Tasman Island
Encyclopedia
Tasman Island is an oval island, with an area of 1.2 km2, in south-eastern Australia
. It is part of the Tasman Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of Tasmania
around the Tasman Peninsula
, and is in the Tasman National Park
. It is a plateau surrounded by steep dolerite
cliffs, with its highest point 300 m asl
and an average plateau height of 280 m asl. It is the site of the Tasman Island Lighthouse
and weather station
, which has been automated since 1976 and unmanned since 1977.
. When the lighthouse was manned the keepers kept livestock
, including cattle
, sheep and draught horses
, and maintained grassland
for their grazing. Areas of grassland remain along with other vegetation communities of heath
y scrub, regenerating scrub, sheoak
woodland
, sedgeland
and coast
al mosaic. An important plant present is the rare Cape Pillar Sheoak (Allocasuarina crassa
).
s, with an estimated 300,000-700,000 pairs, making it the largest such colony in Tasmania, and possibly in Australia. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) by BirdLife International
because it supports over 1% of the world population of the species. Other recorded breeding seabird
species are Little Penguin
(now extinct there as a breeding species), Short-tailed Shearwater
and Sooty Shearwater
. The Swamp Harrier
has also bred on the island.
The breeding seabirds were preyed on by a feral cat
population estimated at about 50, feeding mainly on Fairy Prions and taking about 50,000 birds annually. The cats were eradicated by a baiting, trapping and hunting program carried out in May 2010.
s use the rocky shore as a haul-out
site, and the latter species has bred there in small numbers. Humpback Whale
s pass through the surrounding waters. Reptile
s recorded from the island include the Metallic Skink
, White's Skink
, Spotted Skink
and She-oak Skink
. A notable invertebrate
, so far recorded only from Tasman Island, is the cricket
Tasmanoplectron isolatum
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is part of the Tasman Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
around the Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula is located around by road south-east of Hobart, at the south east corner of Tasmania, Australia.-Description:The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula, to which it is connected by an isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck...
, and is in the Tasman National Park
Tasman National Park
Tasman National Park is located in eastern Tasmania, Australia, 56 kilometres east of Hobart.-History:The park was proclaimed under the Regional Forest Agreement on 30 April 1999. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is located on Tasman Island, which is part of the park...
. It is a plateau surrounded by steep dolerite
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
cliffs, with its highest point 300 m asl
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and an average plateau height of 280 m asl. It is the site of the Tasman Island Lighthouse
Tasman Island Lighthouse
The Tasman Island Lighthouse is on Tasman Island off the coast of south-eastern Tasmania, Australia. It was one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia. It was built in 1906, automated in 1976 and demanned in 1977. The island is now part of the Tasman National Park...
and weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, which has been automated since 1976 and unmanned since 1977.
Plants
The island was once thickly forested. The forest has largely disappeared as a result of cutting the trees for firewood and of intense firesWildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. When the lighthouse was manned the keepers kept livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, including cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sheep and draught horses
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
, and maintained grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
for their grazing. Areas of grassland remain along with other vegetation communities of heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
y scrub, regenerating scrub, sheoak
Casuarinaceae
Casuarinaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of 3 or 4 genera and approximately 70 species of trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics , Australia, and the Pacific Islands...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, sedgeland
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
and coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al mosaic. An important plant present is the rare Cape Pillar Sheoak (Allocasuarina crassa
Allocasuarina crassa
Allocasuarina crassa, commonly known as the Cape Pillar Sheoak, is a species of sheoak native to Australia.-Description:Allocasuarina crassa may vary in form from a prostrate shrub to a tree growing up to 14 m high. Its articles are 10-26 mm long and 1.2-4 mm in diameter, with...
).
Birds
Tasman Island is a very important breeding site for Fairy PrionFairy Prion
The Fairy Prion is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of black upperparts and white underneath with an "M" wing marking.-Taxonomy:...
s, with an estimated 300,000-700,000 pairs, making it the largest such colony in Tasmania, and possibly in Australia. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA) by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
because it supports over 1% of the world population of the species. Other recorded breeding seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
species are Little Penguin
Little Penguin
The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...
(now extinct there as a breeding species), Short-tailed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
The Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
and Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
The Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
. The Swamp Harrier
Swamp Harrier
The Swamp Harrier also known as the Marsh Harrier, Australasian Harrier, Kāhu, Swamp-hawk or New Zealand Hawk is a large, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
has also bred on the island.
The breeding seabirds were preyed on by a feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
population estimated at about 50, feeding mainly on Fairy Prions and taking about 50,000 birds annually. The cats were eradicated by a baiting, trapping and hunting program carried out in May 2010.
Other animals
Australian and New Zealand Fur SealNew Zealand Fur Seal
The Australian fur seal , or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there...
s use the rocky shore as a haul-out
Hauling-out
Hauling-out is the behaviour associated with pinnipeds , of temporarily leaving the water between periods of foraging activity for sites on land or ice...
site, and the latter species has bred there in small numbers. Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
s pass through the surrounding waters. Reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s recorded from the island include the Metallic Skink
Metallic Skink
The Metallic Cool-skink or Metallic Skink is a species of skink in the Scincidae family. It is endemic to Australia, found in southern Victoria, as well as in Tasmania where it is the most widespread and common lizard, occurring on many offshore islands in Bass Strait as well as the mainland. It...
, White's Skink
White's Skink
White's Skink is a species of skink in the Scincidae family. It is found in south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania and many Bass Strait islands. It is slow-growing, to a maximum length of about 90 mm, and may take four years to reach maturity. It gives birth to live young. It is...
, Spotted Skink
Spotted Skink
The Spotted Skink , sometimes called the Ocellated Cool-skink or Ocellated Skink, is a skink endemic to Tasmania, Australia. It is a ground-dwelling, viviparous species, usually found in rocky habitats, and widespread in the northern and eastern parts of the state, as well as in the eastern Bass...
and She-oak Skink
She-oak Skink
The she-oak skink is a large, long-tailed, snake-like skink endemic to Tasmania, Australia. It is viviparous; mating in spring, and giving birth in latest summer....
. A notable invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
, so far recorded only from Tasman Island, is the cricket
Rhaphidophoridae
The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae includes the cave wetas, cave crickets, camelback crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets and sand treaders, of the suborder Ensifera; in some regions, such as Missouri and Virginia, these crickets are referred to as "Cricket Spiders"...
Tasmanoplectron isolatum
Tasmanoplectron isolatum
Tasmanoplectron isolatum is a species of insect in family Rhaphidophoridae. It is endemic to Australia.-Source:* Orthopteroid Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 10 August 2007....
.