What types of fauna does Australia have?

More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.

1. How many fauna are there in Australia?
2. Why is Australia's fauna unique?
3. Are there primates in Australia?
4. Are Quokkas native to Australia?
5. What large predators live in Australia?
6. Are there porcupines in Australia?
7. Do all marsupials live in Australia?
8. Why is Australian flora and fauna so unique?
9. Are all native Australian mammals marsupials?
10. What is Australia's topography?
11. Which animal is an herbivore native to Australia?

How many fauna are there in Australia?

Australia probably has between 200,000 and 300,000 species, about 100,000 of which have been described. There are some 250 species of native mammals, 550 species of land and aquatic birds, 680 species of reptiles, 190 species of frogs, and more than 2,000 species of marine and freshwater fish.

Why is Australia's fauna unique?

Why is Australian wildlife so unique? ... Due to this isolation and the lack of predators, Australia's unique fauna developed. Marsupials that originated in Gondwana adapted in Australia, and survived until today. Australia's climate became drier about 15 million years ago, resulting in more uniquely adapted species.

Are there primates in Australia?

There are other primate colonies in Australia that breed animals for research purposes: a colony of marmosets and macaques in Gippsland, Victoria; and a colony of owl monkeys in Queensland used in malaria research. These particular baboons are in a family group of seven – the three who escaped and four other females.

Are Quokkas native to Australia?

Kangaroos and quokkas — as well as wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons and a few other species — belong to the macropod family, a group of herbivorous pouched marsupials native to the Australian continent.

What large predators live in Australia?

The dingo is Australia's largest land-based predator, occurring across most of the mainland and on many nearshore islands.

Are there porcupines in Australia?

In Australia all native rodents are in the rats-and-mice family (i.e. there are no squirrels, porcupines, beavers etc. native to Australia).

Do all marsupials live in Australia?

There are over 330 species of marsupials. Around two-thirds of them live in Australia. The other third live mostly in South America, where some interesting ones include the flipper-wearing yapok, bare-tailed woolly opossum, and don't get too excited, but there's also the gray four-eyed opossum.

Why is Australian flora and fauna so unique?

This high level of endemism can be attributed to the continent's long geographic isolation, tectonic stability, and the effects of a unique pattern of climate change on the soil and flora over geological time. A unique feature of Australia's fauna is the relative scarcity of native placental mammals.

Are all native Australian mammals marsupials?

The mammals of Australia have a rich fossil history, as well as a variety of extant mammalian species, dominated by the marsupials, but also including monotremes and placentals. ... Most of Australia's mammals are herbivores or omnivores.

What is Australia's topography?

The continent of Australia is divided into four general topographic regions: (1) a low, sandy eastern coastal plain; (2) the eastern highlands, ranging from 300 to more than 2,100 m (1,000–7,000 ft) in altitude and extending from Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland southward to Tasmania; (3) the central plains, ...

Which animal is an herbivore native to Australia?

Koala. Koala is a tree herbivorous animal native to Australia, mostly found in coastal areas Queensland and Victoria. Koalas are symbol of Australia country but due to habitat destruction and hunting, the animal is a vulnerable species.