1
00:00:02,287 --> 00:00:07,927
Australia is the home
of thousands of unique wildflowers -

2
00:00:07,927 --> 00:00:12,767
strange, bizarre, really strange.

3
00:00:12,767 --> 00:00:15,767
This one is just
a common old eggs and bacon,

4
00:00:15,767 --> 00:00:19,167
and you'd think, "What's it got to do
with conservation?"

5
00:00:19,167 --> 00:00:23,967
But this plant, this flower,
is responsible for the saving

6
00:00:23,967 --> 00:00:27,164
of a whole range
of unique Australian animals.

7
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This rather attractive
eggs-and-bacon plant,

8
00:00:54,807 --> 00:00:58,167
has special significance.

9
00:00:58,167 --> 00:01:00,447
It's saved this whole forest.

10
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It's a poison plant - gastrolobium -

11
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and it kills stock.

12
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Therefore, when the first settlers
came to this area,

13
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this easy-to-clear wandoo forest
was unavailable to them,

14
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because the problem of grubbing out
the poison plants was too much.

15
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It's got some special relationships
for other wildlife too.

16
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These rather nondescript flowers
produce little black seeds.

17
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And the bronzewing pigeon
eats the seeds.

18
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The poison is treated
within the bronzewing

19
00:01:34,967 --> 00:01:37,367
and stored in the bone marrow.

20
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And so things like foxes and cats
that eat bronzewings

21
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take in the poison
and they die in turn.

22
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Quite a turn-up
that a hated poison plant,

23
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almost a noxious weed,

24
00:01:51,807 --> 00:01:53,887
is responsible in this area

25
00:01:53,887 --> 00:01:56,567
for saving a whole range
of native animals

26
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that live in this country.

27
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Wandoo forest is found on the dry edge

28
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of the winter rainfall area

29
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of south-western Australia.

30
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It forms a superb open forest.

31
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The timber is very dense and hard
and has a lot of commercial value.

32
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But mixed with the open forest
are a number of other sub-storeys,

33
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or independent habitats,

34
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like mallee, mallet,
which is used for tanning,

35
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gastrolobium - the poison bush,

36
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carpets of wildflowers,

37
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open grassland,

38
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something like 4,000 different species
of plants here.

39
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And then, of course,
there are the black boy areas.

40
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That's got to be about the biggest one
I've seen of its sort.

41
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It's a black boy,

42
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one of the most graceful, beautiful
plants in this part of the forest.

43
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It's called reflexa because of the way
the skirt turns down suddenly.

44
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Let's see - there's 60 years.

45
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120 years.

46
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Perhaps 150 years old.

47
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150 years ago,
the first settlers came here.

48
00:03:29,447 --> 00:03:32,962
So this old grandad
was just a boy then.

49
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They do have a bit of a disadvantage
in that these spines are very sharp

50
00:03:49,727 --> 00:03:51,327
and when you're
walking through the bush,

51
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at eye level
it can be quite dangerous.

52
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This turned-down skirt
is all dead leaves.

53
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Underneath there - all sorts
of animals find their homes.

54
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And when the bushfires come through,

55
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they burn,
the whole trunk burns off

56
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and chars and forms
a beautiful insulated mat.

57
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But eventually they die,
like all things die.

58
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And it's those dead black boys

59
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that have the beautiful home
for animals.

60
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They've got the insulated outside,

61
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they've got a nice, soft core inside,
which has been eaten out by grubs,

62
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and that's where many animals
go to live.

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This is a very good one.

64
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Just about the right height.

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Old enough to be split a little

66
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so that there's room
for animals to get in,

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and there's fairly fresh scratching
and digging down at the bottom.

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It's also clear around,
so it's... if there is anything there,

69
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if it starts to run, I can see it.

70
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This is what makes them
such good homes.

71
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These are really
the base of the leaves,

72
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the long fronds on the black boy.

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And as they're burnt off,
just the actual bases are left behind.

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Beautiful colour and shape.

75
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And very good insulation.

76
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Now, let's see
what else we've got here.

77
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Yes.

78
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There's something been in there.

79
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Ah, yes.

80
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Look at this. Come on.

81
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Come on.

82
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Just the two.

83
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M... they're bats

84
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called wattled bats,
Gould's wattled bats.

85
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Don't like the sunlight.
Eyes closed tight.

86
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Big mouths open.
Defensive, teeth showing.

87
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Ow, ow!

