Local Threatened Species
This diversity of habitat means that there is also a diversity of wildlife in the area.
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The Kuranda Tree Frog (Litoria myola) breeds on small streams in the bioregion of the Wet Tropics World Heritage listed rainforest in north Queensland, Australia. The conservation status classification of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is Critically Endangered and Endangered under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Common Mist Frog (Litoria rheccola) and the Lacelid Frog (Litoria dayi) are also listed as Endangered and share the Kuranda Tree Frogs habitat as well as being present elsewhere in the Wet Tropics. The Lace lid has been detected since 2016 by the local citizen science frog monitoring team after a 15 year absence however, the Common Mist frog has not been sited here in nearly two decades. The Kuranda Tree Frog classification is due to the very small total population and fragmented distribution as well small breeding populations of which thirteen are known. Only small portions are protected in conservation areas, the rest is largely on private land. Therefore, conservation of these species depends on the Frog Friendly activities within the community in the Kuranda region.
Frog photos courtesy of Rhys Starry. |
The Kuranda rainforest is home to one of the few remaining populations of the endangered Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).
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The wet schlerophyll forest, dominated by the huge straight trunks of Rose Gums (Eucalyptus grandis) and with a more open understorey, is home to a different range of animals. Among these, the Northern Bettong (Bettongia tropica) is one of the rarest and most endangered.
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Kuranda was once considered the butterfly capital of Australia. Australia’s largest butterfly, the female of the Cairns Birdwing, (Ornithoptera priamus euphorion) is common here, seeking out Aristolochia deltantha vines on which to lay her eggs.
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