Tasmanian Temperate Rain Forests - A Global Ecoregion
One of only seven major temperate rainforests and the largest one in Australia
Snapshot: Ecoregion 65
49,967 sq. km (19,292 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Geographic Location:
Tasmania - an island off southeastern Australia
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Quiz Time!
Why are Tasmanian "Devils" so called?
Answer:
Early settlers were so horrified by the spine-chilling screech, black appearance, and ferocious appetite of Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial that they called it "The Devil." Today, Tasmanian devils are better appreciated for the role they play in cleaning up dead carcasses from the bush and on farms.
About the Area
This Global ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Tasmanian Central Highland forests; Tasmanian temperate rain forests.
The temperate rain forests of Tasmania are extraordinarily complex and contain relict species from the time when the island was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.Along with similar forests in southeastern Australia, they form one of the most important refuges for wildlife in Australia.
Local Species
There are over 800 plant species, including many endemic genera and species in the alpine flora. Five-hundred-year-old Nothofagus, or myrtle-beech, trees can be seen here, in addition to over 600 species of lichen that help prevent soil erosion in arid areas.
Endemic mammals include the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), and the presumed extinct Thylacene or Marsupial wolf (Ornithorhynchus anatinus).
There are also many other mammal species; among these are short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), Swamp antechinus (Antechinus minimus), Southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii), and the last remaining populations of the once widely distributed Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi).
The island is home to three endemic bird species: Yellow wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa), Black-headed honeyeater (Melithreptus affinis), and Forty-spotted pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus).Other birds found here include the wide-ranging Australian species, such as Sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus), Azure kingfisher (Alcedo azurea), and Striated fieldwren (Calamanthus fuliginosus).
The genus Niveoscincus to which the Ocellated skink (N. ocellatus) and a number of its relatives belong, is largely restricted to this island. Other reptiles include White-lipped snake (Drysdalia coronoides), Black tiger snake (Notechis ater), and the White's skink (Egernia whitii). A species of giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi) is also found in this ecoregion.
ThreatsThreats include logging, plantation forestry, introduced species, and fire.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
