Hartlaub's gull (''C. hartlaubii'') of South Africa was formerly sometimes considered to be subspecies of the silver gull. There are three subspecies: * ''C. n. forsteri'' ( Mathews, 1912) – north and northeast Australia, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands * ''C. n. novaehollandiae'' ( Stephens, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short-tailed Shearwater
The short-tailed shearwater or slender-billed shearwater (''Ardenna tenuirostris''; formerly ''Puffinus tenuirostris''), also called yolla or moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are muttonbirding, commercially harvested. It is a migratory species that breeds mainly on small islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania and migrates to the Northern Hemisphere for the boreal summer. Taxonomy This shearwater appears to be related to the sooty shearwater, sooty and great shearwaters, which are also blunt-tailed, black-billed species, but its precise relationships are obscure (Austin, 1996; Austin ''et al.'', 2004). These are among the larger species of shearwater, which have been moved to a separate genus, ''Ardenna'' based on a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (Penhallurick & Wink, 2004). Ecology Each parent feeds the single chick fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crested Tern
The greater crested tern Retrieved 28 February 2012 (''Thalasseus bergii''), also called crested tern, swift tern, or great crested tern, is a tern in the family Laridae that nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its four or five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to other species in its genus, but can be distinguished by its darker, battleship-grey upperparts, white forehead even in full breeding plumage, and greenish-tinged yellow (not orange or black) bill colour. The greater crested tern has dark grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow bill, and a shaggy black crest that recedes in winter. Its young have a distinctive appearance, with strongly patterned grey, brown and white plumage, and rely on their parents for food for several months ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Penguin
The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by its Māori language, Māori name . It is a Neritic zone, marine neritic species that dives for food throughout the day and returns to burrows on the shore at dusk, making it the only Nocturnality, nocturnal penguin species on land. The Eudyptula novaehollandiae, Australian little penguin (''Eudyptula novaehollandiae''), from Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand, is considered a separate species. ''Eudyptula minor'' feathers are dense in Melanosome, melanosomes, which increase water resistance and give them their unique blue colour. Taxonomy The little penguin was first described by German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster in 1781. Several subspecies are known, but a precise classification of these is still a matter of dispute. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marram Grass
''Ammophila'' (synonymous with ''Psamma'' P. Beauv.) is a genus of flowering plants consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses. The genus name ''Ammophila'' originates from the Greek words ἄμμος (''ámmos''), meaning "sand", and φίλος (''philos''), meaning "friend". The common names for the grasses include marram grass, bent grass, and beachgrass. The grasses are found almost exclusively on the first line of coastal dunes. Their extensive system of creeping underground stems or rhizomes allows them to thrive under conditions of shifting sands and high winds, and helps stabilize the dunes and prevent coastal erosion. ''Ammophila'' species are native to the coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean where they are usually the dominant species on dunes. Their native range includes few inland regions, with the Great Lakes of North America being the main exception. The ''Ammophila'' grasses are widely known as examples of xerophytes, plants that can withstand dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malva
''Malva'' is a genus of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Europe. The leaves are alternate, palmately lobed. The flowers are from 0.5–5 cm diameter, with five pink, lilac, purple or white petals. Etymology The word "mallow" is derived from Old English "mealwe", which was imported from Latin "malva", cognate with Ancient Greek μαλάχη (malakhē) meaning "mallow", both perhaps reflecting a Mediterranean term. which has a purple colour; ultimately of Semitic origin. In 1859, the colour mauve was named after the French name for this plant. Uses Ornamental plant Several species are widely grown as garden flowers. Very easily grown, short-lived perennials are often grown as ornamental plants. Food Many species are edible as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Boxthorn
''Lycium ferocissimum'', the African boxthorn or boxthorn, is a shrub in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) indigenous to South Africa. Distribution The species is native to the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa, where it tends to occur in sands along the southern coast. It has also been recorded in the Free State, but these may represent introductions. It has been widely introduced in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, as far north as Morocco.Venter, A.M. (2000). Taxonomy of the Genus ''Lycium'' L. (Solanaceae) in Africa. Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany and Genetics))--University of the Free State. https://scholar.ufs.ac.za/handle/11660/1960?show=full It has been recorded in Sardinia, Italy. This shrub is found in other Mediterranean countries such as Tunisia and Spain. There is one record in France from 2020. It has become naturalised in Australia and New Zealand. It is listed in Australia's Weed of National Significance list and is a declared noxious weed in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