88
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Of course, they don't hurt.
They're insect-eating teeth.

89
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Well, if they're living in there,
we'd better put them back in there.

90
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Come on, in you go. In you go.

91
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Getting all stroppy.

92
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Back you go. That's it.

93
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Always, always put things back.

94
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Because that's what it's all about.

95
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If you find an animal anywhere,
look at it and enjoy it

96
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and then put it back
where it belongs.

97
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Keep going.

98
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Unlike humans, most Australian animals
work at night.

99
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They're nocturnal.

100
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And spotlighting is a recognised
technique for animal observation.

101
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A bright light shines,
and their eyes reflect.

102
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And so you can identify
the various animals moving about.

103
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And you never know
what might turn up next.

104
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Rev your motor.

105
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Now, there's something.

106
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Look at him swell up.

107
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Oh, did you ever see such a fat frog?

108
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That's the spotted burrowing frog.

109
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And he's come out because of
the moths and insects

110
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that are around tonight.

111
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It's a bit warm and humid tonight.

112
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Ooh.

113
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This swelling up
is a protective device.

114
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If a predator comes along
and grabs him,

115
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he immediately
puffs himself up with air

116
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till he's twice the size he was.

117
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He's very hard to get down.

118
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Then on the back too, after a while,
he squirts out a sort of a fluid.

119
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You can just see it
shining through there.

120
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It's a... um, burning poison.

121
00:08:31,687 --> 00:08:37,159
And the old story that frogs
give you warts comes from this.

122
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I said he's a burrowing frog.

123
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He's got the most remarkable
back feet.

124
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Enormous shovels built on them.

125
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(FROG SQUEAKS)

126
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Oh, alright.

127
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Just talking about you. Behave.

128
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(FROG SQUEAKS)

129
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Oh, yes.

130
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You see these great shovels.

131
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And on the front feet
is a lovely claw.

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Great big eyes, which, of course
were picked up by the spotlight beam

133
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and reflect back
towards things.

134
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And the whole frog, or toad,
I suppose, you might call him,

135
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is very sluggish and slow.

136
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Most things could catch him,

137
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but because of that poison,
he's pretty safe.

138
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There's a possum now.
But he's too high.

139
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There's another one.

140
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Right.

141
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Yeah.

142
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A real old man possum.

143
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(POSSUM HISSES)

144
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Very upset at being disturbed too.

145
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(HISSES)

146
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Bit disgruntled with the rain
and the spotlight.

147
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(HISSES)

148
00:10:13,367 --> 00:10:15,927
Alright.
(HISSES)

149
00:10:15,927 --> 00:10:18,447
That's the distress call of a possum.

150
00:10:18,447 --> 00:10:22,727
He's telling the possum world
that he's in trouble.

151
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You see that red patch on his throat?
(HISSES)

152
00:10:25,647 --> 00:10:27,319
Oh, come on. Be nice.

153
00:10:29,927 --> 00:10:33,367
That's the scent gland.
He puts his male scent on the tree.

154
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So he marks his territory.

155
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You can see too the very fine hairs
on his wrists,

156
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the very fine whiskers.

157
00:10:40,887 --> 00:10:43,527
(HISSES)
Alright.

158
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That's how he finds his way
in the dark,

159
00:10:46,007 --> 00:10:47,927
as well as by vision and hearing.

160
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They're very sensitive.

161
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And he feels his way as he goes.

162
00:10:53,607 --> 00:10:55,086
(HISSES)

163
00:10:57,247 --> 00:11:00,557
(SQUAWKS URGENTLY)

164
00:11:08,807 --> 00:11:12,047
It's all bluff. A big, solid bite.

165
00:11:12,047 --> 00:11:14,407
Chomp, chomp, chomp,
chomp, chomp, chomp.

166
00:11:14,407 --> 00:11:17,887
But that's for eating insects
and things like that.

167
00:11:17,887 --> 00:11:19,567
It's not for eating people.

168
00:11:19,567 --> 00:11:21,407
(SQUAWKS)
Alright!

169
00:11:21,407 --> 00:11:22,556
Yes!

170
00:11:23,567 --> 00:11:25,367
This tawny frogmouth,

171
00:11:25,367 --> 00:11:29,287
poor fellow, he's having a nice, quiet
look around the country,

172
00:11:29,287 --> 00:11:31,407
thinking, "Mmm, something to eat."

