The Jungle Giant turns 20!
Not all cranes go to work on construction jobsites.
You are looking at a group of researchers floating above James Cook University's Daintree Rainforest Observatory in Australia. Here, researchers are able to access every level of the rainforest with the "Jungle Giant," a 47 meter high Liebherr crane installed 20 years ago. The Jungle Giant's birthday makes it the longest-standing crane in Australia. The crane has assisted researchers in important studies of tree physiology, rainforest ecology, and how a drought might affect the region. Not long after it was set up, a Category 3 cyclone struct the area but the observatory says the crane remained standing strong.
You can learn more about the Jungle Giant and the research being done at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory from this video:
