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Specimen of the Month

Cane Toad 𝘙𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢

The cane toad (𝘙𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢) is a large species of toad originally from South America, but now found throughout the Pacific, the Caribbean and tropical areas of north-eastern New South Wales, Queensland and across northern Australia. Cane toads famously have poison glands that exude a powerful toxin known as bufotoxin that can cause death in a wide range of animals, including humans. Cane toads were intentionally introduced to control cane beetles in sugar cane districts, a strategy that failed miserably, and led to its widespread invasion. The animal continues to increase its Australian range to this day.

Some Australian animals have learnt to eat cane toads safely by avoiding the poison glands; water rats and crows flip them over and eat the intestines, while tawny frogmouths apparently eat them whole without ill effect.

Recent research has shown that toads are rapidly evolving at the invasion front to have larger heads, bigger bodies, but also longer legs to make them faster. They are also adept at invading new areas by hitching a ride in air and road freight, or simply inside passenger vehicles. In the last few years, the occasional toad has even shown up on the New England Tableland in Armidale; but whether this tropical animal could survive an Armidale winter is perhaps asking too much even of this very adaptable invader. Nevertheless, be on the lookout and report any toads you see in the area!

The UNE Natural History Museum has several specimens of toads; our specimen of the month shows a few of these to demonstrate the size range of adult animals.

If you're in Armidale, check out all of our specimens of the month on display in UNE's Dixson Library. For other Natural History Museum explorations, head to our resources page http://ow.ly/S1Ot50Cw3Ku

#specimenofthemonth #naturalhistory #naturalhistorymuseum #canetoad

🔭 Do you love Galaxies that are far, far away?

🔭 Do you love Galaxies that are far, far away?

If your answer is a big YES, then the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research needs your help!

AstroQuest is an online citizen science project undertaken by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Western Australia, but don’t worry – you can help these scientists out wherever you are. All you need is a computer or tablet and an internet connection.

Using AstroQuest, citizen scientists inspect images from a survey of millions of galaxies, and check whether a computer algorithm has identified the light coming from each galaxy correctly. This can be tricky because there may be galaxies and other objects overlapping each other, or the computer may think the galaxy is actually lots of smaller galaxies. It helps researchers to know if the computer got it right. If the computer got it wrong, you have a chance to fix it by colouring in where you think the galaxy is.

You could even get a school group involved!

Check out the link below for more details or to sign up.
https://astroquest.net.au/

#unediscovery #citizenscience #astronomy #citscioz #citsci #australianastronomy

H͢e͢l͢p͢i͢n͢g͢ ͢e͢n͢t͢a͢n͢g͢l͢e͢d͢ ͢w͢i͢l͢d͢l͢i͢f͢e͢

Have you even found some wildlife entangled on a barbed wire fence, in inappropriate fruit netting or discarded fishing line, tackle or netting on your property, in your neighbourhood or whilst travelling?
Wherever you are in Australia, if you have found some poor creatures caught up, reporting the instance can be helpful in minimising the suffering of the creature, maximising the chance of a successful rescue and minimising the risk to other creatures.
You can do this by joining the Citizen Science Project called Entangled Wildlife Australia. All that is required is a camera-equipped mobile device and your keen observant eyes.

Check out the website for more details:
http://ow.ly/YmY250Coxag

#unediscovery #citizenscience #citsci #citscioz #wireswildliferescue #birdsofaustralia #wildoz #wildlifeofaustralia

Our mystery animal is the Brown Kiwi! Its scientif

Our mystery animal is the Brown Kiwi! Its scientific name is 𝘈𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘹 𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴. The scientific name of this bird refers to its ratite genus (Apteryx) and its origin being from ‘the south’ (australis).

This native New Zealand bird is a taonga, or treasure, to the Maori, who have strong cultural associations with the Kiwi. The Kiwi can live from 25 to 50 years old, however as they cannot fly away from predators, they are particularly vulnerable to crushing injuries from stoats, cats, dogs and ferrets.