173
00:11:31,407 --> 00:11:36,207
And, bang, a naturalist's hand
comes out with a nice, long grab.

174
00:11:36,207 --> 00:11:38,447
(SQUAWKS IRRITATEDLY)
Ooh, I see.

175
00:11:38,447 --> 00:11:39,927
It's like that, is it?

176
00:11:39,927 --> 00:11:41,727
A beautiful animal.

177
00:11:41,727 --> 00:11:45,367
This is one of the nightjars,
or rollers.

178
00:11:45,367 --> 00:11:47,607
Peculiar feet,

179
00:11:47,607 --> 00:11:52,807
specially made for walking on
the ground and perching on branches.

180
00:11:52,807 --> 00:11:55,116
(SQUAWKS)
Ooh. Nonsense.

181
00:11:56,527 --> 00:12:00,407
Long tail. Yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes, yes.

182
00:12:00,407 --> 00:12:03,767
There, there, there. You have a bite.
Ooh, look at the blood.

183
00:12:03,767 --> 00:12:05,247
Dear, dear, dear.

184
00:12:05,247 --> 00:12:06,807
Yeah. Yeah.

185
00:12:06,807 --> 00:12:11,007
This little tuft of feathers
in the front of the head

186
00:12:11,007 --> 00:12:14,687
breaks up his outline in the day,
and when he closes his eye,

187
00:12:14,687 --> 00:12:16,607
you can't really see him.

188
00:12:16,607 --> 00:12:18,607
He just looks like a piece of tree.

189
00:12:18,607 --> 00:12:22,887
Be nice. There, there.

190
00:12:22,887 --> 00:12:27,287
He just looks like a tree stump.
That helps to break up his outline.

191
00:12:27,287 --> 00:12:30,487
Beautiful bird. Lovely, soft grey.

192
00:12:30,487 --> 00:12:33,447
The tawny frogmouth.

193
00:12:33,447 --> 00:12:35,119
Let's have a look at your eye.

194
00:12:36,127 --> 00:12:38,167
There.

195
00:12:38,167 --> 00:12:40,727
It's really got a big, yellow eye.

196
00:12:40,727 --> 00:12:44,727
(CAR STARTS)

197
00:12:44,727 --> 00:12:47,967
Well, we've had a look at him.
We'll let him go.

198
00:12:47,967 --> 00:12:49,639
Come on, off you go.

199
00:13:05,167 --> 00:13:10,321
One of the best times to be out
in this country is just after rain.

200
00:13:12,887 --> 00:13:15,367
Even the rainbird's calling.
Hear him?

201
00:13:15,367 --> 00:13:18,767
(BIRD FALLS SILENT)

202
00:13:18,767 --> 00:13:20,767
That's a pallid cuckoo, really.

203
00:13:20,767 --> 00:13:25,167
And I head always
for these granite sheets,

204
00:13:25,167 --> 00:13:27,327
these granite outcrops.

205
00:13:27,327 --> 00:13:30,407
They're really ancient.
And they feel ancient.

206
00:13:30,407 --> 00:13:33,807
It's like primeval stuff -
the beginning of life,

207
00:13:33,807 --> 00:13:36,407
where the rock faces
are turning back into soil.

208
00:13:36,407 --> 00:13:39,847
And there's some scientists say
that these actual rocks

209
00:13:39,847 --> 00:13:43,927
are 700 million years old,
as old as the earth itself -

210
00:13:43,927 --> 00:13:47,127
the real bones of the earth.

211
00:13:47,127 --> 00:13:50,687
And they're being broken down
and changed into soil

212
00:13:50,687 --> 00:13:52,567
and there's water run-off from them.

213
00:13:52,567 --> 00:13:57,607
And around the edge you get these
magnificent stands of she-oak

214
00:13:57,607 --> 00:14:01,407
which likes the extra bit of water
and the extra sandy soil.

215
00:14:01,407 --> 00:14:03,767
That's got a special habitat too,

216
00:14:03,767 --> 00:14:07,727
but what I've come for
is the way the rock breaks up.

217
00:14:07,727 --> 00:14:11,327
In the hot southern summers
the rock heats up

218
00:14:11,327 --> 00:14:13,567
and then the rain falls
or night-times get cold,

219
00:14:13,567 --> 00:14:18,595
the rock cracks off
in big, flaky sheets, like this.

