This low-lying area of Pungalina is dominated by coolibahs - their white gum branches make a pristine and surprising contrast to the fibrous bark of their ancient gnarled trunks. They stand in soils that are mostly cracking clays - the absorption and then evaporation of water between rain events makes the soil particles swell and then contract, leaving deep fissures in their wake that provide a climate-controlled subterranean habitat for invertebrates, small reptiles, and small mammals. Some - like the Long-tailed Planigale - are specialists of cracking clays. These 5g marsupials even have a flattened skull to let them squeeze through narrow seams. They are voracious predators, enthusiastically subduing prey their own size.