Life in the Cape York Rainforest

Robert Heinsohn, Michael Cermak

• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9780643102675
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Zoology
• Index: Biological Sciences

The remote, beautiful and poorly known rainforests of Cape York Peninsula tell a special story about Australia's historic and present-day connections to New Guinea. Life in the Cape York Rainforest highlights these connections by examining the fascinating biology of some of the most spectacular animals shared between the two regions.

The author recounts his own ground-breaking research on 'cross-dressing' Eclectus parrots, musical palm cockatoos and multi-coloured pythons, together with the exotic lifestyles of other animals, while painting the bigger picture of the past when Australia and New Guinea were joined by extensive land bridges. Australia's disconnection from New Guinea is probably only temporary, and even today many bird species continue to fly the short distance between the two landmasses.

Whether just browsing the beautiful photos and informative captions, or reading it in its entirety, readers will gain a greater understanding of the unique attributes of our Cape York rainforests. The book provides an excellent resource for biologists and environmentalists with an interest in the Top End and New Guinea, tourists to Cape York, conservationists and policy makers, and amateur naturalists, especially ornithologists and herpetologists.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Prologue: The Smuggler’s Tree
• 1. Introduction: Cape York Peninsula
• 2. The Cape York Rainforest: Where old Australia Meets New Guinea
• 3. Palm Cockatoos: The Sound of Distant Drums
• 4. Green Pythons: Cape York’s Rainbow Serpents
• 5. Eclectus Parrots: Transvestites in the Treetops
• 6. From New Guinea: Permanent Residents and Temporary Visas
• 7. Cape York Rainforests: Tiny Islands in a Changing World
• Epilogue: Death of a Giant
• Further Reading
• Appendix