Lake Surprise fills a volcano crater at Budj Bim National Park in southeastern Australia.
Credit: Peter (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.

The inactive volcano and cultural site Budj Bim made history when, in 2019, it became the first World Heritage site listed exclusively for its value to Aboriginal culture. Such sites are places of unique cultural or natural importance as designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Budj Bim, once known as Mount Eccles, is located in southeastern Australia. The overlapping craters of Budj Bim hold lakes in which Aboriginal people maintained systems of aquaculture (the raising of water animals and plants) for thousands of years. Budj Bim means High Head in the language of the Gunditjmara people (also called the Dhauwurd Wurrung) of southwestern Victoria state. Budj Bim sits about 170 miles (270 kilometers) west of Melbourne. It is part of the 20,700-acre (8,370-hectare) Budj Bim National Park (formerly Mount Eccles National Park).

Gunditjmara tradition holds that Budj Bim is part of the body of an ancient creator being, who was revealed to Aboriginal people in an eruption around 30,000 years ago. The last known eruption of Budj Bim occurred about 8,000 years ago. Starting at least 6,600 years ago, the Gunditjmara people began creating a system of channels and dams to trap eels and other fish among the rock formations of Budj Bim. The result was an aquaculture system that provided plentiful food, and permanent Aboriginal settlements were established at nearby Lake Condah and Lake Gorrie. European settlers arrived in the area in the 1830’s.

Budj Bim—named Mount Eccles by European settlers—became a protected area in 1926 and a national park in 1960. Mount Eccles National Park was renamed Budj Bim National Park in 2017. The area is popular for camping, hiking, and picnicking.

A giant wood moth was found at Mount Cotton State School in Queensland by builders.
Credit: © Mount Cotton state school

Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.

Last month, the children at Mount Cotton State School in Queensland, Australia, got a new class pet: a giant wood moth. Construction workers found the grey, fuzzy-looking insect resting on a side of the building. Given that the giant wood moth can have a wingspan of up to 9 inches (23 centimeters), it must have been covering a good portion of the wall!

The giant wood moth, or Endoxyla cinereus, spends much of its life as a larva inside Australia’s native eucalyptus trees. A larva is an active, immature stage of an animal. A giant wood moth remains in this larva stage for three years. But, as an adult, the moth lives for only one week. It dies after mating and laying eggs.

The students enjoyed looking at the moth. But they couldn’t bring the moth to such school activities as playing at the park or eating in the cafeteria. Among many other reasons, the giant moth couldn’t eat school lunch, because adult moths do not eat. Instead, they get energy from fat reserves that they build up during the larva stage.

The workers who discovered the giant wood moth recognized the insect by its large size and grey color. They did not mistake the moth for its colorful counterpoint: the butterfly.

Moths differ from butterflies in a number of important ways. For example, most moths fly at dusk or at night. The majority of butterflies fly during the day. Among most moths, the hind wing is attached to the front wing by a hook or set of hooks, called a frenulum. Butterflies lack a frenulum. In addition, most butterflies have antennae that widen at the ends and resemble clubs. The antennae of most moths are not club-shaped. Many male moths have larger antennae than do female moths.

Credit: © Uwe Bergwitz, Shutterstock

Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.

If you could eat 1,000 somethings in one day, what would you choose? Slices of pizza? Chunks of chocolate? Florets of broccoli?

The small Australian lizard called the thorny devil would choose 1,000 somethings that are a little… different.

The thorny devil, also called the thorny dragon or mountain devil, eats 1,000 ants in a day. And, it does this day after day, because the thorny devil feeds exclusively on ants.

Thorny devils live in dry, sandy areas, including deserts and sandy grasslands and scrublands. They are found from Australia’s interior to the coast of Western Australia.

Thorny devils reach up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length. They are covered in spines of keratin, a tough material also found in human hair and nails. Their skin has a banded appearance. The skin color changes with temperature. Thorny devils may appear olive to brown in the cool of the desert morning and evening. They may appear pale yellow and red in the midday heat.

Thorny devils are solitary animals. The thorny devil is active in the daytime. It feeds by positioning itself near an ant trail, using its sticky tongue to slurp up ants. The devil’s teeth are specialized for shearing tough ant exoskeletons (outer coverings).

