Places
Australia's unusual fauna and flora is due to the continent having been isolated for millions of years. Continental drift tore Australia away from Africa and Antarctica and sent it on a 45 million year journey northwards. The original mammal passengers on this journey were the marsupials and egg layers (the monotremes). About 15 million years ago, as Australia drifted closer to Asia, rodents floated and bats flew over the sea to become the first placental mammal colonists. The journey north combined with global cooling to dry Australia out and give rise to its characteristic drought and fire-resistant plants.
In order to see this content you need to have an up-to-date version of Flash installed and Javascript turned on.
Desert artery
The Finke River in Australia is thought to be one of the oldest rivers on Earth.
Rain in the Australian desert forms into rivers, channelled by the mountains. The Finke River has been cutting its course out of Australia's central ranges for nearly 300 million years and is thought to be one of the oldest rivers on earth. It does not flow to the sea but heads inland, further into the desert. Along its 700 kilometre route it transforms the dry lands beyond the mountains, providing precious water holes. And even when the water is not apparent on the surface, trees can reach the water that has seeped underground.
Diverse Australia
Australia is the strangest continent on Earth.
Australia is the strangest continent on Earth.
Tough lizard
The sand goanna has to be tough to survive in Australia's deserts.
The sand goanna is also known as the racehorse goanna because of the speed with which they run over the red sands of the Australian desert. Reptiles like these are more successful at living ihere than mammals because they require less food. Meals can be scarce in the desert so the sand goanna will even eat scorpions if they can. Goannas do get stung in the process but they appear to be immune to scorpion venom. To protect its eggs from the harsh desert climate, the goanna lays them inside a termite mound to incubate. After nine months they are ready to hatch. When they do, they emerge from the eggs as fully-formed miniature adults. One by one they will climb out of the termite mound to enter one of the toughest habitats on earth.
Reef record
The Great Barrier Reef is over 2000 km long.
The Great Barrier Reef is over 2000 km long.
The killer moggy of Oz
Introduced animals such as the domestic cat are the scourge of native Australian wildlife.
Introduced animals such as the domestic cat are the scourge of native Australian wildlife. The native species have evolved no defence against such killers and as a result Australian grassland is suffering.
Explore more places around the world
BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