220
00:14:20,167 --> 00:14:21,767
And that's why I come here,

221
00:14:21,767 --> 00:14:26,407
because these sheets
make magnificent homes for animals.

222
00:14:26,407 --> 00:14:31,087
All across the rock there are
raised domes like this one.

223
00:14:31,087 --> 00:14:34,247
(CHUCKLES) There you are -
point in case.

224
00:14:34,247 --> 00:14:36,287
A couple of skink lizards

225
00:14:36,287 --> 00:14:40,087
quietly living -
they're very sluggish today.

226
00:14:40,087 --> 00:14:41,687
It's just been raining.

227
00:14:41,687 --> 00:14:44,679
And they're just starting
to warm up again after the rain.

228
00:14:45,887 --> 00:14:47,878
Gone under my boot.
Come out of here, fella.

229
00:14:52,607 --> 00:14:54,767
That's an Egernia,

230
00:14:54,767 --> 00:14:57,927
a very pleasant skink
that is a carnivore -

231
00:14:57,927 --> 00:15:02,087
runs around the rock faces,
and around dead trees and black boys,

232
00:15:02,087 --> 00:15:05,407
eating things like cockroaches
and things like that.

233
00:15:05,407 --> 00:15:06,999
Off you go.

234
00:15:09,807 --> 00:15:11,607
Look at that. It's straight in.

235
00:15:11,607 --> 00:15:13,887
Now, you can pick
any of these rocks -

236
00:15:13,887 --> 00:15:17,847
that one there, that one over there,
that one right up -

237
00:15:17,847 --> 00:15:20,487
any of them at all
will have something living under them.

238
00:15:20,487 --> 00:15:22,647
Because this has got everything -

239
00:15:22,647 --> 00:15:26,607
food, shelter,
and, of course, the original cave.

240
00:15:26,607 --> 00:15:29,041
Here's a likely looking one.
Let's check that.

241
00:15:39,167 --> 00:15:40,767
You see the hole?

242
00:15:40,767 --> 00:15:45,407
Obviously, something uses this one,
and it's pretty big, whatever it is.

243
00:15:45,407 --> 00:15:47,087
So's the rock.

244
00:15:47,087 --> 00:15:48,607
(GRUNTS)

245
00:15:48,607 --> 00:15:50,847
(CHUCKLES)

246
00:15:50,847 --> 00:15:52,405
Look at that.

247
00:15:53,407 --> 00:15:56,727
There's a redback spider,

248
00:15:56,727 --> 00:15:58,718
some cockroaches...

249
00:16:00,327 --> 00:16:02,607
...a little spider,

250
00:16:02,607 --> 00:16:06,207
and, of course,
the owners of the hole,

251
00:16:06,207 --> 00:16:09,358
a couple of bobtails,
a male and a female.

252
00:16:10,767 --> 00:16:14,887
Small head, male, big-headed female.

253
00:16:14,887 --> 00:16:17,047
Long tail on the male,

254
00:16:17,047 --> 00:16:19,047
short tail on the female.

255
00:16:19,047 --> 00:16:22,447
Skinny tail on the male,
fat tail on the female.

256
00:16:22,447 --> 00:16:26,407
People have a lot of nonsensical ideas
about them.

257
00:16:26,407 --> 00:16:29,285
I'll just put that - oh! -
back for a minute.

258
00:16:30,927 --> 00:16:34,487
People have a lot of nonsensical ideas
about these.

259
00:16:34,487 --> 00:16:38,526
They say their bite is poisonous.
Well, there's one having a good bite.

260
00:16:40,287 --> 00:16:41,887
I'm not going to die.

261
00:16:41,887 --> 00:16:43,407
His teeth are so short,

262
00:16:43,407 --> 00:16:46,763
all that happens is they just leave
a mark on the skin.

263
00:16:47,767 --> 00:16:49,447
Yes.

264
00:16:49,447 --> 00:16:55,327
This is relative of the blue-tongue,
another skink lizard.

265
00:16:55,327 --> 00:16:58,127
Oh, well,

266
00:16:58,127 --> 00:16:59,767
off we go, come one, toot-toot-toot.

267
00:16:59,767 --> 00:17:02,235
That's it.

268
00:17:09,407 --> 00:17:11,847
(CHUCKLES) Beauty and the beast.

269
00:17:11,847 --> 00:17:13,767
Dragon's off.

270
00:17:13,767 --> 00:17:16,847
But this is up here
hunting for the lizards.

