Morepork Morepork The morepork ("Ninox novaeseelandiae"), also called the ruru or Tasmanian spotted owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand and Tasmania. Described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it was for many years considered to be the same species as the southern boobook of mainland Australia until 1999. Its name is derived from its two-tone call. Four subspecies of the morepork are recognized, one of which is extinct and another that exists only as a hybrid population. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook — many of these names are onomatopoeic, as
Australasian Hydrographic Society and gas industries, particularly off the north west coast of Western Australia and coal export facilities in Queensland have required a considerable increase in the provision of accurate and up to date hydrographic information. The attendant increase in trade, for example, has made improved navigation through sensitive area, such as the Great Barrier Reef critical. Hydrography also plays an important role in national security, border protection and humanitarian support. The Australasian Hydrographic Society endeavours to represent all interests in these domains. The Australasian Hydrographic Society consequently "aims to serve anyone with an interest in the science (and art)" of hydrography,