Critter Science
The Science of Animals
The blobfish is a species of deep-sea fish that belongs to the family called fatheads. They can be found only in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Blobfish spend their life at depths of approximately 2,000 – 4,000 feet where water pressures exceed 120 times greater than
There are not many birds that are as recognized by Australians as the Australian magpie. Sans its wide distribution there are few places in Australia where magpies don’t live. The species’ familiarity is probably due to its pleasing song and for its tendency to
There are only seven known species of sea turtle existing today and six of these are found around Australian waters. They are the green sea turtle, the loggerhead, the olive ridley, the hawksbill, the flatback, and the leatherback turtles. Most sea turtles are
The common death adder can be seen throughout much of eastern and coastal southern Australia. In central Australia you’ll find the desert death adder and to the north you’ll see the northern death adder. There are also several other species around the country with less of a range
The lorikeet, aka loriini, aka lori is a small – medium-sized parrot with a special brush-tipped tongue to feed on nectar of flower blossoms & soft fruits, preferring berries. Because they are often found in big flocks they are easy to spot. They’re also
Touted as being the most venomous sea snake in the world, it’s the faint-banded (or Belcher’s) sea snake. The Belcher’s sea snake, is an elapid (a family of venomous snakes) sea snake that resides in the Philippines: Visayan area, Panay, New Guinea, Gulf of Thailand,
The redback spider, aka the Australian black widow, is a species of highly venomous spider originating in the South Australian & adjacent Western Australian deserts, but is now found throughout Australia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand; with colonies elsewhere outside
The bull shark is often considered the most dangerous shark in the world. This is because they’re not only an aggressive species but they also tend to hunt in waters where people often swim; such as along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks dwell throughout the world
The marsupial mole is blind, their eyes having become reduced to vestigial (an ancestral retention that has lost all or part of its original function) lenses under the skin, and they have no external ears, just a pair of tiny holes hidden under thick hair
The yabby is common in Victoria and New South Wales, although the species also occurs in southern Queensland, South Australia, and throughout parts of the Northern Territory, making it the most widespread Australian crayfish. They have been introduced into