AUSTRALIA’s UNIQUE WILDLIFE

Why is Australia’s wildlife so unique? Australia was once a part of a huge continent called Gondwana, but when this continent broke a part Australia became a separate island. Because Australia became isolated and there were not many animal predators, Australia started to develop a lot of unique animals. Overtime Australia became a much drier continent which developed even more unique animals.

Animal Number #1 The Duck Billed Platypus

What is it? The Duck billed platypus is an Australian mammal that is found in Eastern Australia and Tasmania.

Where does the Duck Billed Platypus live? The Duck Billed Platypus lives in burrows that they dig on the banks of freshwater creeks, rivers, lakes and dams. These burrows provide it with shelter and protection from other dangerous animals.

What does the Duck Billed Platypus look like? Grey bill, shaped like a duck’s bill Two eyes Short dark brown fur Webbed, 5 toed feet Flat, furry tail Closable nostrils Tiny ear slits Its full length is about cm The belly is a goodish grey colour Poisonous spike on males ankle

How does the Duck Billed Platypus move?? The Duck Billed Platypus is mainly active at night. It uses its webbed feet for swimming and closes its eyes when it is under water. The Duck Billed Platypus can stay under water for up to 10 minutes and then returns to the surface of the water for air.

What does the Duck Billed Platypus eat? The Duck Billed Platypus eats insect larvae, worms and other freshwater insects. They find this food by using their bill to lift up the mud at the bottom of the lake or river. They store this found food in special pouches behind their bill, and then eat it when they return to the surface of the water.

Animal Number #2 The Koala Bear

What is it? Koala bears are members of a group of pouched animals called marsupials that can be found in southeastern and eastern Australia.

Where does a Koala Bear live? A Koala Bear lives high up in eucalyptus trees because it is a slow moving animal that could be easily caught or hurt if it lived on the ground. By living in eucalyptus trees, Koala bears are able to chew leaves and sleep all day without feeling threatened. The Koala Bear only travels on the ground when it has to move from tree to tree or move to a new area.

What does a Koala Bear look like?

What does a Koala Bear eat? The Koala Bear only eats one type of food which is eucalyptus leaves. It can eat up to 455 to 680 grams of these leaves each day using its cheek teeth to grind the tough eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals, but koalas have special bacteria in their stomachs that can break down these poisonous oils.

When a Koala Bear is born When a Koala Bear is born it is only the size of a large jelly bean and is called a Joey. When the Joey is born it is not fully developed. This means it can not see or hear anything yet. When the Joey is born it uses its strong hands to climb into its mothers pouch where it grows during the next six months.

Thank you We hope that you enjoyed our slide show!