Ball's PyramidBall's Pyramid is an uninhabited islet in the Pacific Ocean located 20 kilometres (12 mi; 11 nmi) southeast of Lord Howe Island, between Australia and New Zealand. The steep rocky basalt outcrop is the eroded plug of a shield volcano and caldera that formed 6.4million years ago. It is 572 metres (1,877 ft) high, 1,100 metres (3,609 ft) long and only 300 metres (984 ft) across, making it the tallest volcanic stack in the world.
Melaleuca howeanaMelaleuca howeana, commonly known as tea tree, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the Lord Howe Island group, 600 km (400 mi) off the east coast of Australia. It is common in exposed areas, on cliffs and ridges, occasionally forming pure stands. Its closest mainland relative is Melaleuca ericifolia. DescriptionMelaleuca howeana is a dense shrub growing to 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) tall with flaky bark.
PhasmatodeaThe Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's darning needles, although this name is shared by both dragonflies and crane flies.
Lord Howe IslandAustralian island in the Tasman SeaLord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies 600 km (370 mi; 320 nmi) directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, 780 km (480 mi; 420 nmi) northeast of Sydney, and about 900 km (560 mi; 490 nmi) southwest of Norfolk Island.
FemaleAn organism's sex is female (symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and males are results of the anisogamousreproduction system, wherein gametes are of different sizes (unlike isogamy where they are the same size).
MaleMale (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces, or is organized to produce, the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
SpeciesBasic unit of taxonomic classification, below genusThe hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A genus contains one or more species. Minor intermediate ranks are not shown.A species (pl. species) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
Stack (geology)A stack or sea stack is a coastal geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology. Stacks form when a headland is progressively eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion.
Local extinctionLocal extinction refers to the complete disappearance of a species (or other taxon) from a specified geographic area, region, or habitat while that species continues to survive in some other part of the world. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions in which the species no longer lives anywhere worldwide.
Monotypic taxonIn biology, for ranks such as genus or family, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate extant taxon. In the case of genera, the term "unispecific" or "monospecific" is sometimes preferred. In botanical nomenclature, a monotypic genus is a genus in the special case in which a genus and a single extant species are simultaneously described.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.