Life in a Hollow
written by David Gullan & illustrated by Suzanne Houghton
Reviewed by Iris (age 8)
Have you ever wondered about how animals find their homes? If so, this is definitely the book for you! Life in a Hollow follows the story of a tree hollow and its residents. We learn how tree hollows are formed and how different animals make one tree hollow their home over time. The book has beautiful illustrations that give us a sense of the diversity of the Aussie bush. It also has a glossary so you can learn facts about the animals in the story.
I like this book because it rhymes and it shows that one little tree hollow can provide lots of homes for many different animals. I think that it is suitable for kids of all ages.
Make a nestbox
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are known to use tree hollows, but natural tree hollows take more 100 years or more to form and tree clearing in and for towns and cities has destroyed tree hollows and other animal habitats.
Watch a video about making nesting boxes, which is one way we can help provide artificial habitats for a range of species.
Make a nestbox
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are known to use tree hollows, but natural tree hollows take more 100 years or more to form and tree clearing in and for towns and cities has destroyed tree hollows and other animal habitats.
Watch a video about making nesting boxes, which is one way we can help provide artificial habitats for a range of species.
Seahorse “hotel” helping endangered species survival
In July 2023, 380 young White’s Seahorses (Hippocampus whitei) were released at Chowder Bay in Sydney Harbour — the world’s biggest ever release of the marine creature into the wild.
The Sydney Seahorse Project was launched after the White’s Seahorse became the world’s second endangered seahorse species in 2020.
Learn more about the project and see the seahorse release
Seahorses are amazing creatures! Their adaptations include hard bony armour on the body, a prehensile tail that can be used for holding on to things like seagrass, and binocular vision.
Did you know?
Seahorses and their close relatives, sea dragons, are the only species in which the male gets pregnant and gives birth.
Hippocampus is not only the Greek-based scientific base name for a seahorse, but is also a region of the human brain whose shape resembles a seahorse and function is associated with memory.
Find out more about White’s sea horses
Translocation trends
Translocation is an increasingly popular way of helping species conservation. It’s when living organisms from one area are released into another — whether a new site or one where the species is or was previously present.
Sone recent NSW translocation events to sites where species were locally extinct include reintroductions of:
- platypuses into Royal National Park in May 2023
Watch a video about the platypus release
- Eastern Bettongs into Yiraaldiya National Park in July 2023.
Bettongs are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their digging promotes healthy soils and seed germination!
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