As a continent that has been separated from the rest of the earth's land mass for millions of years Australia has developed some very unique wildlife.
Since there was little migration to and from the continent by the animals they tended to develop in a unique way.
The result is that there are a lot of fun facts about Australia when it comes to wildlife.
1.
The Tasmanian Devil is real: Most people are familiar with the Tasmanian devil from the cartoon character, the character is based on a real animal.
Found only on the island of Tasmania it is one of the many unique creatures native to Australia.
Most people assume that the Tasmanian devil is a rodent but it is in fact a marsupial.
About the size of a small dog it is the largest carnivorous marsupial on earth.
Known for its low screech and its ferocity you can certainly see the resemblance to the cartoon character.
2.
The ten most poisonous snakes in he world are found in Australia: Not necessarily a fun fact about Australia it is nonetheless interesting.
For whatever reason the snakes in Australia produce considerably more venom than those found anywhere else in the world.
Scientist are unclear on why this is but it is generally accepted that it was necessary for the snakes survival some time in the past.
While there are a lot of poisonous snakes in Australia it is not really something that you need to worry about, people are rarely bitten as most snakes live far from populated areas.
3.
Sharks are Immune to disease: Sharks are fairly common in Australia so when you visit you may hear people talk about how sharks are immune to all known diseases.
There are several theories on why this is but mostly they are based on the fact that sharks are quite primitive from an evolutionary standpoint and over the millions of years they have been around they have built up a resistance to all diseases.
Of course it is also possible that the belief that sharks are immune to disease is not true at all.
There have been no real scientific studies to establish this, nevertheless if it is true than it is a fun fact.
4.
Australia has a massive population of wild camels: Camels were initially brought to Australia as a means of transportation, they are after all ideally suited for the desert.
However once railways and cars started to appear they were no longer necessary so they were released into the wild.
Nowadays there are hundreds of thousands of wild camels roaming the country in large herds.
Most people who live in the interior of the country where the camels reside consider them to be pests.
Nevertheless the camels are pretty much left alone to wander the country.
Since there was little migration to and from the continent by the animals they tended to develop in a unique way.
The result is that there are a lot of fun facts about Australia when it comes to wildlife.
1.
The Tasmanian Devil is real: Most people are familiar with the Tasmanian devil from the cartoon character, the character is based on a real animal.
Found only on the island of Tasmania it is one of the many unique creatures native to Australia.
Most people assume that the Tasmanian devil is a rodent but it is in fact a marsupial.
About the size of a small dog it is the largest carnivorous marsupial on earth.
Known for its low screech and its ferocity you can certainly see the resemblance to the cartoon character.
2.
The ten most poisonous snakes in he world are found in Australia: Not necessarily a fun fact about Australia it is nonetheless interesting.
For whatever reason the snakes in Australia produce considerably more venom than those found anywhere else in the world.
Scientist are unclear on why this is but it is generally accepted that it was necessary for the snakes survival some time in the past.
While there are a lot of poisonous snakes in Australia it is not really something that you need to worry about, people are rarely bitten as most snakes live far from populated areas.
3.
Sharks are Immune to disease: Sharks are fairly common in Australia so when you visit you may hear people talk about how sharks are immune to all known diseases.
There are several theories on why this is but mostly they are based on the fact that sharks are quite primitive from an evolutionary standpoint and over the millions of years they have been around they have built up a resistance to all diseases.
Of course it is also possible that the belief that sharks are immune to disease is not true at all.
There have been no real scientific studies to establish this, nevertheless if it is true than it is a fun fact.
4.
Australia has a massive population of wild camels: Camels were initially brought to Australia as a means of transportation, they are after all ideally suited for the desert.
However once railways and cars started to appear they were no longer necessary so they were released into the wild.
Nowadays there are hundreds of thousands of wild camels roaming the country in large herds.
Most people who live in the interior of the country where the camels reside consider them to be pests.
Nevertheless the camels are pretty much left alone to wander the country.