The thorny devil has a unique way of getting water in dry environments. Its spines are surrounded by a network of microscopic grooves. The grooves draw in dew and other moisture from the lizard’s surroundings through an effect called capillary action. The grooves channel this water to the lizard’s mouth.

Thorny devils are preyed upon by larger lizards and birds. The devil’s spines may help to discourage predators. The animal can also puff itself up with air when threatened. The thorny devil walks with a slow, jerky movement that is thought to confuse predators. A large knob on the lizard’s neck may also confuse predators, appearing as a false head.

Thorny devils are active in the spring and fall. They take refuge in underground burrows during the hottest months of summer and the coldest months of winter. Thorny devils mate in the late winter and early spring. The female lays 3 to 10 eggs in a burrow 12 inches (30 centimeters) deep. The eggs hatch in three to four months. Thorny devils can live to about 20 years in the wild.

A koala mother and her joey (young) rest in a eucalyptus tree. Eucalyptus leaves and shoots make up the main part of a koala’s diet.
© Shutterstock

It’s summer in Australia, so you know what that means—time for a koala count! The Australian government has funded a project to count the population of the beloved teddy-bearlike mammals, as well as record where the marsupials (pouched mammals) live. The government commissioned this project because, in recent years, estimates of the koala population have varied greatly. In 2016, for instance, there were an estimated 300,000 koalas in Australia. Three years later, that number was down to 80,000, with some scientists saying the number was as low as 43,000.

In previous counts, people merely counted how many koalas they saw. But, koalas spend almost all their time in eucalyptus trees, making it difficult for people to spot them among the leaves. For the new count, humans will still venture into the forests to search for koalas. But, to ensure a koala-ty count, the government has also introduced some new methods. It will employ heat-seeking drones. A drone is an aircraft designed to operate without a pilot on board. The drones will detect the body heat that a koala gives off. The government will also use dropping-detection dogs—that is, dogs that identify koala droppings. The droppings serve as evidence that koalas live in the area. In addition to detecting droppings, these dogs can sniff out koalas themselves.

In recent years, the koala population has declined. People have cut down eucalyptus forests for housing developments, resorts, and farmland. In addition to spending most of their time in the forks of eucalyptus trees, koalas eat mainly the leaves and young shoots of eucalyptuses. They even get most of the water they need from eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are also vulnerable to natural disasters. Tens of thousands of koalas were killed when bushfires devastated large areas of Australia in late 2019 and early 2020. In fact, a study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimated that more than 60,000 koalas had been either killed, injured, or displaced by the fires. This staggering number led some scientists to say that the animal was “functionally extinct.”

There are efforts to increase the koala population in Australia. For instance, the WWF hopes to use drones to drop eucalyptus-tree seeds in forests. The WWF will also create a fund to sponsor koala sanctuaries (safe spaces).

January 13, 2020

Earth has been a particularly dangerous place in recent weeks. Airplane crashes, military clashes, terror attacks, and political unrest have taken a toll on human life and happiness lately, but it is a series of natural disasters that has caused the most trouble. A typhoon ravaged the Philippines, deadly flash floods hit Indonesia, bushfires continued to rage in Australia, a measles epidemic continued to kill in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a series of earthquakes rattled Puerto Rico.

Firefighters confront a bushfire near the Blue Mountains town of Bilpin, New South Wales, on Dec. 19, 2019. Credit: © 1234rf/Shutterstock

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Typhoon Phanfone (also called Ursula) struck the Philippines, producing high winds and flooding that killed 105 people in the Visayan Island provinces of Biliran, Capiz, Iloilo, and Leyte. Phanfone was a Category 2 storm (moderate strength) with sustained winds of more than 90 miles (150 kilometers) per hour. Storm surges and deadly flash floods hit communities just as families were gathering to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.

On New Year’s Day in Indonesia, abnormally heavy monsoon rains caused flash floods that killed 66 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others in Jakarta, the capital. Some 14.5 inches (37 centimeters) of rain fell on New Year’s Eve, causing the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers to overflow. Floodwaters submerged more than 150 neighborhoods and caused landslides in the Bogor and Depok districts on the outskirts of Jakarta. Flood water levels in some areas peaked at more than 13 feet (4 meters). Electric power was cut off, and closed schools and government buildings were converted into emergency shelters.

