#wildlife: queensland

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A noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) stretches its wings in the sun in Queensland, Australia

by Gail Hampshire

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And away they go!

seven_seas_explorer

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Little Red Flying-fox - Eungella, Queensland

By Rob Drummond

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" Black Swan " // © David Clode

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Skeletorus Spider: this species of jumping spider was named for its distinctive skeleton-like pattern

This species (Maratus sceletus) is a type of peacock spider that has been found only in the southeast region of Queensland, Australia. It was discovered by a grad student named Madeline Girard back in 2015, and for obvious reasons, she decided to give it the colloquial name "skeletorus."

The males of this species have distinctive black-and-white markings; their appearance is very unusual, given that male peacock spiders are generally known for their colorful/flamboyant features.

According to Dr. Jürgen Otto, who co-authored the article in which this species was first described:

[Skeletorus] looks dramatically different from all other peacock spiders known to date, making me think that this group is perhaps much more diverse than we had thought.

Peacock spiders are also famous for their charming and elaborate courtship dances, which often differ slightly from one species to the next. You can watch footage of the mating dance for this particular species here.

Sources & More Info:

Sci News: Two New Species of Peacock Spiders Discovered in Australia

Peckhamia Scientific Journal: Two New Peacock Spiders of the Calcitrans Group from Southern Queensland (PDF)

National Geographic: Behold Sparklemuffin and Skeletorus, New Peacock Spiders

Animal Diversity Web: Genus Maratus

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Matilda the Koala

📍Hamilton Island Wildlife, Queensland, Australia 📸 Bec Gallagher

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Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata), Queensland, Australia 

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Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Georg Wolf

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cairns birdwing butterfly 🦋 queensland, australia

(C) branchflowerphoto 2019

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random pages from the sketchbook i worked on for 2 weeks in outback queensland

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The spines of a short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) 

by Mitch Thorburn

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By Seanscottphotography

Cape York, Queensland, Australia

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“Possum’s midnight snack”

Location: Malanda, Queensland, Australia

“Caitlin Henderson finds an unexpected guest on her balcony as a possum snacks on a large cicada. ‘There were heads here, wings there,’ Caitlin says. She had peeked out and spotted a common brushtail possum sitting on the windowsill. Quick reactions allowed Caitlin to photograph the possum hungrily dismembering a large northern greengrocer cicada while carrying a baby in its pouch. This nocturnal marsupial, native to Australia, is widespread and locally abundant. Its long, sharp claws are made for a life in the trees, but it has readily adapted to urban environments and come into conflicts with humans.”

by Caitlin Henderson, Australia

Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2023

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" Hi Hoomans " // © Kerin Gedge

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