Australian wildlife
Australian wildlife, as well as flora, is mostly represented by animals that live only in this area and are not found on other continents.
The main representatives are the platypus and the echidna. The platypus is a fluffy animal with an elongated nose, webbed feet, and a flat tail. He lays eggs, and when the offspring hatch, feeds them milk. When the first colonizers saw the sketches of this animal, they thought it was just a fiction that you can not find in the nature of the animal with the head of a duck, the tail of a beaver and the body of an otter. They were even more shocked when they saw the duckbill alive on the shores of Australian lakes, and there was no doubt that such animals could exist.
Echidna is similar to the European porcupine in her appearance, but it only seems that scientists have proved that there is nothing in common between us. Echidna, as well as duckbill egg-laying. She also carries her cub in the bag until it is covered with thorns, as soon as the moment comes, the echidna digs a hole, and prevent the cub there. He comes out of the hole only when he is ready to hunt and get food for himself.
Kangaroo is a symbol of Australia. Kangaroos, which reached a height of up to three meters, were found only in Australia. Nowadays, most of the territory is inhabited by common kangaroos and dwarf kangaroos, which have a height of no more than 30 centimeters.
The koala, like the kangaroo, is a symbol of Australia. The fact is that this marsupial bear eats only eucalyptus leaves, which grows only in mainland Australia. No other food is suitable for him.
In general, Australia is home to all types of marsupials that have lived here to this day. However, some species have been exterminated by colonizers. This happened to the marsupial wolf tilacin. He was murdered because he believed he could cause harm to livestock.
Along with the animals, it is necessary to note the birds, the diversity of which is represented in the forests and savannahs of Australia. The first thing to mention is the ostrich emus. Without it, it was impossible to imagine Australia's nature, as it was impossible to imagine without a platypus and echidnas, kangaroos and koalas.
Rainforests would be deserted without the singing and chirping of parrots and birds of paradise. Black swans are worthy representatives of lakes in Australia. Hens, lyrebirds, and casuals decorated the nature of the shrouds and forests. Lizards, poisonous snakes, mosquitoes and insects are found in the dry savannahs and deserts of the mainland of Australia.
Nature of Australia's coastal waters
Australia's coastal waters, thanks to the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, are conducive to coral reef growth. A variety of fish, jellyfish, and shellfish species have found a place to live in dense coral thickets. Smaller species living in reefs began to attract larger fish that were looking for food here.
The beauty of the colorful coral reefs is combined with a variety of colors of tropical fish. Many of them can only bring aesthetic pleasure. But there are those that are very dangerous, such as the Australian Warbler, White Shark, Sea wasp jellyfish. Meeting them can end badly.
Most divers, however, are attracted to Australia's coastal waters for the beautiful ocean life that can be seen near the island's coast. As the seas and bays are unobstructed by land, they flow into the oceans and, accordingly, the fish and shellfish that inhabit the water of the Pacific Ocean can easily be found off the coast of Australia.
Australia's environmental challenges
As Australia's nature has long been isolated from the Greater Continent, it has not been able to compete with the species brought in during the colonization of the continent. As a result, many small marsupial species have become extinct as a result of the spread of predators such as foxes and the wild dog Dingo.
Some species have been exterminated by humans, such as the marsupial wolf. Kangaroos and ostriches were on the brink of extinction. They were shot because they had damaged the crops of cultivated plants that colonized the area.
Due to the growing population of imported species of European herbivores, some plants began to disappear. A large eucalyptus park, threatened with being cut down to preserve it, was being raised by the defenders for two years.
The nature of Australia is very unique, and in order to preserve it in its original form, the mainland was forced to create natural reserves, with the hope that people will be more careful about the gifts of nature.