I don't know what UNC Wilmington's maintenance staff would do if a 5 ft python which had gorged itself on an Opossum showed up in the woods next to the Chancellor's walk ... but I doubt they would rope it off and put up signs instructing visitors to have a look but leave it be. ... read more

The Journey Downtown I started the day early, navigating my way through the endless bike paths of Townsville's suburbs until I reached my final destination. Well, almost. I had a very cheap map, which made it seem like the bike path ended in a luscious park. I was imagining the path leading my travel-weary and sweaty self into an area where I could safely leave my bike and easily meander through the city. In reality, the path abruptly ends at a residential neighborhood in the industrial park of Townsville. Luckily, I was able to take the bike lanes on the roads safely to the strand after realizing that there was no luscious park at the end of the yellow brick road. Once I reached the main roads, I assessed my location and made my way to ... read more

Believe it or not, I've just listed three dangers in sequential order from "least" to "greatest" threat. In reality spiders shouldn't even be on this list, but then I would lose that great alliteration. More realistically, "criminals", "cars" and "crocodiles" should enter the list somewhere. There are only two poisonous spiders in Townsville - redbacks, and black and white striped ones. Redbacks is the actual common name, but I don't remember the name of the other. All other spiders here are harmless. Venomous snakes on the other hand are abundant. When I asked Matthew about them, he started listing the really dangerous ones: browns, taipan, death adders, ..., he kept talking and the words just went through my head. I asked for a good rule of thumb about venomous snakes here ... you know, size, color, ... read more

The Terrestrial Flora and Fauna In a word, fantastic. Wallabies (Kangaroos) dart around the back yard and through parks. Citrus trees, magnolias, eucalyptus, and colorful desert bushes grow everywhere. Even the apartment neighborhoods were clearly built around the local flora, and are complimented with towering trees, fragrant flowers, and loud, colorful birds. There is an endangered turkey here which is very abundant in these neighborhoods and hides behind bushes. Yesterday, I found a path along the Ross River. It’s near the suburb I am currently staying in (Douglas). The scenery was nothing short of beautiful and I found the solitary walk to be revitalizing. I especially loved the trees that grew out over the river and the random statue of a shell. The sounds are still very alien, which makes me unusually jumpy, but I’ll eventually ... read more

After a full night’s sleep (5pm to 6:30am) my wonderful host and chauffeur (aka graduate student and errand slave of Mark McCormick) showed me around the lab. Most of the fish here are completely alien to me, but I imagine I’ll get the names down after working with them for a few months. After working for a few hours, Matthew and I set off to collect some necessities (new eyeglasses and a track phone) before taking a tour of downtown. The Sentinel Castle Hill guards Townsville silently for eternity. In every snapshot the sentinel stands, unperturbed and never moving. For millions of years it’s stood, and for centuries more it will remain unchanged. The Strand Exactly as the name suggests, this artificial beach stretches across the Pacific on the downtown side of Townsville. It seems most ... read more