271
00:17:16,847 --> 00:17:18,847
It's a carpet snake,

272
00:17:18,847 --> 00:17:20,727
a beautiful animal.

273
00:17:20,727 --> 00:17:24,207
Come on, little man.
Cold? Yes, I know.

274
00:17:24,207 --> 00:17:25,847
Horribly cold, isn't it?

275
00:17:25,847 --> 00:17:29,522
You're very, very wet.

276
00:17:32,807 --> 00:17:35,407
Really sluggish.
See how slow his tongue's moving?

277
00:17:35,407 --> 00:17:38,527
Beautiful animals,
these carpet snakes.

278
00:17:38,527 --> 00:17:41,767
All snakes are beautiful, but some are
more beautiful than others

279
00:17:41,767 --> 00:17:46,167
and these are just so placid
and so wonderful

280
00:17:46,167 --> 00:17:50,887
that you can really fall in love
and have a love affair with a python.

281
00:17:50,887 --> 00:17:52,367
(LAUGHS)

282
00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:54,367
They're typical pythons.

283
00:17:54,367 --> 00:18:00,007
They've got this very ornate pattern
of lovely, small scales

284
00:18:00,007 --> 00:18:02,487
and, of course, that's where they get
their name, carpet snake.

285
00:18:02,487 --> 00:18:05,087
The old-fashioned
Brussels carpet pattern on them.

286
00:18:05,087 --> 00:18:08,567
They've got fairly long,
stout bodies,

287
00:18:08,567 --> 00:18:11,567
big heads and small necks.

288
00:18:11,567 --> 00:18:14,127
They're not poisonous, of course.

289
00:18:14,127 --> 00:18:18,327
And one of the interesting things
about them is their back legs.

290
00:18:18,327 --> 00:18:20,647
Yeah, that's right - back legs.

291
00:18:20,647 --> 00:18:23,407
Come on, we won't hurt,
just let's have a look now.

292
00:18:23,407 --> 00:18:25,007
Somewhere here.

293
00:18:25,007 --> 00:18:27,687
There, can you see it?

294
00:18:27,687 --> 00:18:31,447
Little tiny back leg there.
It's all that's left.

295
00:18:31,447 --> 00:18:33,887
It's the remnants
of what used to be a leg

296
00:18:33,887 --> 00:18:35,647
because these were walking animals.

297
00:18:35,647 --> 00:18:38,047
Look at that lovely movement
across my hand. Look.

298
00:18:38,047 --> 00:18:40,845
Just watch that.
I won't help him at all.

299
00:18:42,087 --> 00:18:46,687
Beautiful. It's... it's like silk flowing
over you. Look.

300
00:18:46,687 --> 00:18:50,441
They're not cold. They're not slimy.
Beautiful animals.

301
00:18:52,447 --> 00:18:54,487
You want to go back, do you?

302
00:18:54,487 --> 00:18:58,447
Alright, then. There's your hole.

303
00:18:58,447 --> 00:19:02,047
You don't wanna go in your hole now.
You wanna go walkabout.

304
00:19:02,047 --> 00:19:03,685
Well, we'll let you
go walkabout, then.

305
00:19:09,207 --> 00:19:12,967
Having a feel around.
Rain's just stopped again.

306
00:19:12,967 --> 00:19:16,287
So there's a fair chance now
that he'll go hunting.

307
00:19:16,287 --> 00:19:18,207
On a dull day like this,

308
00:19:18,207 --> 00:19:21,087
he'll probably go over
into those trees, those she-oaks

309
00:19:21,087 --> 00:19:23,327
and do a little hunting,
see what he can find.

310
00:19:23,327 --> 00:19:27,161
A lizard under bark, perhaps
a nestling bird, something like that.

311
00:19:34,887 --> 00:19:36,967
A honeyeater nest.

312
00:19:36,967 --> 00:19:40,167
You can tell it's a honeyeater
by that delightful nest.

313
00:19:40,167 --> 00:19:44,087
Beautifully woven and put together
spider webs and bits and pieces.

314
00:19:44,087 --> 00:19:45,884
Doesn't take long, does it? Look.

315
00:19:48,207 --> 00:19:51,722
Ah, yes. You beautiful thing.

316
00:19:53,087 --> 00:19:55,203
That's a tawny-crowned honeyeater.

317
00:19:56,207 --> 00:19:59,802
There he goes. Still pretty shy.

