One of the most unusual and exotic corners of our planet, many travelers rightly consider Australia. And the thing is not only that there is no constellation Ursa Major in the night sky, and the water in the sink during discharge is wrapped in the opposite direction. It’s just that on the territory of this original country one can meet such wonders that are not found in any point of the globe. The wildlife of Australia is no exception.
Australian animals are truly unique. Among their representatives you will not find the usual thick-skinned mammals, monkeys or ruminants. Almost all the fauna of Australia is of ancient origin. Some species (for example, such as the dingo dog or the Australian echidna) are more than 12 thousand years old. And such an animal as a platypus is still a biological mystery for scientists from around the world.
The animal world of Australia is mainly marsupial animals: the invariable symbol of the continent, which is immortalized on the country's coat of arms - a kangaroo, a teddy bear koala, which is admired by both children and adults, marsupial flying squirrels, tiny posms, awkward wombats and many others. Kangaroos alone have about 55 species. The smallest of them is woody, which lives on the branches of tropical trees. Its height is about 50 cm. And the largest is the red kangaroo known to all of us, whose height can be up to 1.8 meters. According to estimates, from 30 to 60 million of these jumping representatives of the fauna inhabit the territory of the country.
Of particular note is the Australian echidna. At first glance, it resembles a giant hedgehog, but has nothing to do with it, except for thorns. She carries eggs in a bag and feeds her cubs with milk. Thanks to prickly needles, the echidna has virtually no enemies, in addition to the natives who cook various local delicacies from her meat and fat.
The threat of extinction is no less exotic representative of the Australian fauna - the Tasmanian devil. Once it was distributed throughout the continent, but now it lives only on the island of Tasmania. This is one of the most famous predators among marsupials. He was nicknamed the Devil for his ferocious disposition and black coat color. He himself is the size of a small dog, however, thanks to his menacing poses and terrifying sounds, even large predators bypass this animal.
The real decoration of Australia is the koala - a cute animal that looks like a teddy bear. A koala is a very lazy creature that spends almost all day in a dream - about 20 hours. It feeds on eucalyptus leaves, which are almost inedible for other forest inhabitants. In the native language, the word “koala” means “does not drink.” This is an amazing fact, but the animal does not really need additional fluid, since it receives a sufficient amount of moisture from eucalyptus leaves. About a hundred years ago, people almost exterminated the koala because of its valuable fur, so in our time it is under the reliable protection of the state.
One cannot ignore a truly unique, one of a kind animal - the platypus, which can only be seen in Australia. The body of this aquatic mammal is covered with thick fur, the head ends with a long flat beak, and there are membranes on the legs. The platypus is hatching its young from eggs, and is feeding them milk. In Australia, special reserves have been created for the safe living of this amazing animal, because until recently, due to the pollution of water bodies, platypuses were threatened with extinction.
The fauna of Australia is not only marsupials. The largest and only predator among placental mammals in this region is the dingo dog. She lives throughout Australia and is one of the closest relatives of the wolf. These animals have strong and strong jaws, powerful legs, a large body and a fluffy tail.
Obviously, with words it is impossible to betray all the wonders that Australia is famous for. The animal world is many-sided and diverse. Therefore, if you are a fan of unusual fauna, be sure to visit this amazing continent. The animal world of Australia will definitely not disappoint you!
