This quiz is wild!

False: some plants can self-pollinate and don’t need pollinators! Pollen grains can also be carried by wind or rain.

But often pollination relies on insects, such as bees and flies, or other animals such as birds or lizards.

Discover the different ways that pollination happens in our gardens and backyards with our gorgeous children’s book Pollination, authored by Christopher Cheng and illustrated by Danny Snell.

All of these animals can be found in Victoria’s Box-Ironbark region!

“At the time of European settlement, extensive areas of north-central and north-east Victoria were covered with Box-Ironbark vegetation. Despite significant clearing of these forests and woodlands in the 180 years since, the ecosystem continues to support over 300 species of native terrestrial wildlife.”

This fact and accompanying photos are from Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country, Second Edition, by Chris Tzaros.

The book gives a comprehensive overview of the ecology of the Box–Ironbark habitats and their wildlife, including many threatened and declining species such as the Squirrel Glider, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Regent Honeyeater, Swift Parrot, Pink-tailed Worm-Lizard, Woodland Blind Snake, Tree Goanna and Bibron’s Toadlet.

All of these animals are record breakers, but the prize for the longest annual migration goes to the Arctic Tern. Moving between Greenland and Antarctica in a zig-zag pattern, these birds can cover over 90,000 kilometres a year!

To read about these animals’ fascinating journeys, plus more incredible facts, check out our children’s book Animal Migrations: Flying, Walking, Swimming, by Diane Jackson Hill. It explores the migrations of mammals, birds, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and aquatic microorganisms.

While the Grey Falcon, the Peregrine Falcon and the Australian Hobby, also known as Little Falcon, are all, well, falcons, the Grey Goshawk is the odd one out since it is a type of hawk.

Need to brush up on your raptor knowledge? We have some books you might find useful!

These illustrations by Jeff Davies are from the pages of Birds of Prey of Australia, Third Edition by Stephen Debus. For a closer look at falcons, take a look at Australian Falcons, also by Stephen Debus.

Jeff is also part of the team that produced The Australian Bird Guide and The Compact Australian Bird Guide, both of which are essential for any avian enthusiast.

“The loss of the Bramble Cay Melomys from Bramble Cay most likely represents the first documented mammalian extinction due to human-induced climate change.

“The mousey, brown nocturnal rodent was endemic to Bramble Cay, a small coral cay island in the Torres Strait. It is generally understood that the reason for this species’ extinction was inundation of the island by waves during large storms. Sea-level rise is one of the most certain consequences of global warming and is predicted to have significant impacts on wildlife in coastal habitats worldwide.”

This text and accompanying vivid illustration by renowned artist Reg Mombassa come from Extinct: Artistic Impressions of Our Lost Wildlife by Benjamin Gray.

The book is a collection of artworks from Australian fine artists, each depicting an Australian animal that has already, for various reasons, tumbled over the edge into extinction.