318
00:20:00,807 --> 00:20:04,047
One of the really nice things
about being a naturalist

319
00:20:04,047 --> 00:20:07,367
is you get to sit down in the shade
and relax

320
00:20:07,367 --> 00:20:09,287
and enjoy things like birdwatching.

321
00:20:09,287 --> 00:20:12,085
A very pleasant occupation.

322
00:20:16,647 --> 00:20:21,675
All around this area are other birds,
like this shrike-thrush.

323
00:20:23,647 --> 00:20:27,162
Here's a young treecreeper,
preening, waiting to be fed.

324
00:20:28,287 --> 00:20:30,807
"Ah, food!"

325
00:20:30,807 --> 00:20:35,483
There's a crested bellbird -
a dry-area species.

326
00:20:36,887 --> 00:20:40,807
And a bronzewing pigeon having
a quiet little doze up in a tree.

327
00:20:40,807 --> 00:20:44,561
Dusky woodswallows
are pretty active in the area too.

328
00:20:46,927 --> 00:20:49,999
But that's not a bird,
even though it does lay eggs.

329
00:21:15,207 --> 00:21:16,720
(CHUCKLES)

330
00:21:20,207 --> 00:21:23,967
Ah, that's something really special.

331
00:21:23,967 --> 00:21:27,927
Probably the most primitive mammal
in the world -

332
00:21:27,927 --> 00:21:30,527
except for platypus.

333
00:21:30,527 --> 00:21:33,287
See if I can bring him out
so he can meet the people.

334
00:21:33,287 --> 00:21:35,487
Come on.

335
00:21:35,487 --> 00:21:38,638
Oh, goodness me.
He doesn't wanna come out.

336
00:21:40,647 --> 00:21:42,447
Very strong animals.

337
00:21:42,447 --> 00:21:46,567
(GRUNTS) And straight into
his defensive position,

338
00:21:46,567 --> 00:21:51,367
but... (CHUCKLES)... poor fellow's
got one problem.

339
00:21:51,367 --> 00:21:55,607
His hind claws
are so well developed for digging,

340
00:21:55,607 --> 00:21:57,607
that one has to stick out,

341
00:21:57,607 --> 00:22:00,967
so if you touch one,
the other one pokes out,

342
00:22:00,967 --> 00:22:03,047
and then you can get a grip on him.

343
00:22:03,047 --> 00:22:04,647
It's his one weakness,

344
00:22:04,647 --> 00:22:08,207
because he has to be protected against
foxes and dingoes

345
00:22:08,207 --> 00:22:09,847
and all those sort of things.

346
00:22:09,847 --> 00:22:12,407
There. Come out.
Let's have a look at you.

347
00:22:12,407 --> 00:22:14,796
How much of him can we see?

348
00:22:16,127 --> 00:22:18,007
Lovely, long nose,

349
00:22:18,007 --> 00:22:22,207
and in there's
seven inches of tongue.

350
00:22:22,207 --> 00:22:25,687
This fellow's
out hunting for termites.

351
00:22:25,687 --> 00:22:29,007
Now, I did say
that mammals come out at night.

352
00:22:29,007 --> 00:22:32,967
But this is one of the few fellows
that comes out in the daytime.

353
00:22:32,967 --> 00:22:38,127
He comes out around about now,
in the afternoon,

354
00:22:38,127 --> 00:22:40,487
and goes termite hunting -

355
00:22:40,487 --> 00:22:43,927
scurrying around
in little bushes like this.

356
00:22:43,927 --> 00:22:46,367
There's some sorts of termites
run along under the surface.

357
00:22:46,367 --> 00:22:49,887
And he digs in with those
incredibly powerful claws.

358
00:22:49,887 --> 00:22:51,527
And then... (SLURPS)

359
00:22:51,527 --> 00:22:54,887
...seven inches of instant death
goes up the tunnel, and zap!

360
00:22:54,887 --> 00:22:56,727
And it's full of termites.

361
00:22:56,727 --> 00:22:58,797
He eats about
three or four thousand a day.

362
00:23:00,327 --> 00:23:02,966
Very strong front claws.

363
00:23:04,207 --> 00:23:07,887
And very strong back claws.

364
00:23:07,887 --> 00:23:11,287
Very long, for obvious reasons.

365
00:23:11,287 --> 00:23:12,847
With all those prickles,

366
00:23:12,847 --> 00:23:15,127
if you ever get an itch,
how do you scratch yourself?

