Kids in National Parks Colouring Book
Illustrations by Toni Baird
© 2017 National Parks Association of Queensland Inc.
Kids in National Parks Colouring Book Illustrations by Toni Baird Hi there, we hope you will have fun colouring and learning about the special animals and plants within these pages. Kids in National Parks have chosen these animals for you to learn about because they are mostly unique to Queensland. Most of them are threatened species, and some of these species only exist today because their habitat is protected as a national park or other protected area. Kids in National Parks hopes to inspire you to become future protectors of Queensland’s special natural places and the amazing world of plants and animals within them. National parks are important to help protect the habitat of these animals, to keep them safe and help prevent them from becoming extinct. People also need places like national parks so that we are all able to enjoy, experience and connect with our natural world. Have you been to a national park and seen some of these species or other wonderful things? If not, maybe you could encourage mum or dad to take you and have a nature day in a Queensland national park.
I am a Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii)
STATUS:
Endangered I live in the t ro pical rainforests o f North Queensland. My habit is protected at Girringu n, Daint ree and Wooroonooran national parks.
I am flightles s and Aust ralia’s heaviest bird. I have a three-to ed foot, a colo urful neck and a tall helmet-like crest called a casque.
I am a frug ivore , mean ing that my diet cons ists o f flesh y fruit s that have been fora ged from the rainf orest floor. I eat them seed s and all, so I hel p dispe rse thes e seed s and keep the rainf orest healt hy. FUN
My species is under threat due to land clearing for human develo pment and agricult ure. We are o ften killed or injured by cars. Please be careful when yo u visit o ur region.
FACT:
Once cas sowary females lay their eggs, it is the males who incubate the eggs and raise the hatchlings.
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Hello, I am a Lamington Spiny Crayfish (Euastacus sulcatus)
STATUS:
Vulnerable
I live in the freshwater creeks and st reams o f the rainforests and wet eucalypt forests in altit udes above 300 met res. My habitat is protected by special places like Lamington, Spring brook and Mo unt Tamborine national parks.
I can grow u p to 13cm. I have two large, spine covered claws and a powerful spiny tail. I have bright blue and white colo uring.
Our females take 7-9 years to reach breeding age. Visitors to o ur national parks love to see us in the creeks, so it is important that we are protected and able to reproduce.
FUN FACT: After periods o f rain, I may be enco u ntered walking along rainforest t racks. If bothered, I will wave my claws aggres sively and make a lo ud his sing no ise to scare yo u away.
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I am a Golden-shouldered Parrot (Psephotus chrysopterygius)
STATUS:
Endangered
I only live in the so uthern and cent ral regions o f Cape York Peninsula. Yo u may find me in areas o f KULLA, Riny irru, Oyala Thumotang and Staaten River national parks.
I live among the o pen gras sy woodlands, where I mo stly stay on the gro u nd feeding on small gras s seeds. We are endangered due to is sues such as changes to fire management regimes and intensive cattle grazing. These actions have altered and reduced a lot o f o ur gras sland habitat, creating a shortage o f food for us. Like mo st parrots, I am brightly colo ured. Our males are mainly turquo ise blue with a salmon-pink belly, black crown, bron ze wings and a characteristic golden yellow st reak on the sho ulders. Females are mainly greenish-yellow and have turquo ise blue on the rump.
FUN FACT: Instead o f nesting in t rees, we wait u ntil the wet season so ftens the clay o f termite mo unds and burrow tu nnels into them to make o ur nests. The termite mo und acts like an air conditioner for the nest by regulating the temperature inside the chamber. How cool is that!
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Hello, I am a Bridled Nailtail Wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata)
STATUS:
Endangered
I am carefully protected in Ta u nton and Idalia national parks. I live in dense acacia scrub and gras sy woodlands.
My species is endangered. In fact, until 1973, when I was rediscovered, scientists tho ught I was extinct! So avo iding threats from feral cats and foxes and protecting my habitat is very important for my survival.
I like to eat at night and early in the morning. I feed on gras ses and so ft leafy or flowering plants.
FUN FACT: I get my name from a distinctive white line forming a ‘bridle’ from the back o f my neck to behind my arms, and a small nail-like spur abo ut 3-6mm long at the tip o f my tail.
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I am a Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia)
I am a male butterfly, more colo urful than o ur female Vulnerable butterflies. I have vivid green and yellow wings. Females have black, brown and cream colo ured wings. The body o f both o ur males and females are bright with a red patch on o ur thora x and yellow abdomens. We can grow a wingspan o f u p to 16cm.
