Australian Wildlife and Flora

Flora Australia is blessed with a fascinating mix of native flora. Its distinctive plants include the gum tree or eucalypt, of which there are some 700 species. Other common plants are wattle, banksia, waratahs, bottlebrushes, paperbarks and tea trees. Flora of Australia consists of 15,638 native species, 1,952 naturalised species giving a total of 17,590 species. 83 species are presumed extinct

EucalyptusJacarandasRainforests Grass TreeIvory Cane PalmFern

1.Rainforests 2.Palms 3.Pine 1 2 3

Fauna Australia has around 240 species of mammals, 800 species of birds, 380 species of reptiles, 122 species of frogs, and 180 species of freshwater fish. The remainder are invertebrates, including insects. Native animals include the Kangaroo, Koala, Emu, Possum, Wombat, Platypus,Echidna and Dingo.

Australia is home to many unigue animal species such as the platypus, which is an aquatic, furred mammal with a bill like that of a duck. The Platypus belongs to an animal group known as monotreme's. Another animal belonging to this group is the spiny anteater, or echidna. Most native mammals are marsupials. These include koalas, kangaroos, possums, flying foxes and the ferocious Tasmanian Devil. Australia also contains many varieties of crocodile, they are found in the tropical zone of Australia and they inhabit swamps, rivers and can also be found in the ocean near a river mouth. Lizards are very common, there are over 500 different species including Goannas, Geckos and Dragons. The Australian continent is also home to the most venomous snakes and spiders in the world, as well the deadly Box Jelly Fish. Australia is populated by many colourful bird species such as parrots, budgerigars, rosellas, gallahs, finches and cockatoos. The Emu is Australia's largest bird and is related to the Ostrich

Koala

It is hard to get close enough to a wild emu, but one sometimes gets lucky...

This is a bandicoot that just loves pieces of green apples that fall down after parrots pick on them.

Dingo

Platypus

Tasmanian Devil

Possum

Both salt and freshwater crocodiles are found in the tropics, which comprises an area of the top third of Australia.

There are also many interesting and colourful birds including Parrots, Cockatoos, and Kookaburras

. In the evening one can see owls sitting on trees and on sides of roads, wedge tail eagles and falcons are also quite frequent. Galahs and black cockatoos are the most common birds, whilst kookaburra is a rare guest.

Green parrots are rather cheeky and are especially fond of green apples

Australia has the most poisonous snakes on earth, including the Venomous Brown, Tiger, Death Adder, Copperhead and red bellied black varieties.

Sea creatures to be avoided include some sea snakes, sharks and the Box Jelly Fish, which are many times more venomous than snakes. The Box Jelly Fish or Stingers as they are also known are only a threat during the summer season in tropical Australia.

1,500 species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Fauna includes spiders such as the Redback and Funnel Web. The spider below is dangerous - the bite of a 'red back' could sometimes be fatal. The body size of it is about 2 cm (3/4 ") in size.

A creature is very prickly and has a lump of fat on its neck.

These are photos of creatures one can find in a typical garden. l

Australians love their wildlife

Some food for thought Since the settlement of Australia by Europeans in 1788, 30 species of mammals and birds have become extinct The last toolache wallaby( a small kangaroo) was seen in 1927 Endangered species

Millions of koalas lived in the forests of Eastern and Southern Australia in 1700 Over 1,000,000 Koalas were killed for their skins in 6 months in 1916 Over 2,000,000 Koala skins were exported from Australia in ,000 Koalas were killed in Queensland in 1 month in 1927 Koalas became extinct in South Australia

AUSTRALIAN ZOOS The Taronga Zoo Kakadu National Park The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Activities -display animals -protect endangered species -provide veterinary care for sick, injured or orphaned animals -return animals to their natural habitat -organize school activities

YOU WOULD MISS THEM IF THEY WERE GONE