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Australia
- How big is Australia?
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, the USA, China and Brazil.
Australia day – January, 26 th
Australia is the smallest continent and the biggest island in the world
- Population: 24 million people (and 72 million sheep and 27 million kangaroos! 80% of mammals in Australia are endemic.)
- Capital: Canberra
- Other main cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth
- Official languages: English
- Currency: Australian dollar
- Internet domain: .au
The nickname of Australia
Aus or Aussie , is the short form for an Australian , it sounds as though this word has the spelling Oz . Hence Australia in informal language is referred to as Oz.
- Placentals – плацентарные животные
- Marsupials – сумчатые животные
- Monotremes – яйцекладущие животные
- Pouch - сумка
- Nocturnal – ведущий ночной образ жизни
- Burrow – нора
- Feed on – питаться
KOALA Koalas are marsupials. This means that they are mammals that carry their young in a pouch. They look like cute bears but koalas are definitely not bears! Koalas live in eucalypt forests along the eastern coastline of Australia. Koalas eat lots of eucalyptus leaves (1 kg per day) and sleep up to 20 hours!
Dingo Dingos are the biggest meat-eating mammals in Australia. They can be found all over Australia. Dingos are wild dogs that feed mainly on small animals.
Kangaroo/ Wallaby There are about 30 million kangaroos living in Australia, which means there are many more kangaroos than people living in Australia! There are 55 different species of kangaroos. Wallabies are usually smaller than kangaroos but kangaroos come in all sizes. Some weigh only little and are tiny, others weigh up to 90 kg.
Platypus The platypus (duckbill) is one of the monotremes. This egg-lying animal lives along the river banks in burrows. The platypus has a brown furry body and webbed feet. With a bill like a duck and a tail like a beaver it looks truly unique. A platypus is up to 60 cm in length.
Quokka Quokka has been described as the "world's happiest animal". Around the size of a cat, with the tail of a rat, it is a nocturnal marsupial.
Echidna The echidna is also a monotreme which only grows up to 40 - 50 cm in length and weighs about 5 - 6 kg. The echidna has spines on the body. The monotreme eats mainly insects. When frightened, the echidna rolls into a small ball to protect itself .
The Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil is an endangered animal and can only be found in the wild on the island of Tasmania off the southern coast of Australia. The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial. It is as tall as a small dog. The Tasmanian devil is nocturnal. Nocturnal means the animal is active during the night. Tasmanian devils have powerful jaws and teeth .
Kookaburra This bird is the world’s largest kingfisher bird and grows up to 46 cm from beak to tail! The kookaburra is known for its chuckling voice which sounds like human laughter.
Wombat Another one of the native animals to Australia is the wombat. This burrowing animal is really heavy and can weigh up to 36 kg. This is as much as a 10-year-old child weighs! Wombats feed on grasses, tips of shrubs and bushes.
Emu The emu is the tallest bird in Australia. It reaches up to 2 m in height and can run really fast, with speeds up to 50 kmh. However, emus cannot fly. Emus have a varied diet: they feed on grasses and leaves, fruits and insects.
Cassowary The cassowary is the heaviest flightless bird in Australia. A cassowary has black feathers on the body, but the neck and face is colourful. The cassowary is the most dangerous bird in the world as it has the most powerful kick. The foot has three toes with a dagger-like claw. The cassowary can run and swim very fast.