Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia Photograph by © WWF-Canon/J.L. KLEIN & M.L. HUBERT   Northeastern Australia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   12,600 square miles (32,700 square kilometers) -- about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined Vulnerable

· Bursting below the Canopy
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Bursting below the Canopy

This is not the typically dry red-rock landscape you may see in photographs of Australia. Here is a rich tropical jungle with scenic mountains, lush coastlines, deep gorges, and rushing waterfalls. Under a dense rain forest canopy, the animal life is diverse and includes a variety of marsupials, as well as bats, bowerbirds, and cassowaries.

Special Features

The Queensland Tropical Rain Forests receives high rainfall levels compared to most of Australia, which tends to be arid or semi-arid. These forests are highly varied, with uneven canopies ranging from 100 to 130 feet (30-40 m) in height. Buff alders, silkwood, crowsfoot elm, milky pine, and black bean trees are all found here, as well as a variety of palms, vines, and orchids. Very little light penetrates the canopy, and the area beneath it is moist and contains a profusion of plant life. Ferns are more common in dry areas, while mangrove and swamp habitats intermix with rain forest in moist areas.

	The frogs found in this ecoregion range in size from the dwarf rocket frog, which is three-quarters of an inch (2.5 mm) long, to the giant tree frog, which is more than 4 inches (11 cm) long.

Wild Side

More than 700 species of rare or threatened plants and animals can be found here. Mammals endemic to this ecoregion include the Atherton antechinus (a mouse-like marsupial), green ring-tailed possum, musky rat-kangaroo, and two species of tree kangaroo (Lumholtz’s and Bennett’s). Rain forest birds are plentiful and varied, although increasingly restricted to high altitudes where habitat has not been disturbed. The golden bowerbird is an example of one endemic species. The golden-yellow male builds a large bower, or nest, and decorates it with colorful lichens to attract females. Another bird, the black cassowary can grow to over 5 feet (1.5 m) in height and is a striking creature with black feathers, blue head and neck, and a bright red wattle. The cassowary can be fierce when encountered and is endowed with sharp nails on its inner toes that make formidable weapons. There is also a diversity of reptiles and amphibians, including the prickly rain forest skink, taipan, Boyd’s forest dragon, chameleon gecko, and giant tree frog.

Cause for Concern

The clearing of lowland forests for agricultural (mostly sugar cane) and residential development, drainage schemes, and telecommunications installations are all threats here. Stock-grazing, mining, feral animals, invasive plants, and tourism combine to increase incredible pressure on the natural resources in this ecoregion.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.