The Taillefer Rocks, part of the
Schouten Island Group, are three small, rugged,
granite islands, with a combined area of approximately lying close to the eastern coast of
Tasmania, Australia, near the
Freycinet Peninsula
The Freycinet Peninsula is a large peninsula located on the eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The peninsula is located north of Schouten Island and is contained within the Freycinet National Park.
The locality of Freycinet is in the local ...
and lies within the
Freycinet National Park
Freycinet National Park is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 km northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island. Foun ...
.
Flora and fauna
This is one of the few islands where
Oyster Bay pine
''Callitris rhomboidea'', commonly known as the Oyster Bay pine, Tasmanian cypress pine, Port Jackson pine, Illawarra Mountain pine, or dune cypress pine, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to Australia, occurring i ...
s occur.
Recorded breeding
seabird species are
little penguin
The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name .
The Australian lit ...
,
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 A ...
,
fairy prion and
common diving petrel.
Reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
s present include the
metallic skink,
White's skink,
spotted skink and
mountain dragon.
Australian fur seal
The brown fur seal (''Arctocephalus pusillus''), also known as the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and 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. ...
s
haul-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, pin ...
there in small numbers.
[
]
See also
* Protected areas of Tasmania
* List of islands of Tasmania
References
Islands of Tasmania
East Coast Tasmania
Protected areas of Tasmania
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