Australasian Darter
The Australasian darter or Australian darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) is a species of bird in the darter family, Anhingidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It weighs around 2.6 kg and spans 86–94 cm (34–37 in) in length. == Taxonomy == John Gould described the Australasian darter as Plotus novaehollandiae in 1847. Closely related to American (Anhinga anhinga), African (Anhinga rufa), and Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster) darters, the Australasian darter has been classed as a subspecies of the African or African plus Oriental darters. All four have also been classed as a single species. Examination of the leg bones indicates the three Old World species are more closely related to each other with the American species more divergent. Genetic analysis showed it differed from A. rufa to a degree equivalent to that between other separate species, and shifted consensus to treating the Australasian darter as a separate species. Fossils of the Australasian darter have been recovered from several Pleistocene strata in Australia. As well as Australasian darter, common names given to the species include darter, diver, needle-beak shag, shag, and snake-bird. The Noongar people of southwestern Australia call it mimal. Gould also called it the New Holland darter…
Carnarvon National Park
Philadelphia, Australia
+93 birds+21 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through Queensland’s semi-arid interior, ancient sandstone walls tower above crystalline waterhole oases in an landscape that […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWickham National Park
Brisbane, Australia
+123 birds+30 mammals
Rugged sandstone plateaus rise dramatically across this compact yet ecologically rich corner of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, where ancient weathered […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKakadu National Park
Kakadu, Australia
+130 birds+20 mammals
Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest national park and one of the world’s most remarkable protected areas, covering nearly 20,000 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDaintree National Park
Dedin, Australia
+125 birds+30 mammals
Daintree National Park is one of the world’s oldest and most biologically diverse tropical rainforests, protecting an extraordinary landscape where […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGreater Bendigo National Park
Bendigo, Australia
+135 birds+16 mammals
Where granite tors pierce the undulating woodlands of central Victoria, a landscape of surprising ecological complexity unfolds across nearly 1,100 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKinglake National Park
Australia
+106 birds+22 mammals
Where eucalyptus-clad ridges rise above fern-filled gullies, the landscape unfolds in a patchwork of wet forest, dry sclerophyll woodland, and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBudj Bim National Park
Australia
+60 birds+11 mammals
Where volcanic plains meet lava-carved gorges, one of Australia’s most geologically dramatic landscapes unfolds across 184 square kilometres of southwestern […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSpringbrook National Park
Australia
+131 birds+30 mammals
Where subtropical rainforest cascades down steep volcanic escarpments and mist clings to ancient tree ferns, one of Australia’s most biodiverse […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSydney Harbour National Park
Sydney, Australia
+131 birds+21 mammals
Crystalline waters lap against weathered sandstone headlands where native bushland clings to steep escarpments overlooking one of the world’s most […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRoyal National Park
Sydney, Australia
+133 birds+24 mammals
Sandstone cliffs plunge toward the Tasman Sea along New South Wales’ southern coast, where Royal National Park unfolds across 343 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLittle Desert National Park
Australia
+107 birds+7 mammals
Where red sand dunes roll beneath a vast Australian sky, mallee scrubland stretches across 2,609 square kilometres of northwestern Victoria. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBelair National Park
Adelaide, Australia
+132 birds+19 mammals
Where the Adelaide Hills rise dramatically from the surrounding plains, eucalyptus woodlands of remarkable diversity cloak a landscape sculpted by […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCleland National Park
Australia
+95 birds+12 mammals
Where eucalyptus woodlands rise across the Adelaide Hills, a compact sanctuary of roughly twenty square kilometers preserves one of South […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLockyer National Park
Australia
+127 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic ridges meet subtropical woodland, a mosaic of eucalypt forest and grassy woodland unfolds across southeastern Queensland’s hidden gem. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRinyirru National Park
Lakefield, Australia
+141 birds+6 mammals
Where granite outcrops pierce windswept savanna and seasonal floodplains stretch toward the horizon, Australia’s northeastern extremity harbors one of the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKulla National Park
Coen, Australia
+52 birds+4 mammals
Granite peaks thrust dramatically from dense tropical rainforest across this vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula, where ancient weathered ranges […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMorton National Park
Australia
+125 birds+27 mammals
Where sandstone cliffs plunge into temperate rainforest and eucalypt woodlands blanket the New South Wales highlands, Morton National Park sprawls […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHeathcote National Park
Sydney, Australia
+131 birds+26 mammals
Where sandstone ridges rise above eucalyptus woodlands and crystalline creeks carve through ancient valleys, one of Victoria’s most underrated wilderness […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Eildon National Park
Australia
+76 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks rise above the sprawling waters of a vast reservoir, Victoria’s 869-square-kilometre wilderness unfolds in dramatic contrasts. The […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGlass House Mountains National Park
Australia
+129 birds+30 mammals
Volcanic peaks thrust skyward across the Queensland hinterland, their steep-sided summits sculpted from ancient lava flows and weathered by millions […]
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