367
00:23:15,127 --> 00:23:18,047
So that very long claw
is for getting in among the spines

368
00:23:18,047 --> 00:23:19,647
and having a good old scratch,

369
00:23:19,647 --> 00:23:23,367
because he gets ticks and lice the same
as other things do in the bush.

370
00:23:23,367 --> 00:23:27,167
Little, ridiculous,
tiny stump of a tail.

371
00:23:27,167 --> 00:23:31,126
And tiny eyes -
oh, he's very worried, this bloke.

372
00:23:32,927 --> 00:23:36,127
He's threatened by one
of our introduced animals, the fox,

373
00:23:36,127 --> 00:23:39,047
who's learned a way
to handle echidnas.

374
00:23:39,047 --> 00:23:44,527
Fox comes along and sees the echidna,
the echidna rolls up in a tight ball,

375
00:23:44,527 --> 00:23:47,567
and if he's close enough,
the fox will roll him with his nose

376
00:23:47,567 --> 00:23:49,167
till he reaches a pool of water.

377
00:23:49,167 --> 00:23:50,647
Rolls him into the water.

378
00:23:50,647 --> 00:23:52,287
As soon as he gets in the water,

379
00:23:52,287 --> 00:23:54,047
the echidna opens out
and starts swimming - zap!

380
00:23:54,047 --> 00:23:55,727
Because underneath,

381
00:23:55,727 --> 00:23:59,807
the belly is completely soft
and unprotected, no spines.

382
00:23:59,807 --> 00:24:01,798
You can't curl up on spines.

383
00:24:03,087 --> 00:24:07,647
The animals of this forest rely
for their very survival

384
00:24:07,647 --> 00:24:10,727
on the management
of the forest area -

385
00:24:10,727 --> 00:24:14,807
the control of burning,
the retention of the ground litter,

386
00:24:14,807 --> 00:24:19,487
the entire ecosystem
is interdependent

387
00:24:19,487 --> 00:24:22,445
and only management can save it all.

388
00:24:32,247 --> 00:24:35,647
This is what habitat management
is all about.

389
00:24:35,647 --> 00:24:37,239
Just a minute.

390
00:24:45,887 --> 00:24:49,084
(SCRATCHING)

391
00:24:56,687 --> 00:24:58,325
Oh.

392
00:25:10,967 --> 00:25:15,527
That's the sort of animal
that this whole thing is about.

393
00:25:15,527 --> 00:25:20,207
It's the symbol of the wildlife people
of Western Australia,

394
00:25:20,207 --> 00:25:22,207
and it's the symbol
of the conservationists

395
00:25:22,207 --> 00:25:25,407
in their fight to preserve
these vanishing animals -

396
00:25:25,407 --> 00:25:26,967
the numbat.

397
00:25:26,967 --> 00:25:31,407
One of his relatives has vanished
already from the desert country,

398
00:25:31,407 --> 00:25:32,887
the rusty numbat,

399
00:25:32,887 --> 00:25:35,327
who must've looked
very much like this one.

400
00:25:35,327 --> 00:25:37,447
This is an old male.

401
00:25:37,447 --> 00:25:41,327
And he's got the good, red colour,
the really rusty colour.

402
00:25:41,327 --> 00:25:44,447
Beautiful banding on his body.

403
00:25:44,447 --> 00:25:47,359
His great bottlebrush tail.

404
00:25:48,607 --> 00:25:50,807
A remarkable thing
about this animal -

405
00:25:50,807 --> 00:25:52,527
it's related to the native cats.

406
00:25:52,527 --> 00:25:57,007
It's got more teeth than any other
marsupial in Australia,

407
00:25:57,007 --> 00:25:59,767
something like 54 teeth.

408
00:25:59,767 --> 00:26:03,927
And yet, they never bite, and when
you catch them like this one,

409
00:26:03,927 --> 00:26:09,206
they're completely quiet and passive
and they're quite magnificent.

410
00:26:11,927 --> 00:26:17,967
And it's animals like this that the
whole conservation movement is about.

411
00:26:17,967 --> 00:26:20,487
People really like animals.

412
00:26:20,487 --> 00:26:22,847
They and their kids want to see them.

413
00:26:22,847 --> 00:26:25,167
And so the best thing we can do

414
00:26:25,167 --> 00:26:29,797
is preserve their habitat,
and then we preserve the animal.

