T3W8 R Q15 – Selective High School

'10 weird and wonderful wildlife of Australia'

Some 180 million years ago, the super continent of Gondwana split. One of the breakaway landmasses from that separation, contained what would become Australia and Antarctica. By 30 million years ago Australia had fully separated and journeyed north on its own. 15 ............. More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world.

Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingoes, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna. 16 ............. Here we explore weird and wonderful fun facts about 10 of them.

Fitzroy River Turtle is a freshwater turtle. It is well known for its ability to breathe through its bum. 17 ............. This turtle can only be found in the Fitzroy Basin in south-eastern Queensland. Sadly, feral animals like foxes, cats and pigs, as well as pollution, murky water and sedimentation have rendered them Vulnerable according to the IUCN list of threatened species.

Numbat is an endangered small marsupial that survives in southwest Western Australia. 18 ............. Because it relies solely on termites which are active by day, the Numbat is the only diurnal (opposite of nocturnal) marsupial. It spends nights hiding in hollow logs or burrows that are too narrow for its predators to enter. To further protect itself from predators at night, it uses its very thick-skinned rump to block the entrance. Now that's using your behind to get ahead.

Our planet is currently experiencing the worst wave of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. And here in Australia, 86 of our native flora and fauna species now critically endangered. 19 ............. Habitat destruction, introduced species and urban expansion threaten the survival of our native species.

Over 80 years ago the last Thylacine Tiger sadly died at Hobart Zoo. It earned its more common name at the time, Tasmanian Tiger, because of the distinctive tiger-like stripes along its lower back and tail 20 ............. It had the characteristic pouch of other Australian national treasures such as the wombat, koala and kangaroo. In most marsupial species, only females possess pouches, which they use to suckle and protect their young. Oddly enough, Thylacine males had pouches too. It acted like a protective sheath to cover their external reproductive organs when running through thick bush.

Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences (A – G) the one which fits each gap (12 – 17). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

In fact, this was no tiger or Tasmanian Wolf, as it was also known, but a marsupial and therefore not closely related to cats or dogs at all.

This special adaptation enables it to remain underwater for an incredible 21 days at a time to feed underwater for longer periods.

Since then, changes in land formation and climate, and the physical separation from the rest of the world, led to the unique flora and fauna that we know in Australia today.

Due to its small size, it is hunted by many animals like feral cats, foxes, dingoes and birds of prey.

But, there is still so much we do not know about Australias native animals.

Before clearing your site for construction, inspect all buildings for wildlife that could be safely, humanely removed by professionals.

We are running a real risk of losing some of our most iconic species forever.

Drop here

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Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences (A – G) the one which fits each gap (12 – 17). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.