Animals in Australia
You have probably seen a lot of animals in Australia that are featured in magazines, televisions and travel brochures. Among the different wildlife species, the marsupials are the largest group of animals in Australia. This includes the wallabies, koalas, Tasmanian devils, wombats and kangaroos. Most of these critters have contributed significantly to the tourism industry of Australia.
Among the most popular animals in Australia, the adorable eucalyptus-eating marsupials draw a lot of interest, especially among kids. Koalas are nocturnal animals that are actually related to the kangaroos and interestingly enough, they are not bears. Most koalas have a life expectancy of 17 years but are currently facing the danger of extinction due to the destruction of its natural habitat.
Another famous Australian animal is the Kangaroo, which has 40 different species. This animal is often used to represent Australia because of the innate capability to only move forward, and never move backward. It is the largest marsupial in the world and is usually taller than an average person.
The bandicoots are one of the rarest animals in Australia. These are small creatures that prefer to eat insects and plants. The Tasmanian Devil’s popularity can be attributed to the cartoon character created after its own image. These animals live alone and only come out at night to hunt for food.
There are about 140 species of snakes in Australia but comfortingly, only ten percent of these snakes are poisonous. Some of the deadliest and most poisonous snakes of the world can be found in thick Australian rainforests. The Dingo is an Australian wild dog. This type of dog doesn’t bark but howls like wolves over long distances and usually eat kangaroos and wallabies.
There are also numerous aquatic animals in Australia that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. The wide collection of exotic animals in Australia are mainly attributed to fact that the Australian continent used to be a part of Antarctica but drifted away about 55 million years ago. This isolation brought about the evolutionary process that resulted to the diverse variety of plants and animal species that can only be seen in Australia. There are actually 80 percent of the mammals, frogs, plants and reptiles that can only be found in the Australian Continent
But the increasing population and the forest degradation have resulted to the possible risk of extinction to a lot of this species. This is why many animal welfare advocates are actively working with the Australian government to help preserve the animals that are now considered as national treasures.