STATUS:
My species are fo und in subt ro pical rainforests o f So uth East Queensland and North East New So uth Wales. Many national parks in these regions hel p to protect o ur habitat.
As a butterfly, I feed on the nectar o f native flowers. However, when we are caterpillars we only eat a certain vine known as the Richmond birdwing vine ( Pararistolochia praeveno sa ).
We only lay o ur eggs on the Richmond birdwing vine as this is the only plant o ur caterpillars can eat. However, sometimes we get confused and lay on an int roduced plant called the Dutchman’s pipe vine. Unfort u nately, the Dutchman’s pipe vine is po isono us to o ur caterpillars and has led to a decline in o ur po pulation.
FUN FACT: Yo u can hel p us by asking yo ur mum or dad to visit a lo cal nursery to pick u p yo ur very own Richmond birdwing vine. How awesome wo uld it be see us fly ing aro u nd in yo ur backyard?
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Hi, I am a Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii)
I STATUS: am Endangered the large st o f thre e wom bat I come spec ies, grow ing u p o ut at night to a met re in lengt h and to eat gras s. I weig hing u p to 32kg . I can live u p need to eat all year to 26 year s and reac h bree ding age at ro und. Therefore, my 3 year s. Unlik e kang aroo s, o ur fema le survival is threatened wom bats carr y their yo ung in when there are backward s-fa cing po uche s. fires or This prote cts them from floods. dirt when burr ows are being dug.
My habitat is protected at Epping Forest National Park. Yo u can find me in o pen eucalypt forests with sandy so ils to dig my long, deep burrows.
FUN FACT: I may look rather clumsy and slow, but I can ru n u p to 40km an ho ur. Now that’s fast!
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I am a Cooloola Sedge Frog (Litoria cooloolensis)
STATUS:
Endangered
My species live in coastal wallum swamps and freshwater lakes north o f the Noo sa River and on sandy islands o f So uth East Queensland. Our survival depends on critical habitat o f dense reed beds and swamp t rees. Thankfully, o ur species and o ur habitat are protected in Naree Budjong D jara (North St radbroke Island) and Great Sandy national parks.
I am a bright greenish-yellow t ree frog measuring just 3cm and covered with fine black dots. I have a pale yellow belly and the inside o f my legs are bright orange. Our tadpoles are a pale yellowbrown and are marked with dark patches.
I am endangered beca use o ur po pulation suffers when peo ple visit o ur freshwater lakes and t rample o ur reed beds. Contaminants also get into o ur water and are absorbed thro ugh o ur skin.
I eat small insects such as mo squito es and damselflies. Our tadpoles feed on bio film – a slimy substance on underwater reed and sedge stems.
FUN FACT: Breeding o ccurs in spring and summer following heavy seasonal rain. Males hiding among the reed beds will give o ut a high-pitched ‘wrek kik’ call to att ract females.
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I am a Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis)
STATUS:
Endangered
I am a type o f po s sum. However, I am different to other po s sums beca use I have a parachute-like fold o f st retchy skin between my front and hind legs. This allows me to easily glide from t ree to t ree.
I live in lowland forests where the eucalyptus, bloodworm and paperbark t rees are plentiful. These t rees provide my diet o f nectar, pollen and t ree sap. I am no cturnal and I nest and sleep in t ree hollows by day.
Some mahogany gliders don’t live in the protected habitat o f national parks. Their habitat is u nder threat from human settlement and other activities such as land clearing for agricult ure.
Yo u will only find me in coastal Wet Tro pics regions o f North East Queensland. My habitat is protected by national parks such as Girringu n, Edmund Kennedy and Paluma Range.
FUN FACT: We are very good at play ing hide-and-seek and were only rediscovered by scientists in 1989 after we were tho ught to be extinct for more than 100 years!
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Hello, I am a Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii)
STATUS:
Least Concern
Yo u can recognise me by the yellow patches on my head and dewlap, the loo se skin that hangs from my neck. The rest o f my body is olive-green, brown or grey. I have spines ru nning down my back. The large spines on the crest o f my head and along my chin make me look like a fearsome dragon!
I can be fo und in lush t ro pical rainforests from Townsville to Cooktown. Yo u can find some o f us in Paluma Range, Tully Gorge, Gadgarra, Dinden and Daint ree national parks.
I like to feed on insects mo stly, but o ccasionally I have been known to eat small vertebrates and fruit.
FUN FACT: The females o f o ur species can lay u p to six eggs in a shallow nest in rainforest clearings. Sadly, feral pigs are known to eat the eggs.