On January 7, the World Health Organization announced the 6,000th death from measles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since an epidemic began there in 2019. More than 300,000 suspected measles cases have been reported in the DRC—a nation also troubled by recent terror attacks. The epidemic has continued and grown because of low vaccination coverage, malnutrition, weak public health systems, outbreaks of other epidemic-prone diseases (such as Ebola), and the difficulty of getting health care to people in remote areas.

In Puerto Rico, after several smaller earthquakes, a 6.4-magnitude temblor struck the southwestern part of the island on January 7. The earthquake, the strongest to hit Puerto Rico in more than 100 years, killed one person, toppled hundreds of structures, and forced a state of emergency. Many people lost their homes, the island briefly lost electric power, and schools and public offices were closed. In the 10 days before the 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the United States Geological Survey recorded hundreds of temblors in Puerto Rico—including 10 of 4-magnitude or greater.

A number of major bushfires have lately devastated southeastern Australia. Since September, the wild fires—mostly in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria—have burned more than 25.5 million acres (10.3 million hectares), an area the size of South Korea. The bushfires have destroyed more than 2,100 homes and killed 27 people and hundreds of millions of animals. On January 8, the Australian government ordered the mass slaughter of thousands of wild camels and horses that have invaded rural towns looking for water. Many people are without electric power and telecommunications in Australia’s southeast, and some were without drinking water and other supplies. Smoke has obscured the city skies of Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney. The bushfires followed a three-year drought that experts link to climate change.

December 23, 2019

Saturday, December 21, was the winter solstice in the United States and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere—which includes Australia, New Zealand, and other lands south of the equator—the solstice marks the beginning of summer. In Australia, summer is a season known for bushfires. Such wildfires are common in Australia, due in part to the country’s hot and dry climate. Many wildfires start in the remote countryside known to Australians as the bush. Bushfires can be extremely destructive, especially if they reach urban areas. The fires often kill people and destroy property and farmland. They also devastate forests, along with the koalas and other animals that live there.

Police in Jimboomba, Queensland, rescued this koala and her joey from a bushfire in late November 2019. Many other koalas were not so lucky. Credit: Jimboomba Police

A number of major bushfires have plagued Australia in 2019. Late last summer, in February, bushfires consumed more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of land in northern New South Wales. Far more destructive bushfires ignited again in New South Wales in September, burning nearly 5 million acres (2 million hectares) there and in neighboring Queensland. Some of those fires lasted for weeks, while others continue to burn, turning skies black or orange, causing severe damage, and killing a number of people. The bushfires also killed thousands of vulnerable and slow-moving koalas trapped by the rapidly spreading flames.

Bushfires are relatively common in Australia. These fire-damaged buildings are seen alongside a house that survived Christmas Day bushfires near Melbourne in 2015. Credit: © Julian Smith, EPA/Landov

Koalas live only in the forests of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, in eastern Australia. They are found in significant numbers in only a few areas, and the animals are protected by law. Bushfires, however, ravage the koala’s natural habitat and its population. Koalas cannot escape the fast-moving fires, and their only defense is to climb to the top of a tree, curl into a ball, and hope the flames do not rise to reach them. Koalas sometimes survive this way, but they often burn their paws and claws descending charred trees, leaving them unable to climb properly again.

Koalas are not officially listed as endangered, but the population in New South Wales and Queensland has decreased by more than 40 percent since 1990. The animals are threatened by deforestation and habitat loss, as well as the effects of climate change, which is causing longer and more intense heat waves and droughts, leading to more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting bushfires. Beyond the flames and smoke of the fires, many koalas die from lack of water or exposure to prolonged periods of high temperatures. Australia just suffered through the driest spring in its history, and a brutal heat wave peaked on Dec. 19, 2019, when the highest ever nationwide average temperature—107.4 °F (41.9 °C)—was recorded.

