Celebrate Australia 2010 DUGONG SEA COW Shark Bay WA $1 BU w/ Color in FULL OGP

Description: In Stock and Ready for Immediate Shipment! Long SOLD OUT at the Perth Mint! Celebrate the glorious natural and man-made splendor of Australia with this colorful program featuring both unique Aussie wildlife and outstanding monuments! The Perth Mint has issued this wonderful series of value priced coins meant to extol both the natural and man-made beauty of the Land Down Under. Appropriately enough, these eight colorful dollars comprise the Celebrate Australia Program. Each coin commemorates one of five different UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The skillfully rendered, artistic design of each coin encompasses two distinct elements unique to each UNESCO World Heritage Site: 1) A full color view of the Site's resplendent natural beauty; and 2) An iconic animal of that UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The five different Sites and the animals represented include: Great Barrier Reef & Green Sea Turtle Greater Blue Mountains & Tree Frog Heard and McDonald Islands & Macaroni Penguins Shark Bay & Dugong Sea Cow Tasmanian Wilderness & Eastern Quoll This remarkable and reasonably priced program allows collectors of any means to taste the natural splendor and sample the remarkable diversity of the Island Continent in all its glory! Celebrate Australia! Shark Bay Shark Bay is a world heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It is about 500 miles north of Perth, on the westernmost point of Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans known to have visited Australia. Shark Bay was named by William Dampier in 1699. The area has a population of fewer than 1,000 people and a coastline of over 930 miles. The half dozen small communities making up this population occupy less than 1% of the total area. As sparsely populated as Shark Bay is, the area is of major zoological importance. It is home to about 10,000 dugongs (sea cows), around 10% of the world's population, and there are many Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, particularly at Monkey Mia. The area supports 26 threatened Australian mammal species, over 230 species of bird, and nearly 150 species of reptile. It is an important breeding and nursery ground for fish, crustaceans, and coelenterates. There are over 323 fish species, with many sharks and rays. Shark Bay was selected as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. The Dugong (Sea Cow) The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. It is also the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific, though the majority of dugongs live in the northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay. The dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some degree. The dugong is easily distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull and teeth. The dugong is heavily dependent on sea grasses for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats where they grow, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels and the lee sides of large inshore islands. Its snout is sharply down turned, an adaptation for grazing and uprooting benthic sea grasses. The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years for its meat and oil, although dugong hunting also has great cultural significance throughout its range. The dugong's current distribution is reduced and disjunct, and many populations are close to extinction. The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species limits or bans the trade of derived products based on the population involved. Despite being legally protected in many countries throughout their range, the main causes of population decline are caused by people and include hunting, habitat degradation, and fishing-related fatalities. With its long lifespan of 70 years or more, and slow rate of reproduction, the dugong is especially vulnerable to these types of exploitation. Dugongs are also threatened by storms, parasites, and their natural predators, sharks, killer whales, and crocodiles. The coin’s obverse depicts a full-color image the fields of seagrass in Shark Bay's sun warmed waters. The design includes a Dugong or Sea Cow, one of the many fascinating residents of this area teeming with marine life. Obverse The coin’s obverse depicts a full-color image the fields of sea grass in Shark Bay's sun warmed waters. The design includes a Dugong or Sea Cow, one of the many fascinating residents of this area teeming with marine life. The legend reads SHARK BAY. The Perth Mint "P" mint mark also appears. Reverse The reverse features Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in crowned profile facing right. This portrait, featuring Her Majesty wearing a tiara and pearl earrings, was executed by the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley. The legend ELIZABETH II, the date and the denomination also appear. Packaging Each coin is sealed inside a lavishly illustrated, full color presentation card with fold out stand for upright display. A certificate of authenticity is integrated. Specifications Country Australia Year of Issue 2010 Face Value (Set) One Dollar Weight 13.80 grams Diameter 30.20 mm Gauge (Thickness) 3.10 mm Finish Brilliant Uncirculated with Color Composition Aluminum Bronze Edge Reeded (milled, serrated) Artist Aleysha Howarth (obverse) Ian Rank-Broadley (reverse) Copyright © 2021 Talisman World Coins and Medals. All Rights Reserved.

Price: 22.95 USD

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri

End Time: 2024-01-16T20:32:00.000Z

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