6 cool things about how we’re studying the ecology of the key marine predator species in the Tasman Fracture Marine Park...

Australian Marine Parks IMAS University of Tasmania CSIRO antarctica.gov.au MPred Lab IMAS Tas Parks & Wildlife Julie McInnes Prof. Mary-Anne Lea

Did you know our oceans' health changes with the seasons, just like our weather?

That's one of the things being studied in the Tasman Fracture Marine Park “Our Marine Parks Grant” project.

The goal is to figure out how these changes affect marine life, like the Tasmanian...

Isn't the Whale Shark a beautiful creature? ✨😍

This picture was captured in the Ningaloo Marine Park, part of our North West network. 🦈

📷 Credit: Erik Schlogl

These two pals, known as Whitetip Reef sharks, were spotted exploring our Coral Sea Marine Park.

Very curious creatures, they will often approach divers however they are not considered a threat to humans 🤝.

📸 Credit: Erik Schlogl

#MarineMonday 🦈

Welcome back to #MarineMonday ! 🐟🌊🐢

This interesting looking creature is known as a feather star (part of the Crinoid family).

Despite looking rather dangerous, they aren't venomous at all, rather using their vivid range of colours to ward of potential predators. ☠️

Did you know that this colourful little fish actually shares the same name as a skunk? 🤢

This species is known as the pink anemonefish, or the pink skunk clownfish 🤡.

Our Christmas Island Marine Park plays host to this particular one pictured 🏝️.

📸 Max Orchard

Too many snacks over the weekend? You might be looking like the Bigbelly seahorse 🤰😮.

These funny creatures live in shallow seagrass and deeper sponge gardens - you'll spot them throughout our South-east network of marine parks. ↘️

#MarineMonday

📸 Credit: Richard Vevers

The first of 17 successful IOT Marine Park grants has now been completed on Christmas Island! 🏝️

Artist 🎨 Gavi Libotte chose the Christmas Island Frigatebird in this mural due to the ecological connections it has with the Marine Park, which provides its feeding habitat.

Happy Friday everyone! Want to know a fun fact about our Temperate-East marine parks? 😍

These marine parks cover over 383,000 square kilometres 😮 - that's larger than some of the most notable nations worldwide, such as the United Kingdom, Germany or Japan!

📸 David Harasti

Happy international whale shark day. 🐳🦈

The whale shark (Rhincondon typus) is the largest fish in our oceans with the biggest recorded individual measuring 18.8m! 😮

We are lucky to see whale sharks in a lot of our marine park networks.

📸 Credit: Wondrous World Images

Happy #MarineMonday from this smiley dugong.

Did you know that these big friendly giants can grow up to 3m in length and weigh up to 900kg? 😮.

These beautiful creatures are protected in our waters, allowing them to live peaceful and happy lives ✨.

📸 Jin Kemoole

For today's episode of #MarineMonday , check out tiny Stormy Fish Betty (Tempestichthys bettyae), a species of fish species previously unknown to science and discovered on a voyage in 2019 with scientists from James Cook Uni.

#MarineMonday is back everybody! ✨

This intriguing looking creature is known as the Balmain Bug (Ibacus peronii), also known as the Butterfly fan lobster. 👀

You'll be able to spot these funny looking creatures in our South-west marine park network.

📸 Credit: jennlavers

Did you know that dolphins like to blow bubbles? I bet you can't guess why though 🤔.

It's actually for hunting purposes, they use the bubbles to draw their prey to the surface.

This trio was spotted in our Christmas Island Marine Park ✨.

📸: Wondrous World Images

Happy #MarineMonday ✨

This is the Eleven-armed sea star ⭐. As the name suggests, the species is usually found with 11 arms, but has occasionally been spotted with up to 14 😮.

These interesting creatures feature in our Norfolk Island Marine Park,.

📸 Dr Isobel Bennett

Applications are now open for Our Marine Parks Grants round four.

Grant funding of up to $8.6 million is available for individual projects from $30,000 to $500,000.

Applications close Wednesday 27 September 2023.

Find out more and apply: fal.cn/3AfSf

Here's a fun #ThrowbackThursday to finish off your day! ✨

Some of the bird life came to lend a helping hand during one of our Coral Sea Marine Park clean ups.

A big thank you to our little friends. 🤝

📸 Credit: Matt Guest

Look at how many colours are on this fish 🌈

Welcome back to #MarineMonday ✨ – today’s species is the Green Moon Wrasse, a multi-coloured fish that changes in colour.

These colourful creatures appear in our Cocos Keeling and Coral Sea Marine Parks.

📸 Credit: Erik Schlogl

Have your say on the preparation of draft management plans for Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park.

Submissions are now open until 3.30 AM AEST 17 August 2023 through the Have Your Say platform - fal.cn/3zGKe

Ever heard of the Tasman Fracture Marine Park?

No?

Well, we're here to change that!

So why is it special?

It's a unique and highly productive area in the waters of southwest Tasmania, home to rare and endangered species like seals, whales, and seabirds.

But...