This rare creature is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its beak. This, in addition to sensory pits, provides an incredible sense of smell and allows the Kiwi to sense prey underground.

For more information about this amazing creature, head to:
http://ow.ly/cCZR50CldZR

For more What Am I Wednesday challenges, head to our resources page: http://ow.ly/Oauv50CldZS

“Why hello there! Thanks for having me today for

“Why hello there! Thanks for having me today for ‘What Animal am I Wednesday?’ Can you guess who I am?

I’m a ratite, meaning I am part of a group of flightless birds that are generally very large, although I’m not very large at all! My closest relative is the elephant bird from Madagascar, and I’m also related to my friend across the ditch, the Cassowary.

There are four other species of my kind and we are all found in one country not far from Australia. You might have even seen me as my country’s national icon!

Because I can’t fly away from my predators, my species are declining at a rate of around 20 per week – more must be done to save me!

Can you guess who I am?”

For more ways to play at home or school, head to our resources page. http://ow.ly/5rqA50CldRe

What better way to philosophise about which came f

What better way to philosophise about which came first: the chicken or the egg? than to nurture chicks in your school!
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Pallamallawa Public School are the lucky owners of these gorgeous little chicks, who will inadvertently be science teachers, mood regulators and protein providers.
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Keen to grow chickens at your school in 2021? You can contact the Poultry Hub at UNE for advice!
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Go to https://poultryhub.org
The education page for primary and secondary schools has all the resources you’ll need to keep you chicken focused for the whole year!
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#reallifelearning #chickenortheegg #ruralschools #unediscoveryvoyager

🔍📗The Urban Field Naturalist Project 🎨 N

🔍📗The Urban Field Naturalist Project 🎨

Now, more than ever, we are spending more time in our backyards. Have you had a chance to slow down, sit quietly and observe the living things around you - from the weeds growing through the concrete, to the ants working busily beneath you? Have you noticed little things that you may ordinarily miss? If so, the Urban Field Naturalist Project would love to hear about your discoveries.

The project invites people of all ages to submit photos, drawings, paintings, audio or even videos of things they notice in their urban environments, along with 200 words describing their encounter. So, grab a pencil, paper, camera and some quiet time in the garden. You may be amazed by what is there right under your nose, waiting to be discovered.

Visit the Urban Field Naturalist Project here: https://www.urbanfieldnaturalist.org/

#unediscovery #urbanfieldnaturalist #wildoz #ozplants #citizenscience #citsci #citscioz #drawoutside #noticenature #urbanenvironments

Our truck looking very colour coordinated next to

Our truck looking very colour coordinated next to a stunning jacaranda at Gravesend Public School!
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We’re loving being on the road again around northern NSW. A big shout out to Principals, teachers and students for making us feel so welcome, and smoothing out new routines for sanitation, virus transmission and contact tracing. Kudos!
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#ontheroadagain #ruralschools #discoveryvoyager #nsweducation #learningthroughplay

Do you know your resting heart rate? In The Power

Do you know your resting heart rate? In The Power of the Brain activity we use oximeters to explore ways of controlling our heart rate.
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Students learn about the human brain, and how it connects and controls our bodies. For some students, the realisation that they are in control of breathing, heart rate and therefore stress levels, is transformational.
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What is your resting heart rate? Record it each morning for a month to understand what’s your normal. We’re all different.
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#learningthroughplay #powerofthebrain #heartrate #ruralschools

Thank you Fairfax Public School for hosting us tod

Thank you Fairfax Public School for hosting us today. We were super impressed with your beautiful school, unbounded curiosity and passion to learn.
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Tell a school about our program! We visit small and large schools in northern NSW, bringing experiences in STEAM to the classroom in a fun and engaging way.
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Our activities are developed with researchers and offer a new way of thinking about the curriculum.
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#learningthroughplay #discoveryvoyager #ruralschools #ontheroad

