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Mewstone, Tasmania
Mewstone is an unpopulated island, composed of muscovite granite, located close to the South Coast Tasmania, south coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island has steep cliffs and a small flat summit and is part of the Pedra Branca (Tasmania), Pedra Branca group, lying southeast of Maatsuyker Island, and off the south coast of Tasmania. Mewstone comprises part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. The highest point of the island is approximately Australian Height Datum, above sea level. Mewstone has abundant bird life and has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of shy albatrosses and fairy prions. Etymology In 1642 it was described by Abel Tasman, who said it "resembles a lion". In 1773 it was named by Tobias Furneaux in . It is likely that Mewstone was named after the Great Mew Stone, an island about south-southeast of Furneaux's birthplace in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shy Albatross
The shy albatross, also known as shy mollymawk, (''Thalassarche cauta'', formerly ''Diomedea cauta''), is a medium-sized albatross that breeds on three remote islands off the coast of Tasmania, Australia, in the southern Indian Ocean. Its lifespan is about 60 years, and it has been seen as far afield as South Africa and the Pacific coast of the United States. , the species is listed as "Endangered" in Australia; there are thought to be 15,000 pairs of shy albatross left. It is Australia's only endemic albatross. Some authorities call this species the white-capped albatross, but the White-capped albatross is generally the common name given to ''Thalassarche cauta steadi''. Taxonomy This mollymawk was once considered to be the same species as the Salvin's albatross, ''Thalassarche salvini'' and the Chatham albatross, ''Thalassarche eremita'', but they were split around 2004. In 1998, Robertson and Nunn suggested a four-way split including the white-capped albatross, ''Thalass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
