Interesting Facts on Australian Wildlife

A kangaroo hopping across the road is the first thing that is likely to cross your mind when you try to picture the Australian Outback. Even though this semi-arid desert of Australia, known to be one of the least populated regions of the world with a population density of 4 people per sq. mile, faces serious dearth of human inhabitants, it does boast of being one of the considerably rich ecosystems in the world - especially when it comes to endemic wildlife. More importantly, the physiography of this island nation is not just restricted to the semi-arid desert, but also includes mountains, plains, coastal uplands, rainforests, etc. Each of these Australian biomes is home to numerous species of plants and animals, quite a few of which are endemic to this region. In short, the diversity in terms of wildlife that you get to see in Australia goes well beyond kangaroos and wallabies; and that's exactly what we will be trying to discover in this write-up from here on.

Australian Wildlife Facts

Antilopine Kangaroo

Somewhere around 83 percent of the mammals, 89 percent of the reptiles, 90 percent of the fish and insect species, and 93 percent of the amphibians found in Australia are endemic to this region. It is believed that geographic isolation and tectonic activity of this continent are the two main factors which are responsible for the high level of endemism that the Australian continent boasts of. Given below are more of such interesting facts about various groups of animals found here.

Australian Mammals
The mammalian species of Australia are categorized into monotremes, like the platypus and the Short-beaked Echidna, and marsupials, like the kangaroos and wallabies. While the scarcity of placental mammals on this continent is a unique feature in itself, the void created by their absence is filled by marsupials found here. Of the 334 extant species of marsupials on the planet, around 70 percent are found on the continent of Australia alone. The list of Australian marsupials includes names like kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, possums, etc. Even the thylacine, AKA Tasmanian tiger, which was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times, was endemic to the Australian mainland.

Little Penguins

Australian Birds
Somewhere around 800 species of birds are found in Australia, of which approximately 350 are endemic to this region. The birds found here range from Weebill, which measures a mere 8 cm, to Emu, the flightless bird which can grow on to attain a height of 6.6 ft. The list of Australian birds include species of the Old World (such as emu and cassowaries), passerines (such as robins and magpies), as well as some recently introduced species like the European Goldfinch and the Common Myna. The coastal regions of Australia are home to somewhere around 200 species of birds, including species like the petrels, albatrosses, gulls and terns. The southern coast of the Australian mainland is home to the smallest species of penguins in the world - the Little Penguin.

Green Sea Turtle

Australian Reptiles
Somewhere around 860 species of reptiles found on the planet are found in Australia; these include some of the widely-known turtle species like the Green Sea Turtle and the Leatherback Sea Turtle, lizards like the Eastern Bearded Dragon and the Thick-tailed Gecko, snakes like the Common Death Adder and the Brown Tree Snake, as well as species of freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. (The saltwater crocodile which boasts of being the largest reptile species in the world, is native to the continent of Australia.) These reptiles - the snakes and lizards in particular, have various adaptation skills which help them survive in the arid regions of Australia, wherein very few other species manage to survive. Interestingly, the continent of Australia boasts of being the only continent of the world wherein the number of venomous snakes far exceeds the number of non-venomous snakes.

Other Species Found in Australia
Other than mammals, birds and reptiles, Australia is also home to a range of amphibians, several species of fish and invertebrates. Amphibians found on the continent of Australia are restricted to frogs. Around 230 of the 5,280 extant species of frogs in the world are found in Australia; of which, somewhere around 93 percent are endemic to this region. These include species like the Cane Toad, Australian Green Tree Frog, Scanty Frog, Turtle Frog, Australian Wood Frog, etc. More than 4,400 species of fish are found in waterways on the continent of Australia. Some of the most common species include the flathead, cobbler, Murray cod, and Australian bass. It is bound to come as surprise for many; but invertebrates make up 96 percent of the 200,000 odd Australian animals; and 90 percent of these invertebrates are believed to be endemic to Australia.

With all these species to its credit, Australia surely deserves the title of 'megadiverse country' that it is called of late. While these facts on Australian wildlife may make this island nation seem heaven for species, the fact is that even the animals here are subjected to the looming threat of extinction. As with various other parts of the world, climate change has emerged as a major threat for various ecosystems on the Australian mainland. That has put the authorities on their toes, with organizations like the Australian Wildlife Conservancy trying their best to come up with conservation measures to save the animals found here. While the issue of wildlife conservation is important across the world, it is of greater importance in Australia as most of the species here are endemic; and their extinction from this region would mean their extinction from the entire planet.