Australia’s Unique Animal Life
CATHARINE RUUD, ENGELSK FOR VIDEREGÅENDE (VEGA)
Fagstoff
What's the difference
between a "salty" and
a "freshy"? Read below and find out!
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[1]
Wildlife
Thanks to a varied landscape, Australia has the
world’s most unique animal collection comprised
of a large number of species endemic to this
area. Marsupials such as kangaroos, opossums,
koalas and wombats carry their babies in a
pouch on their stomach. The platypus is a furry
egg-laying mammal with the bill of a duck, which
spends most of its life in water. The echidna, or
anteater, lays eggs. In the northeast, there are
tropical rainforests and swamps full of crocodiles,
birds, snakes and insects.
Crocs, snakes, and...
There are two kinds of crocs – the salties and the
freshies. The salties grow up to 6 metres long
Koala - One of the Less Dangerous
Looking Animals
and don’t say no to eating a human for lunch!
There are also about 100 species of venomous snakes. The central parts of Australia
consist of endless deserts. The only forms of life to be found here are scorpions,
snakes, rats, spiders and insects. In the south of the country, forests and grassland are
to be found. This is the home of the koala bear, which is most often hanging in a
eucalyptus tree. Unfortunately, the bears are threatened with extinction, as their natural
habitat is being eradicated. Koalas are totally harmless animals, which spend all their
lives in the trees feeding on leaves which make them drowsy. They often sleep most of
the day and night.
The Australian government has established a number of huge national parks, in order
to maintain the unique flora and fauna in the country. However, Australia has another
problem which seems unsolvable – that of imported species.
The dingo.. and others
The first animal to be imported was the dingo, a wild dog that was brought to Australia
by the Aborigines. Dingoes eat platypus eggs and bird eggs. Thomas Austin introduced
rabbits to Australia for the purpose of hunting. Rabbits thrived and multiplied (as rabbits
do…) by the millions. They eat anything that’s green, from plants to crops, leaving less
food for the endemic species.
The government then introduced foxes in order to catch the rabbits, but foxes are lazy
and soon discovered that smaller kangaroos and wallabies were easier prey. In the
1950s the authorities went to the drastic step of introducing a virus called myxomatosis
in order to kill the rabbits, but within 20 years the animals were all immune and
multiplied even faster! Today they are thought to number about 300 million.
Other imported species include wild goats, wild horses and wild pigs. They were
actually intended as domestic animals, but somehow they were set free, and
established their own habitat. These animals also feed on the food of the endemic
species. Australia really is a smorgasbord for them.
Finally, did you know that the budgies that can be bought in any of our pet shops
originally came from Australia, and that there are lots more where they came from?
They are all green in the wild, since blue or yellow is really a genetic mishap and
predator birds eat the few that have plumage in other colours. The word budgie is an
abbreviation of the aboriginal word budgerigar.
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Comprehension:
1. What common trait characterises marsupials?
2. What impact has the import of animals had on the endemic wildlife of Australia?
3. What measure was taken in an attempt to decrease the rabbit population?
4. What animals are prey for the the “lazy foxes of Australia”?
Research
Find stories from the outback in Australia about animals, explorers and settlers. There
is a lot of pretty amazing stuff out there. Retell one story in class. Suggested word
search: Australia, outback, explorer, survival, animals, dangers