BBC Wildlife - UK (2019-12)

CONTINENTAL STATS

BBC Wildlife December 2019 Seven Worlds, One Planet 19

THESTATS

AUSTRALIA

“Thethingthathitsyouis

theangryheat– itstartsto

makesensethatthebats

wouldwanttotakesuch

arisktoobtainwater.”

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AUSTRALIAIna nutshell

Fromhugedesertstotropicalforests

andsnow-cappedmountains,lifehere

hasadaptedtofinditsniche:over

80 percentofitshugelydiverse

mammals,floweringplants,reptiles

andfrogsareuniquetoAustralia.

Away from the dry heat of

the Outback, the Wet Tropics

rainforest in Queensland is the

oldest continually surviving tropical

rainforest on the planet. At one time

Australia was more humid than it is

today and tropical forests dominated.

When the climate changed, only a

few of these forests survived.

Prehistoric plants

One of these is Daintree, a refuge for

plants and animals with an ancient

past. Growing here, for example, is the

idiot fruit tree – known as Australia’s

‘green dinosaur’ – whose ancestors

were here 120 million years ago.

The forest itself grows right

down to the sea and, walking

along the beach, you might be

surprised to see dinosaur footprints

in the sand. In reality, a large

flightless bird made them – the

cassowary, sometimes described as

Queensland’s velociraptor, due to its

habit of kicking out at enemies and

disembowelling them with the large

dagger-like claw on its middle toe.

Seven World’s interest in this

enigmatic bird, however, was the way

in which the father rears the chicks.

Finding a father, however, was not

that easy. Camera-traps were put out

to locate a known individual, but the

Australian film crew with permission

to enter the forest was unprepared for

what they found.

They discovered feral pigs the size

of small ponies. It was an animal that

should not have been in such an

ecologically sensitive area. They

churn up the forest floor, destroy

native trees and, when it rains, their

foraging activity causes flash flood,

mudslides and landslides. It was yet

another example of how little we

know of what goes on in such hidden

habitats as tropical rainforests.

To t a ll a n da r e a :7.69millionkm

(Oceania8.5millionkm)

Humanpopulation: 25 million

(Oceania 42 million)

Humanpopulationdensity:3 perkm

(Oceania5 perkm)

Numberofcountries: 1

(Oceania 14 + 9 dependencies)

Countrywiththemostthreatened

species:Australia,1,018*

Conservationthreats:landdegradation

andhabitatloss,invasivealienspecies,

pollutionandclimatechange

*IncludesIUCNRedListcategories:Critically

Endangered,EndangeredandVulnerable.

4 Kangaroos have to

be on the lookout for

predatory dingoes

that will target joeys.

5 Wild budgerigars

live in open habitats

and are nomadic,

constantly searching

for food and water.

When water is found,

temporary mega-

flocks can form.

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Sharks: Alex Kydd/BBC Studios; wombat: Luke Hassart/BBC Studios; cassowary: Keith Allen/Alamy; kangaroo & budgies: BBC NHU