Tasmania

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Tasmania

• By Jeremy Steckler and Caleb Speedy
• This is a beach on the west coast of Tasmania

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Westlands

• The west and southwest regions of Tasmania are
  known for their wilderness and mineral value. The
  largest town in Tasmania's west is Queenstown,
  but overall this region of the state is by far
  the least populated, making it the ideal
  destination for those seeking beauty and
  solitude.

This is a map of the Westlands of Tasmania
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Midlands and Central Highlands

• The midlands of Tasmania are famed for their
  agricultural and heritage values, while the
  central highlands are renowned for its beautiful
  isolated wilderness value. Major towns in the
  midlands are Oatlands, Campbell Town and Ross,
  while the most significant town in central
  Tasmania is Bothwell.

This is a map of the Midlands and Central
Highlands of Tasmania
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Tasmanias Birds

• In national parks and bush reserves - many close
  to urban centres - the air echoes with bird
  calls. Some are sweet and liquid, others are
  raucous, and still others resonate like wind
  chimes. Discovering the individuals responsible
  for this music may lead you through areas of
  great scenic beauty and diverse plant life to the
  habitats of many other native animals. Of the
  many types of birds that make their home in
  Tasmania, 12 are species found nowhere else in
  the world, while others are sub-species
  endemics (e.g. the wedge-tail eagle) or breeding
  endemics (e.g. the orange-bellied parrot, one of
  the worlds most endangered birds).

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Tasmanian Devil

• The Tasmanian devil, the worlds largest
  surviving carnivorous marsupial, cannot be
  mistaken for any other animal. Its spine chilling
  screeches, dark color and reputed bad temper led
  early European settlers to call it The Devil.
  Although only the size of a small dog, it can
  look and sound incredibly fierce. Powerful jaws
  (nine times as strong as a dogs and comparable
  to a shark or crocodile) and teeth enable it to
  completely devour its prey bones, fur and all.
  The only things devils wont eat are echidna
  quills. It is mainly a scavenger and feeds on
  what is available, mostly carrion (particularly
  roadkill, which can easily lead to devils
  becoming roadkill themselves) although it will
  occasionally hunt young or wounded animals.

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Tasmanian Devil (cont.)
Devils are famous for their rowdy communal
feeding at carcasses the noise and displays are
used to establish dominance. They can eat nearly
40 per cent of their body weight in 30 minutes.
Devils once lived in mainland Australia, but
today are found only in Tasmania. They are
particularly common in some north, east and
central districts. Devils can be seen at the
Narawntapu National Park, Mt William National
Park, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National
Park, the Arthur River and highland lakes area.
Look for them a few hours after sunset.

This is a Tasmanian Devil
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Eastern Quolls
Habitat Male eastern quolls are about the size
of a small domestic cat averaging 60 cm in length
and 1.3 kg in weight females are slightly
smaller. They have thick, soft fur that is
colored fawn, brown or black. Small white spots
cover the body except for the bushy tail which
may have a white tip. Compared to the related
spotted-tail quoll, the eastern quoll is slightly
built with a pointed muzzle. The eastern quoll
(or native cat, as it is sometimes called) has
two color phases ginger brown or black, both with
white spots on the body but not the tail.

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Eastern Quolls (cont.)
Distribution and Habitat Eastern quolls once
occurred on mainland Australia, with the last
sighting occurring in the Sydney suburb of
Vaucluse in the early 1960s. They are now
considered extinct on the mainland, although some
recent sightings in the New England region of
northern New South Wales suggest that the species
may still survive. The species, fortunately, is
widespread and locally common in Tasmania. It is
found in a variety of habitats including
rainforest, heathland, alpine areas and scrub.
However, it seems to prefer dry grassland and
forest mosaics which are bounded by agricultural
land, particularly where pasture grubs are
common. Eastern quolls can be seen in all but the
Narawntapu Range National Park and the Arthur
River area. They are common in Mt. Field National
Park.

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Eastern Quoll (cont.)
The eastern quoll is largely solitary. It hunts
and scavenges, feeding largely on insects.
Eastern quolls are nocturnal and only
occasionally forage or bask during daylight.
During the day they sleep in nests made under
rocks in underground burrows or fallen logs. Like
the spotted-tail quoll, the eastern quoll is an
opportunistic carnivore that takes live prey and
scavenges. The eastern quoll is an impressive
hunter, taking small mammals such as rabbits,
mice and rats. They can also be quite bold when
competing with the larger Tasmanian devil for
food. Eastern quolls sometimes scavenge morsels
of food from around feeding devils. However, the
main component of its diet is invertebrates,
especially agricultural pests such as the
cockchafer beetle and corbie grub. Carrion and
some fruits are also eaten. Breeding occurs in
early winter. After a gestation period of 21
days, females give birth to up to 30 young.

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Forester Kangaroo
The Forester, or eastern grey, kangaroo is the
largest marsupial in Tasmania and the
second-largest in the world. Males can reach more
than 60kg and, when literally on tippy toes,
stand two meters tall. The Forester kangaroo is
restricted to north eastern Tasmania and small
areas in central Tasmania. The Mt William
National Park in the north east provides the best
opportunity to see these animals along forester
drive. A drive or stroll along this road at dusk
is most rewarding. The Forester has also been
introduced to Maria Island National Park, Three
Hummock Island and Narawntapu National Park.
Foresters often feed during the day, but mostly
in the early morning and evening. They are
usually seen in family groups of three or four,
but sometimes in mobs of more than 10
animals. This is a Forester Kangaroo

This is a Forester Kangaroo
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Whales and Dolphins
There was a time when residents of the Hobart
town of Taroona complained of being kept awake by
the sounds of whales snorting in the Derwent
River. Today, the mere report of a sighting
sends a thrill of excitement through the
community. At the peak of the whaling boom, there
were enough whales migrating through Tasmanian
waters to support 45 whaling stations, nine of
which were in or around Hobart. So great were the
numbers of massive southern right whales in the
Derwent that it was considered dangerous to cross
the estuary in small boats. The ravages of
whaling drove many species to the edge of
extinction. Today, the southern right whale is
among the rarest of whales, but since the end of
commercial whaling its numbers have begun to
increase and whale sightings in Tasmanian waters
are becoming more common.

This is a Humpback Whale
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Whales and Dolphins (cont.)
During June and July, humpback and southern right
whales travel along the east and west coasts of
Tasmania towards their breeding grounds in warmer
northern waters and can sometimes be seen from
Bruny Island and other coastal areas. They
return to their southern summer feeding grounds
in October and November. Sadly, not all
encounters with whales today are positive there
are more strandings in Tasmania than in any other
Australian state. Most occur in the Circular Head
and Macquarie HarborOcean Beach areas.
Bottle-nosed dolphins and baleen, humpback and
southern right whales are the cetaceans you are
most likely to spot in the Derwent River and on
Tasmanias east coast. Both southern right whales
and humpbacks are still considered endangered in
Tasmanian waters.

These are four Bottlenose Dolphins
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Citations

www.discovertasmania.com www.tourtasmania.com
www.tased.edu