October 25, 2019

Today, October 25, is the last day that people will be able to climb Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, a giant outcrop of rock in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory. A ban on climbing Uluru, which is considered sacred by the local Anangu Australian Aboriginal group, begins tomorrow. The date of the ban marks the 34th anniversary of the return of Uluru to its traditional Anangu owners in 1985. The Anangu people have looked after the land surrounding Uluru for tens of thousands of years.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a place of spiritual significance for its traditional owners, the Anangu Australian Aboriginal group. Credit: © Stanislav Fosenbauer, Shutterstock

More than 250,000 people visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park each year, and climbing the giant outcrop of rock has long been a popular activity. The Anangu people consider the ascent disrespectful, however, and have lobbied for a climbing ban for years. Since 1992, signs at the park have asked people to respect the site as sacred and to not climb the rock. The number of climbers has dropped in recent years, but many people continued to climb Uluru—an action made easier by a chain to grip while making the sometimes perilous ascent. In the end, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board decided to enforce a climbing ban, remove the chain, and leave Uluru at peace.

A ban on climbing Uluru, long a major tourist attraction, will go into effect tomorrow, Oct. 26, 2019. Credit: © Steve Vidler, SuperStock

Uluru rises abruptly 1,100 feet (335 meters) above the sand dune plains, about 280 miles (450 kilometers) southwest of Alice Springs. The rock is more than 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long and 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide. It measures 5 miles (8 kilometers) around its base. The rock’s coarse sandstone glows red during sunrise and sunset. Uluru consists of beds of arkose (sandstone containing feldspar minerals) that date back to the Cambrian Period, which lasted from about 540 million to 485 million years ago. Similar rock lies at shallow depths under the sand plain surrounding Uluru. The erosion that formed Uluru probably started in the Cretaceous Period, from about 145 million to 65 million years ago.

Uluru has many sacred sites and caves decorated with rock art. The first European to see Uluru was the English explorer Ernest Giles in 1872. The explorer William Gosse visited the rock in 1873. He named it Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, who was then the premier of South Australia. In 1873, Gosse became the first European to climb Uluru. The Anangu people do not climb the rock because of its spiritual significance.

In 1950, Uluru was officially made into a national park. The original name of the park was Ayers Rock National Park. In 1985, Australia’s government legally returned the land where Uluru stands to the Anangu. The Anangu then turned over the management of Uluru to the Australian government on a 99-year lease.

In 1993, Ayers Rock National Park was officially renamed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, is a group of large, rounded rock outcrops, 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Uluru. In 1994, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park became a World Heritage Site because of its unique environmental and cultural importance.

October 21, 2019

If your birthday is in October, your birthstones—the gems associated with the month of your birth—are the opal and the tourmaline. Opal is a glassy material, some of which is valued as a gem for its flashes of color. It consists of water and a mineral called silica, the most common ingredient in sand. The tourmaline is any of a group of boron-containing minerals often found in granite. Tourmalines are used as gemstones and for industrial purposes.

The glassy opal is one of the birthstones of October. Credit: © Bjoern Wylezich, Shutterstock

Traditionally, opals have been worn by royalty and others of importance, and the gems were prized for their brilliant colors and translucent qualities. Many people thought opals were beneficial to the eye, and they were worn to cure eye diseases. Some people believed opals attracted money, and that they could make a person invisible. Thus they were popular with thieves. Black opals were thought to aid magicians or practicers of supernatural “black arts.”

Much opal is white, gray, brown, or black. Some opal shows a brilliant flash of color, called play of color, on top of its background color. Opal with play of color is called precious opal. Opal without color play has little or no gem value, unless it is clear or brightly colored. Opal without gem value is called common opal or potch. Australia is the main modern source of opals, but they can be found in many parts of the world. One of the largest opals ever found, the Andamooka Desert Flame, weighed over 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) when found in Australia in 1969.

The tourmaline crystal shows a rainbow of colors. Credit: © Albert Russ, Shutterstock

The tourmaline, sometimes called the rainbow of gemstones, has traditionally been worn as a jewel of love, protection, and harmony. The gems were also thought to help people connect with their inner selves, and thus the tourmaline aided with self-realization and understanding.

Tourmalines vary greatly in color. The most common tourmalines include elbaite, dravite, and schorl. Elbaite, which is rich in lithium, can appear pink, blue, green, or yellow. Dravite, a magnesium-rich tourmaline, usually appears brownish. Schorl, rich in iron and manganese, is usually black. The color of some tourmaline crystals varies from the center to the edges. Watermelon tourmaline, for example, appears pink in the center and green at the edges. These changes indicate a change in conditions as the crystal formed.

