Daintree Rainforest

Queensland, Australia

The Daintree Rainforest is the largest—and, say scientists, the oldest—chunk of tropical rainforest in Australia.¹ The forest, which receives much of its rain during the summer months, covers approximately 460 square miles of northern Queensland, and its lush greenery meets the ocean at Cape Tribulation.²

The biodiversity found within the Daintree Rainforest is staggering. The area is home to 1/3 of the mammal and freshwater fish species found in Australia and nearly half of the continent’s bird species.³ There are also some 3,000 species of plants, including the extremely rare and memorably named idiot fruit.⁴

Next: Dandenong Ranges

References

1. Daintree Rainforest. Daintree Discovery Centre. Accessed 2 May 2013.
2. Daintree National Park. Daintree Rainforest Information. Accessed 2 May 2013.
3. Rainforest. Daintree Secrets. Accessed 2 May 2013.
4. Napier, Jenny. Idiot Fruit Holds Key to Daintree’s Ancient Past. The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 June 2006. Accessed 2 May 2013.

Published 2018-06-18