Living+Things+-+Food+Chain+-+Habitat

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/living_things/food_chains/play.shtml

BBC Woodland Habitat Food Chain game

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/living_things/food_chains/read1.shtml

Food Chains Student Research

Biology - Interesting Animals
=Scientists find lost toad in jungle= Updated July 15, 2011 08:42:02 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-14/scientists-find-lost-toad-in-the-jungle/2795438

[|**Photo:** The sambas stream toad, or borneo rainbow toad, was last seen in 1924.] [| **Map:** Malaysia] Scientists have rediscovered a spindly-legged toad species almost 90 years after it was last sighted in Malaysia's Borneo jungle. The sambas stream toad, or borneo rainbow toad, was found by a team of scientists after months of scouring remote forest in Sarawak state on Borneo island, Conservation International (CI) said in a release. The endangered toad was last seen in 1924 and only three of the toads had ever been seen. "It is good to know that nature can surprise us when we are close to giving up hope, especially amidst our planet's escalating extinction crisis," amphibian specialist Robin Moore of the Virginia-based group said. "Amphibians are at the forefront of this tragedy, so I hope that these unique species serve as flagships for conservation, inspiring pride and hope by Malaysians and people everywhere." Malaysian researcher Indraneil Das set out with his team to rediscover the sambas stream toad last August, searching after dark along the rugged ridges of a mountain range in western Sarawak state. The toad was listed as one of the world's "top 10 most wanted lost frogs" as part of a campaign by CI and another group to encourage scientists around the world to seek out amphibians that had not been seen in a decade or longer. After months of combing through the jungle, the Sarawak team eventually discovered a small toad up a tree, which turned out to be the missing sambas stream toad. In total, they found three individuals up three different trees. "Thrilling discoveries like this beautiful toad, and the critical importance of amphibians to healthy ecosystems, are what fuel us to keep searching for lost species," Dr Das said in the release. "They remind us that nature still holds precious secrets that we are still uncovering, which is why targeted protection and conservation is so important." Dr Das made headlines last year after he discovered Asia's tiniest frog, which is the size of a pea, in a national park in Sarawak state. Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah states make up Malaysia's half of Borneo island, which is shared with Indonesia. First posted July 14, 2011 23:37:52
 * AFP**
 * Topics:** [|endangered-and-protected-species], [|amphibians], [|malaysia]

=Frog invader on the hop in Mildura= Posted June 28, 2011 13:30:00 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-06-28/frog-invader-on-the-hop-in-mildura/2775026

[|**Map:** Mildura 3500] Wildlife officers say a green tree frog discovered near Mildura might have hitched a ride to the region with fishermen. The Department of Sustainability and Environment says it was alerted to the frog when a member of the public inquired if they could keep it. It is likely to have been carried by someone catching yabbies on the Darling River where the nearest known population is in central New South Wales. Biodiversity officer Victor Hurley says the frogs are unknown in Victoria and anyone finding one should hand it in. "There's a huge problem with transfer of disease, frogs turning up in banana boxes and plants in nurseries bringing diseases down from Queensland, so we are terribly concerned about at least quarantining these individuals and establishing their disease status," he said.

=Scientists find new species of frog in Cape York= [|AM] Environment reporter Sarah Clarke Posted May 20, 2011 10:47:00 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-20/scientists-find-new-species-of-frog-in-cape-york/2721980 Audio Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-20/new-frog-species-found-in-cape-york/2721680

[|**Audio:**][| New frog species found in Cape York] [|(AM)] [| **Map:** Weipa 4874] A wide-ranging study of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland has revealed just how wildlife-rich the area is, with researchers finding more than 260 species, including a new species of frog. The researchers also located a colony of rare rock wallabies that until now had never been photographed. It took two years to comb through the rich landscape in the tropics of Cape York. The focus of the expedition was to survey 200,000 hectares of extensive intact ecosystems not yet studied by scientists. Pew Environment Group spokesman Barry Traill was a part of the expedition and says there are a whole range of habitats in the region. "There is tropical rainforest, what we call vine scrubs, which [are] ... very diverse, lower, more stunted rainforests found in these granite boulder fields," he said. "It's a very beautiful landscape, savannas, wetlands - the Wenlock River itself. So [it's] a great diversity of habitats and because of that you get this great diversity of wildlife." It is the first time researchers have documented the wide range of species in the area, with 263 native species recorded. Forty-six of the species are mammals, 140 species are birds, 25 types are amphibians and 52 are reptiles. Some of the species are considered threatened. Topping off the trip for researchers was the identification of a new species of frog. Simon Kennedy was the lead biologist on the survey and says discovering the new species was "incredibly exciting". "It's something of a scientist's dream to be able to go into an area and come face to face with a species that's not in your field guide, that's not even in your books, that's not even in the scientific literature - amazing, almost indescribable," he said. As well as the frog, scientists came face to face with a population of the little-known Cape York rock wallaby, a threatened species of global significance. "I believe it is the last kangaroo species in Australia never to have been photographed. All we had was until now, even in 2011, was paintings of the species," he said. The only way the survey was recorded is thanks to the partnership between researchers and the local Indigenous group, the Northern Kaanju people. The region is a protected area under the national reserve system. Traditional owner and chairman of the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation David Claudie says it is a working relationship that is delivering results of global significance. He says the Indigenous people in the area helped the scientist make new discoveries. "The way we saw it is that the Western scientists were coming in and looking at it, but they didn't know what they were really looking at," he said. "[What they had was] only based upon the research that was done back in the 1800s right up to the 1900s."
 * Topics:** [|animal-science], [|science-and-technology], [|amphibians], [|birds], [|fish], [|invertebrates], [|mammals], [|marsupials], [|reptiles], [|research], [|weipa-4874], [|australia], [|qld]

=Environment groups call for greater koala protection = Posted August 01, 2011 13:35:10 []

[|**PHOTO:** Environment groups say koala populations should be managed separately. (Ian Waldie: Getty Images)] [|**MAP:** Melbourne 3000] Environment groups are calling for better protection of Australia's koala populations, especially in South Gippsland. It is the third day of the Senate inquiry in to the health and status of koalas. Environmental groups are making their case for having the koala listed as a threatened species. Sitting in Melbourne, the inquiry heard testimony about Victoria's South Gippsland Strezlecki koala population. Anthony Amos from Friends of the Earth said it is one of the most genetically diverse populations in the country and therefore should be managed separately. He also raised concern about the affect of logging in the region. The chief executive of Hancock Victorian Plantations, Linda Sewell, said it does not harvest native forests but said koalas do travel through plantations. She said if koalas are found while harvesting operations stop until the koalas have moved on.