The Power of the Brain is unparalleled. The most c

The Power of the Brain is unparalleled. The most complex biological structure we know of, and these primary students were all over it!
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#learningthroughplay #discoveryvoyager #powerofthebrain #ruralschools

Coding in extreme environments at Fairfax Public S

Coding in extreme environments at Fairfax Public School today! Some wonderful ideas on navigating obstacles in the blood stream, on Mars and in deep sea trenches.
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#learningthroughplay #discoveryvoyager #ruralschools #ontheroad #busybots

🐝The WILD POLLINATOR COUNT is on again! 🌻 D

🐝The WILD POLLINATOR COUNT is on again!

🌻 Do you enjoy spending time in nature and learning about our own wild little creatures?

Join Australia's original pollinator citizen science project from 8-15 of November and help scientists from UNE to count wild pollinators in your local environment and to build a database on wild pollinator activity.

The Wild Pollinator Count Project runs twice a year, in Autumn and Spring. It is run by scientists and education experts whose aim is to raise awareness about native pollinators (not just bees) and insect conservation.

Go to the website for details on how to get involved. All you need to do is watch insects for just 10 minutes during the count week! And please share your photos using the official hashtag #ozpollinators.

#unediscovery #learnoutside #pollinators #ozpollinators #ozinverts #wildoz #ozplants #plantpollinator #citizenscience #citsci #citscioz #pollinators #bees #nativebees #Diptera #flies #butterflies #beetles

https://wildpollinatorcount.com/

Our mystery animal is the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

Our mystery animal is the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab – 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘴!

Despite its name it isn’t really a crab, and is actually more closely related to spiders, scorpions, and the now extinct Trilobites.
They are most commonly found in estuarine environments, which is where rivers meet the sea. Horseshoe crabs don’t have teeth and use their legs to break up food and move it to their mouths.
Its blood is blue because it is copper based and not iron based like yours. It contains a substance called "Limulus Amebocyte Lysate", or "LAL". This substance clots or clumps together when it comes in contact with certain bacteria that are difficult to detect otherwise. If you’ve ever had a vaccine or surgery, you can probably thank a horseshoe crab for keeping you safe!

To learn more about the Horseshoe Crab head on over to:
http://ow.ly/Edzu50C9QIQ
http://ow.ly/HNbQ50C9QIP

For more What Am I Wednesday challenges, head to our resources page: https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/

🐔🌱How green and gorgeous was Kentucky Public

🐔🌱How green and gorgeous was Kentucky Public School on our visit today? We wonder if their free range chickens are enjoying the Soil Your Undies Challenge! One brave chook popped into Creative Chemistry but we all agreed there wasn't a lab coat to fit her. 😂

#soilyourundies #chickensinschools

Fancy counting some beautiful glossy black cockato

Fancy counting some beautiful glossy black cockatoos?

The Great Inland Glossy Count is calling for citizen scientists and bird enthusiasts to become cockatoo counters! Volunteers are needed to survey glossy black cockatoo populations at three key sites around inland NSW. These beautiful birds are listed as vulnerable in NSW, and by taking part in the Glossy Count, you will be helping scientists understand more about this threatened species.
The dates for the 2020 surveys are:
• 7 November – Pilliga Forests
• 14 November – Goonoo National Park
• 21 November – Goobang National Park and surrounds
Volunteers will be stationed at one dam on their chosen weekend to count glossy black cockatoos as they come to known watering holes. What a way to spend an evening - watching these magnificent birds in their natural habitat and helping to conserve their species into the future!

