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Wildlife of Australia. The red kangaroo is the largest extant macropod and is one of Australia's heraldic animals, appearing with the emu on the coat of arms of Australia. [1] The fauna of Australia consists of a large variety of animals; some 46% of birds, 69% of mammals, 94% of amphibians, and 93% of reptiles that inhabit the continent are ...
The word kangaroo derives from the Guugu Yimithirr word gangurru, referring to eastern grey kangaroos. [14] [15] The name was first recorded as "kanguru" on 12 July 1770 in an entry in the diary of Sir Joseph Banks; this occurred at the site of modern Cooktown, on the banks of the Endeavour River, where HMS Endeavour under the command of Lieutenant James Cook was beached for almost seven weeks ...
A female red kangaroo at Botanic Garden Zoo in Wagga Wagga, Australia. This species is a very large kangaroo with long, pointed ears and a square shaped muzzle (snout/nose). They are sexually dimorphic; males have short, red-brown fur, fading to pale buff below and on the limbs, while females are smaller than males and are blue-grey with a ...
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), sometimes called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. Its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the island's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland ...
The dingo was the first placental mammal introduced to Australia by humans. Australia has indigenous placental mammals from two orders: the bats, order Chiroptera, represented by six families, and the mice and rats, order Rodentia, family Muridae. Bats and rodents are relatively recent arrivals to Australia.
Spinifex grass is a major habitat which allows them to remain in a relatively cool, moist area. Australia has a large array of reptiles which can be dangerous to humans. The world's largest reptile, the saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ), is native to the continent's north coastal area.
The name "wombat" comes from the now nearly extinct Dharug language spoken by the aboriginal Dharug people, who originally inhabited the Sydney area. [3] It was first recorded in January 1798, when John Price and James Wilson, a white man who had adopted aboriginal ways, visited the area of what is now Bargo, New South Wales.
Birds of Australia. A flock of galahs. A cockatiel. Australia and its offshore islands and territories have 898 recorded bird species as of 2014. [1] Of the recorded birds, 165 are considered vagrant or accidental visitors, of the remainder over 45% are classified as Australian endemics: found nowhere else on earth. [1]