Australian Fauna: How Have Australian Animals Adapted to Their Environment - Essay Example

Kangaroos give birth to joeys and suckle them from tits inside the mother's pouch for 10 months before they become fully grown to walk out. Platypus on the other end gives birth by laying eggs in some special nesting burrows and secrets milk from two patches on their skin to breastfeed the hatched young ones. Echidnas lay eggs inside the mother's pouch and after hatching, the puggle lives inside that pouch till they develop spines which are their defense structures. Secondly, the body structures of these animals make them adapted to their environment.

The Kangaroos, for instance, have a tail for balance when they hope around. They also have a pouch for raising their young ones. They are also able to jump to heights of about 2 meters and can run 56 km per hour. This enables them to evade their prey. Echidnas, however, have a cat covered with very sharp and flexible spines to protect them from their prey. They also have large clawed feet to enable them to dig the ground. Emus on the other end have long strides that measure 9ft which enables them to move very first evading their prey.

Wombats are nocturnal and spend about 80% of their time underground during summers. The female wombats also have a pouch that is designed facing backward so that dirt cannot drop inside to harm their joeys. Tasmanian devils have powerful jaws as well as long sharp teeth. They also have a muscular build and are nocturnal. These qualities enable them to prey on their food. Additionally, they scavenge on dead animals. Koalas have long muscular limbs with long and broad paws and rough pads to enable climbing of trees.

Platypus can stay underwater for up to two minutes. They also have rubbery and flexible beaks with hundreds of electroreceptor cells to detect their prey from swimming through the water. Emus have the ability to travel up to 900km within 9 months in search of water and food. Wombats have the ability to pick up food with its front limb and take it directly to the mouth.