Head to the link below to discover more:
http://ow.ly/Hscm50C3uoX

#discovery #citizenscience #helpscientists #steam #stem #glossyblackcockatoos #glossyblackcockatooconservation #glossyblackcockatoospotting

📷 NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Specimen of the Month

Long-nosed Bandicoot 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘵𝘢

This month’s specimen is the Long-nosed Bandicoot, known scientifically as 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘵𝘢. The name translates from Greek and Latin as ‘long-nosed pouched badger’ – but of course, bandicoots are marsupials, raising their young in a pouch (incidentally, the common name ‘bandicoot’ comes from a large species of rodent that occurs in southeast Asia). This specimen is a juvenile, with adults growing to about the size of a small rabbit. Long-nosed bandicoots are omnivorous marsupials, feeding on insects, fleshy plant roots (tubers) and fungi – especially the underground fungi known as ‘truffles’. They are active from dusk to dawn, digging tell-tale cone-shaped holes in their search for food. These holes are dug with the front feet and are large enough for the bandicoot’s long, sensitive snout to reach in and detect its invertebrate prey. Because of their digging habits, bandicoots have a backward-opening pouch so that pouch young don’t get a face full of dirt. During the day, Long-nosed bandicoots can be found in a well-concealed nest that consists of a shallow depression in the ground, lined with grass and leaves. The nest is often partly covered with soil and other debris.

Long-nosed Bandicoots have a wide distribution in eastern Australia, from tropical north Queensland, throughout coastal New South Wales and into Victoria. They have been recorded in a wide range of habitats, including rainforest, wet and dry woodlands, and heathland, and have also been observed to forage in open urban land and farmland.
For other Natural History Museum explorations, head to our resources page. http://ow.ly/ZwHT50BETqt

#specimenofthemonth #naturalhistory #naturalhistorymuseum
#bandicoot #longnosedbandicoot #marsupial

🐸 FrogID Week is Coming Soon! Do you hear frog

🐸 FrogID Week is Coming Soon!

Do you hear frogs in your back yard or whilst you are out walking? Out at Dangars Falls, Dumaresq Dam or other outside areas? Our frogs are under threat from habitat loss, disease and climate change.

We have previously posted about the FrogID program and now coming up is a special week. You can help obtain valuable data for the protection and conservation of frogs for scientists during FrogID Week. FrogID is happening from 6th to the 15th of November 2020.

To do so, go to the FrogID website https://www.frogid.net.au/ and download the app and/or see how you can assist in working with the data collected. Every frog call counts!

For more citizen science projects head to our resources page. https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/resources/

Our mystery animal is the European Rabbit, known s

Our mystery animal is the European Rabbit, known scientifically as 𝘖𝘳𝘺𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴.

Rabbits can start having young from the age of four months. When conditions are good (for example there is a lot of food around), they can have five or more litters in a year, with four or five babies in each litter. That’s a lot of bunnies, and it’s easy to see why the rabbit is one of the most widely distributed and abundant mammals in Australia.

Unfortunately, grazing and burrowing by rabbits causes a multitude of environmental problems, from erosion, to reduced survival of native plants, to completely changing habitats and landscapes. Not surprisingly, rabbits have been targeted by several control programs aimed at reducing their numbers. It is important to maintain animal welfare standards when planning control programs, as even though rabbits are a pest species, they must be still treated humanely.

See just how far rabbits have spread on the Atlas of Living Australia:
http://ow.ly/7ZSX50BPEId

For more What Am I Wednesday challenges, head to our resources page: https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! Let's hear from

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!

Let's hear from this week's guest.

Hi there! Nice to meet you. Can you guess who I am?

I’m a well-travelled little critter. My species originally occurred on the Iberian Peninsula (in Spain and Portugal) and in parts of France. We then ventured into North Africa and Britain, and later moved into central and north-eastern Europe. We were introduced into Australia during European settlement, and have found our way to New Zealand, Chile and Argentina, as well as more than 800 islands throughout the world! That’s some frequent flyer points for sure!

I am a small mammal with grey-brown fur and a pale belly. I have long hind legs and short front legs. My ears are long and I have large, slightly bulging eyes, one on each side of my head. I have a very famous relative called Peter. Can you guess who I am?

For more What Am I Wednesday challenges, head to our resources page! http://ow.ly/Sh4350BPExR