NEW ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BRISBANE WILDLIFE RELEASED

South-east Queenslanders can now better identify its abundant wildlife thanks to a new edition of Queensland Museum’s best selling publication, Wildlife of Greater Brisbane.

The eagerly-anticipated book and a series of specialist pocket guides were launched today by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts, Bonny Barry, and Brisbane Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman.

“Wildlife of Greater Brisbane is a must-have reference book for anyone interested in the wildlife of south-east Queensland,” Ms Barry said.

“The first edition was very successful with more than 50,000 copies sold, reflecting the interest of Brisbane residents in their local environment.

“Written by Queensland Museum scientists and other experts, this user-friendly latest edition includes more than 1000 species, with descriptions, photographs and illustrations for easy identification of our wildlife, from backyard ants to whales.

“This edition also documents some changes in Greater Brisbane’s wildlife populations and patterns.

“For example, in the 12 years since the first edition, native quolls that were considered to be almost extinct are now being reported in the Greenbank area.”

The new edition includes short feature articles on some of the more interesting local wildlife: readers can learn how cicadas sing, find the answer to the mystery of disappearing frogs and discover the friends and foes of termites.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said few urban districts in the world boasted the rich diversity of animal life of the greater Brisbane region.

“The Queensland Museum’s new series of handy pocket guides on local snakes, raptors, ants and freshwater fish are essential additions to the Museum’s wildlife guides,” he said.

“Supported by Council, the full colour guides provide information about conservation issues, biology, detailed identification notes, plus photos. They are the ultimate identification tool.”

The Queensland Museum has an established reputation as a publisher of high quality books, with five out of the six published guides achieving Australian best-seller status.

Media contact: Marnie Stitz on 3237 1000 or 0419 734 985