Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 1 i Australian Geographic Explorers

Meet Blake Chapman, author, shark educator and ocean lover. 1 What is the number one thing you want everyone to know about sharks? The most important message I try to get across is that there is no ‘typical’ shark. Each species is perfectly adapted to its needs and environment, and this makes the diversity of sharks really fascinating. There is a crazy list of strange and bizarre features and characteristics that certain sharks have – like hammerheads have modified scales around their eyes that are more like teeth, bioluminescence so they glow, pockets, and of course, rows and rows of specialised teeth. 2 Why do you love them so much? Sharks are incredible. I first became interested in them when I realised that so much of what we hear about…

Night owls Wombats are nocturnal – active at night – solitary animals, and live in a wide variety of habitats around Australia. All wombats are protected because they are native Australian animals. The southern hairy-nosed wombat is endangered, and the northern hairy-nosed wombat is critically endangered. So sad. That is big! Wombats can grow up to around 1.3m in length and weigh up to 36kg! They live up to 15 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity. Walkabout These marsupial mammals usually stay in their burrows by day, then come out at night to feed. They travel up to 3km a night looking for food. They like to eat our native grasses, particularly snow grass, tree roots, and sedge. Baby time Wombats can reproduce from two years old.…

Michael Payne is an illustrator for Australian Geographic magazine, works on advertising campaigns, is exhibited in museums – and even designed the $10 note. This is his routine… 1 Michael gets up early each day, as the sun rises – this can be as early as 5:30am. 2 Each morning he takes a brisk 4km walk along the coastal sandstone cliffs near his home, called the Artists’ Coast by the locals. 3 He has breakfast with his wife Pamela around 8am, usually wood-fired sourdough or potato bread with honey or jam. 4 From 9am, Michael works on his various art projects. The days of a busy art studio are gone, now everything is done digitally and remotely. 5 He usually skips lunch as he gets so engrossed in his work,…

Why do you love diving with sharks so much? Because it has helped to teach me that they’re not just mindless killers that are going to eat you just because you are in the water with them. It’s amazing to be a guest in their home. What surprised you most? I thought I might be scared, but it was actually very peaceful. I got to see Galapagos sharks parallel swimming [swimming side-by-side to figure out who is bigger], and it was so beautiful. What was the coolest part? When we were on the boat with Ocean and Juan before we went in the water, they were telling us about one of the local sharks they study, called Goliath. They said Goliath is like the cranky old man shark that keeps the…

Drone delivery Pizza? Book? Charger cable? In Canberra, you can now get deliveries by drone. The drones can carry anything up to 5kg. It’s the start of a brand new world. Info: Wing.com. Reader pop-ups Tree initiative The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is working with global non-profit One Tree Planted and French beauty brand L’OCCITANE to plant one million trees over the next five years. This is a huge part of bringing so much of our lost bush back to life after our devastating summer fires. A donation of just $10 will plant and look after one tree. They also fund wildlife rehabilitation. To get involved: www.fnpw.org.au. Woah Engineer and industrial designer Elon Musk has been hard at work on the Neuralink – a tiny device that will…

What is your official title? I’m the Head Reptile Keeper at NSW’s Australian Reptile Park. How did you get your job? I studied Captive Animals at TAFE, volunteered at Taronga Zoo, then got a job at Symbio Zoo. From there, I worked my way up to my current role – it’s my dream job! Have you always loved animals? Since I was a kid, I’ve loved reptiles of all kinds. When I was five, I got my first blue tongue lizard, Bluey. My love for reptiles grew every year! Why are crocodiles so special? Saltwater crocodiles are incredible, mainly due to their size. They start at 70g and can grow to 1000kg – it’s fascinating! They’ve been around for 200 million years, and haven’t had to evolve much because they’re…

Chameleon quick facts A veiled chameleon can grow to 45cm long, and other kinds up to 70cm. They eat insects with their long, sticky tongues, and they can change colours! You can find them in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Australia, including at Australia Zoo. Colour me in Let your imagination loose with this chameleon. Spot the difference Did you know that frogs can ribbit, chirp, bark and cluck? Can you spot the eight differences? Answers on page 28. Mind games Which one of these four pictures does not fit the pattern? Trace the ten tacle paths Can you match the octopus tentacles with their flag? Word find Can you find the nine words? Ship. Fish. Whale. Sail. Anchor. Steamboat. Tackle. Cloud. Sun. Answers: Funny frog: Missing: (1) Fly. (2) Lemon. (3)…

"I've clocked up close to 100, 000km while bicycle touring." Q + A 1 What do you love most about riding your bike? The freedom, the fitness, and all the time I get to listen to music and podcasts, and to simply think. I love how open to the world you are when travelling by bike. I get to be right amongst the smells, weather and communities. 2 How do you cope with the extreme temperatures? It’s all about being prepared and having the correct equipment. In the desert it goes from extreme highs to below zero at night. A warm sleeping bag and tent is crucial, and having the appropriate clothing to protect you from the scorching sun and daytime heat is just as important. The trickiest part is…

What happened? Between September 2019 and March 2020, bushland almost the size of America (46 million hectares) was destroyed. Our wildlife was devastated, roos were trapped in fences, birds were cooked alive in the sky, and the poor koalas, one of our slowest moving marsupials, had no chance. According to WWF Australia, in those six months, “Nearly three billion animals – mammals, reptiles, birds and frogs – were killed or displaced by Australia’s devastating bushfires.” Water stations As part of the recovery effort, WWF Australia, The Reece Group and WIRES have been building and distributing 800 TREE TROFF® arboreal drinkers. The amazing drinkers, which hold an impressive 220 litres of water, are being placed in fire and drought affected areas for this summer. Food drops In January, as part of…

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We know you! Be nice to magpies, because they have an incredible memory for faces, and are far less likely to swoop you if they like you. Dinner time Magpies are good scavengers. They walk around on the ground looking for mice, lizards, snails, insects, caterpillars and larvae. They are also very adept at begging humans for food – so if you start feeding them, know that they will be back. It’s safe to feed magpies meal worms and high quality mince meat – but do this in limited amounts. Never feed them bread or human food. Neighbourhood watch These black and white flyers live in community groups of up to 24 birds, guarding and sharing their territory. So that magpie you think you always see is likely to be…