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Article: Australia's Amazing Animals.
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- September 4, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Meet a cast of cool critters from the Land Down Under!
Where in the world can you find an animal that shoots venom from its ankle, a lizard with "water pipes" on its skin, and a "bear" that isn't a bear? Think Australia, home to creatures like the platypus, the thorny devil, and the koala. How did they end up (or down) there?
"Ancestors of these animals evolved millions of years ago, when the island belonged to a supercontinent called Gondwana," explains Michael Archer, a zoologist (animal scientist) and director of the Australian Museum in Sydney. This vast landmass once consisted of what is now Australia, Antarctica, South America, Africa, and India. ...