Tourmaline is piezoelectric—that is, its crystals can develop an electric charge when stretched or squeezed. Tourmaline has been used in radio transmitters and pressure sensors. Scientists use slices of tourmaline in the study of polarized light (light that vibrates in a single direction). Jewelers commonly cut transparent and flawless tourmaline crystals into gems.  Main sources for tourmalines include Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, and several countries in Africa.

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Birthstones, according to tradition, bring good luck when worn by a person born in the associated month. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustrations by Paul D. Turnbaugh

According to tradition, a birthstone brings good luck to a person born in its month. Each birthstone also corresponds to a sign of the zodiac. The belief in birthstones may have come from a Bible story about Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites. The story describes Aaron’s breastplate, which was decorated with 12 precious stones. Early writers linked these stones with the 12 months of the year and the 12 signs of the zodiac. The custom of wearing a stone that represented a person’s zodiac sign probably originated in Germany or Poland in the 1700′s.

July 26, 2019

Earlier this month in July, Budj Bim, an inactive volcano and cultural site in southeastern Australia, was named a World Heritage Site. Such sites are places of unique cultural or natural importance as designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Budj Bim, once known as Mount Eccles, is the first World Heritage Site listed exclusively for its value to Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal people maintained systems of aquaculture (the raising of water animals and plants) in the crater lakes of Budj Bim for thousands of years.

Lake Surprise fills one of the volcano craters at Budj Bim National Park in southeastern Australia. Credit: Peter (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Budj Bim means High Head in the language of the Gunditjmara people (also called the Dhauwurd Wurrung) of southwestern Victoria state. Budj Bim sits about 170 miles (270 kilometers) west of Melbourne. It is part of the 20,700-acre (8,370-hectare) Budj Bim National Park (formerly Mount Eccles National Park).

Gunditjmara tradition holds that Budj Bim is part of the body of an ancient creator being, who was revealed to Aboriginal people in an eruption around 30,000 years ago. The last known eruption of Budj Bim occurred about 8,000 years ago. Starting at least 6,600 years ago, the Gunditjmara people began creating a system of channels and dams to trap eels and other fish among the rock formations of Budj Bim. The result was an aquaculture system that provided plentiful food, and permanent Aboriginal settlements were established at nearby Lake Condah and Lake Gorrie. European settlers arrived in the area in the 1830’s.

Budj Bim—named Mount Eccles by European settlers—became a protected area in 1926 and a national park in 1960. Mount Eccles National Park was renamed Budj Bim National Park in 2017. The area is popular for camping, hiking, and picnicking.

February 11, 2019

Last week, monsoon rains dumped record amounts of water in northern  Queensland, Australia, flooding roads, swelling rivers above their banks, and causing landslides. The coastal city of Townsville received more than 3.3 feet (1.0 meters) of rain, raising the level of water held by the Ross River dam to dangerous levels far above its capacity. On February 3, city officials opened the dam’s gates, intentionally flooding several neighborhoods to ease pressure on the dam and keep it from collapsing. Crocodiles, snakes, and other wildlife followed the waters into the flooded streets, appearing in places they are not typically found. Boats and other vehicles capable of navigating high waters rescued many people and pets trapped by the flooding. Two people are known to have died in the flooding.

Floodwaters inundate the Townsville, Australia, suburb of Idalia on Feb. 4, 2019. Credit: © Ian Hitchcock, Getty Images

Some Queensland farmers welcomed the rainfall. Drought conditions have been widespread in recent months across Australia (where summer is from December to February), and the farmers hoped the rain would help their crops. The monsoon flooding came at the tail end of the hottest month ever recorded by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology. On February 1, the agency reported that the average January temperature across the continent exceeded 86 ºF (30 ºC). The Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and Victoria all set new high temperature records for the month of January. Some parts of western Queensland and New South Wales had weeks of temperatures above 104 ºF (40 ºC). Numerous farm and wild animals died in the extreme heat, as did many fish in overheated lakes and rivers.

Despite the monsoon rains in Queensland, much of Australia remains in a drought. Scientists believe that such extreme weather events will become more frequent in coming years as a result of global climate change.