Australia Day, January 26: Learn About The Country's Incredible Animals (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

From BBC Earth:

Happy Australia Day everyone! We really hope you can spare a minute away from the barbeque, footy or fireworks to check out this great video.

Tracing Australia's roots back to millions of years ago, Sir David Attenborough explains how the country was part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. A continent that spawned some strange wildlife, most of it extinct today, as well as the current animal inhabitants of Australia.

Watch the video to connect the dots and realise exactly where the great country of Australia came from, and scroll down for photos of our favourite Australian animals.

Australia supports one of the largest collections of the Earth's species! A fact not so hard to imagine when you consider it's diverse habitats ranging from barren deserts to alpine heathlands and tropical rainforests.
One favourite fact about Australia: it has the greatest amount of reptiles of any country in the world - with an incredible 755 species! Here's a few of our favourites.

This large monitor lizard has a feverish habit of flicking its tongue which enables them to seek out the scent of prey that may be hidden or buried.

Second is the Sleepy Lizard or collectively called Shingleback - because its colours range widely from white to deep reds, therefore at times mimicking the shingles used for roofs.

This thorny dragon is a master of defence with its armour of sharp, hard spines, this rigid structure enables it to collect and channel water straight to its mouth, from any part of the body. And we thought having a false head on its back was enough it make it our best-loved Australian reptile!

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Comments

[Dolphinfan65]

02:57 PM on 01/29/2011

I hope to visit Australia one day and see the animals, the reef, and the outback!! happy b-day

[Wendy Davis]

11:41 PM on 01/28/2011

Happy Birthday Australia!  Thanks for the great wine and cool people!  (sometimes in that order!)

[eyelashviper]

08:46 PM on 01/27/2011

Happy Australia Day to all you wonderful Aussies, and a salute to Sir David Attenborough!
And special kudos to all the outrageous critters there!

[Lozange]

07:54 AM on 01/27/2011

Australians are the best! They walk the walk, talk the talk and don't bow to anyone. Long live Australia! : )

[whoknew---]

03:43 PM on 01/28/2011

I remember my father-in-law telling us a story about his time spent as a soldier during the Korean war. Apparently there was this one skirmish where the Aussies were fighting alongside the US troops and some of our soldiers were trapped in between the line of fire.

Well those Aussies started singing really loud together, got up, marched straight to rescue those trapped soldiers, and marched right back to the safety of the rest of the troops. Nobody was hurt during this excursion and it was executed to perfection.

My father-in-law laughs when he tells this story because he believes those Aussies just stunned those North Koreans into not reacting at all with their bald bravery and sheer audacity.

Happy Australia Day!
(Hope to visit you folks someday....)

[sLUCIDITy]

05:36 PM on 01/26/2011

Big thanks and smiles at all my fellow posters from around the world that wished all us Aussies a Happy Australia Day.

It certainly feels nice to share our special moments with others from other nations.

[CaliforniaMitch]

04:51 PM on 01/30/2011

Happy Australia Day to all Aussies around the globe. May you have a great day and many more wonderful days to come.
From an admirer in California, U.S.A.

[ryker88]

04:59 PM on 01/26/2011

Happy Australia Day!
You have the coolest critters "down under." I especially love that thorny dragon-- quite a character!

[GSR]

07:04 AM on 01/27/2011

Not to mention all those finger pointing, grey haired poms.

[GeeBee]

04:43 PM on 01/26/2011

The shingleback's name does NOT come from roofing material. Roof tiles are only called shingles in North America. In English-speaking countries like Oz, shingle is another word for gravel. Its back looks like a bunch of small pebbles - get it?

[lefty joymonger]

02:49 PM on 01/26/2011

My favourite is the shingleback, I'll actually swerve off the road to avoid turning them into roadkill, but the frill neck takes the cake for theatrics
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/wild-recon-frilled-lizard-on-the-attack.html

[zelduh]

07:18 PM on 01/27/2011

TOTALLY COOL!!

[Ramkshrestha]

09:15 AM on 01/26/2011

Thanks a lot for interesting matters.

[Hank26]

07:50 AM on 01/26/2011

Oooo, these creatures would make some AWESOME purses!

[ms australia]

06:41 AM on 01/26/2011

Just had a great australia day in FNQ. Swam w/the kids all day. Had sausages and home brew after. Tomorrow looks the same timetable.

[NanaMex]

08:32 AM on 01/26/2011

Watched the sky works down at the Facine, after watching sun set into the Indian Ocean. People sharing, talking, having a great time, Best AusDay I ever spent. Glad yours was a good one! :)

[life-of-riley]

06:25 AM on 01/26/2011

Nobody does it better than Sir David.

[keresH]

03:51 AM on 01/26/2011

Actually, the Thorny *Devil* is soft to the touch, and one of the most laid-back critters I've ever encountered in the wild. I've picked up two, with nary a twitch on their parts. And yes, they are way cool.

[MC in LV]

03:35 AM on 01/26/2011

Thank you Australia for giving me the love of my life. Been there twice so far and can't wait to go back and spend time with my long-distance "rellies."

Happy Australia Day to all my mates down under!

[NanaMex]

03:25 AM on 01/26/2011

Happy Australia Day to all of my fellow Immigrants, especially to those who became Citizens today. We are proud to be Australian! "We are one, and we are many, and from all the lands on earth we come..... I am, you are, we are Australian."