Did yo u know I can o utsmart other reptiles in the forest? The amethystine python hunts by sensing for heat. Unlike other rainforest reptiles, I have the ability to regulate my temperature to be colder than the air aro u nd me, so I cannot be detected by the python.
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I am a Cooktown Orchid (Vappodes phalaenopsis)
I am a native Vulnerable Aust ralia n orch id I am an and grow in Nort h epiphytic orchid Quee nslan d coastal scru bs, which means I grow on swam ps and rainf orests. I am the branches and t ru nks o f prote cted by Ende avo ur t rees, instead o f in the gro und. River, Mo u nt Cook , Black By attaching and growing on t rees, Mo u ntain and Anna n I receive my nut rients from the River natio nal leaf litter that collects and park s. decompo ses aro u nd my roots.
STATUS:
I can vary in colo ur from norm ally lilac- ma uve purp le to pink or white . I flow er in the dry seas on betw een Marc h and July, rath er than in sprin g like mo st flow ers.
Illegal harvesting has made me rare and even extinct in some areas where I previo usly existed.
FUN FACT: The Cooktown orchid is Queensland’s floral emblem!
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Hi, I am a Blue Banksia (Banksia plagiocarpa)
STATUS:
Near Threatened
I can only be fo u nd on Hinchinbrook Island and Bisho ps Peak on the neighbo uring mainland in North Queensland. I am protected in Hinchinbrook Island National Park. Beca use o f my limited dist ribution I am at risk from climatic changes, habitat lo s s and illegal harvesting.
My t rees can grow to 5m tall. My unusual gunmetal blue-grey colo ured flowers grow u p to 15cm long and 6cm wide and have spikes known as inflorescences, instead o f petals. This is what makes my flowers look a bit like a ro und hair brush.
FUN FACT: We blue banksias have a nat ural tolerance to bushfires and even rely on them for survival, as long as they are not too o ften. Seeds will remain enclo sed inside the woody cone cent re o f the flower until fire burns the plant and t riggers the release o f the seeds.
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Animals and plants need food, water, shelter and space to survive. They also need each other. If the places they live – their habitats – change or are destroyed, plants or animals may become very small in number, or even disappear. As there have been so many changes made to the natural environment from people, many plants and animals are in danger. Plants and animals are monitored and placed into special categories. Being placed into a special category means that ways to protect various species are found, to try to prevent extinction. National parks play an important part in protecting animals and plants placed in any of the special categories below. Special category Extinct in the Wild
Endangered
Vulnerable
Near Threatened
Least Concern
What it means A plant or animal that has been searched for but not seen for some time in the wild is known as Extinct in the Wild. If these types of plants or animals are not found in a humanmade environment, such as a zoo or botanic garden, they may die out completely. An Endangered plant or animal is in danger of disappearing forever if nothing is done to help them immediately. It is very important to protect and care for these plants and animals. A plant or animal is known as Vulnerable if there are not many left; they do not have many places to live; or they, or the place they live, is threatened by activities such as land clearing. It is important to make sure that these plants and animals do not become smaller in number and the places they live are not destroyed. A plant or animal is known as Near Threatened if there are few of them left, or there are few places left for them to live, or there can easily become less of them. This means that there is a danger of them becoming even smaller in number or their habitat is at risk of being lost. A plant or animal is known as Least Concern if they are common in the wild and likely to survive, even though their numbers or the places they live may be getting smaller. These plants and animals need to be watched, to make sure they do not become smaller in number and their habitat is not lost.
PO Box 1040 Milton QLD 4064
Kids in National Parks - National Parks Association of Queensland Inc. 07 3367 0878 admin@npaq.org.au www.npaq.org.au www.kidsinnationalparks.org.au
The Brisbane Airport Community Giving Fund has kindly provided funding assistance for the printing of this colouring book.
Kids in National Parks is an initiative of the National Parks Association of Queensland (NPAQ), which is dedicated to promoting the preservation, expansion and good management of national parks in Queensland. Founded in 1930, NPAQ has played a pivotal role in the establishment of many national parks in Queensland. We strive to educate the community about national parks and their benefits while fostering an appreciation and enjoyment of nature. We are a not-for-profit organisation reliant on your donations to continue our work protecting the unique natural spaces that Queensland’s species call home. Make a donation or become a member today! Visit www.npaq.org.au/get-involved Kids in National Parks National Parks Association of Queensland Inc. Unit 10/36 Finchley Street (PO Box 1040) Milton QLD 4064 07 3367 0878 www.npaq.org.au / www.kidsinnationalparks.org.au admin@npaq.org.au ABN 60 206 792 095 www.facebook.com/NPAQld