Animal Adventures Australia

Animal Adventures
Australia

Australia is the oldest, driest, and flattest inhabited continent on the planet and it has the least fertile soil. The outback, a sparse remote desert, makes up the majority of the land in Australia. The coastal areas of Australia have a wide variety of landscapes including forests, woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, and rainforests. The Great Barrier Reef, which is just off the north-east coast of Australia, is the world’s largest reef system and is home to more than 1,500 species of fish.

Common Octopus

Because octopi don't have skeletons they are able to manipulate their bodies to fit into super tight spaces. In addition to their malleability they are also able to change colors in order to camouflage with their environment. When hiding and blending in aren’t...

Dingo

The dingo’s head is the broadest part of their body and can turn up to 180 degrees in any direction. Unlike other dogs, dingos have flexible wrists, similar to humans, which allow them to better grab their prey and climb trees. They can leap over obstacles that are...

Dung Beetle

There are three categories of dung beetle based on how they use dung. Tunnelers bury their dung, dwellers live in piles of it, and rollers roll it into big balls. Sometimes after a beetle rolls a ball of dung, other beetles will try to steal it from...

Echidna

The Echidna is one of very few egg laying mammals. Echidnas don’t have teeth, so in order to eat they use pads of keratin on their tongue to crush their food against the roof of their mouth in order to make it into a paste. Echidnas are very slow, so their main...

Emu

The emu is the tallest and fastest land bird in Australia with a top speed of 31 miles per hour (50 km/h). Their speed is in part due to the fact that emus, unlike any other bird, have calf muscles. Emus’ legs allow them to have strides of up to 9.84 feet (3...

Firefly

Fireflies’ light comes from a reaction that happens when oxygen is combined with a substance in their abdomen called luciferin. They use this natural light, which is referred to as bioluminescence, in order to communicate with each other and each species has a...

Frilled Neck Lizard

The Frilled Neck Lizard, also known as the Frilled Dragon, gets its name from the ruff of skin it keeps folded behind its neck. When frightened the Frilled Neck Lizard stands on its hind legs and opens up its colorful frills to intimidate the potential threat. It’s...

Gecko

Geckos have hairlike structures on their toes that bond to any surface they step on. This allows them to run across tree branches and even crawl up walls and across ceilings. Geckos are one of very few types of lizards to have a voice and sound a little bit like a...

Giant Squid

At 10 inches (25cm) in diameter, giant squids have the second largest eyes out of any animal. Their huge eyes help them see deep underwater where it would be too dark for most animals to see anything at all. Because they live so deep undersea, scientists know very...

Great White Shark

Great white sharks rely on stealth when they hunt. When they choose a target to be their prey they position themselves underneath it so they can swim straight up and burst out of the water to catch it. Great white sharks have an excellent sense of smell and can...