zoogeographic region australian region extant physical properties climate zoological characters affinities

2.  Extant /Area/Geographical range
 Australian region covers
I. Australia
II. Tasmania
III. New guinea
IV. few of smaller islands of Indonesian
archipelago.
 Newzealand and pacific islands are not
included in this region .

3.  Physical features
 New guinea and northern part of Australia are
tropical, with high summer temperature
 Covered with luxuriant tropical rain forests
 Southern side Australia is of temperate climate with
woody forests and deserts.
 Eucalyptus and mixed hard wood forests
 Interior Australian continent consists of hot, arid
plains and deserts .
Climate
Australian region is partly tropical and partly temperate
Southern Australia is of temperate climate

4.  The region is unique having no land
connection
Boundaries

5. Zoological characters
Mammals:
There is absence of higher placental mammals
There is presence of a variety of primitive form of mammals , primitive forms
include mammals such as monotremes (egg laying mammals), marsupials
(pouched mammals )
The dominant mammals fauna consist of marsupials mammals like
Kangaroo
Wallabies
Wombats
PhalangersPhalangersPhalangers
Phalangers
Bandicoots
Bandicoots
Kangaroo

6. Zoological characters
Mammals:
 Two families of monotremes are duckbill
platypus and echidna are found both are egg
laying mammals
are duckbill platypus
echidna

7. Zoological characters
Birds
 Ten families of birds are unique to Australian region are flightless birds
are emus and cassowaries ,honey suckers, lyre birds , bower birds, tooth
billed pigions, birds of paradise
 Absence of pheasants, woodpeckers, barbets and finches
 Parrots and pigeons exhibit great diversity.
 Other common birds are kingfishers, trogons, cuckoos , honey elaters.
honey
elaters
, trogons
kingfishers
, cuckoos

8. Zoological characters
Reptiles
 In Australian region reptiles, only moderately varied and
only two families are exclusively found a.
Carettochelydidae b. Pygopodidae
 250 species of small lizard all are same
 Among large lizards komodo dragons, a varanid , only is
notable
 Crocodiles occur in tropical parts of the region

9. Zoological characters
Amphibians
 Australia is the only region in which the
common toad are absent and tail amphibians
are also absent
 Common frogs and tree frogs are represented
by 100 species

10. Zoological characters
Fishes ;
 Only 3 genera of the lung fish is found in
rivers of Queensland.

11. Affinities :
 Unique to having primitive form of mammals
 Some fauna resembles with neotropical region and other fauna is
resembles with oriental region
 This region have very little resemblance with Ethiopian region
 Australian region has 134 families of terrestrial vertebrates of
which 30 are unique to this region.
 30 families are endemic to this region.
I. a. 8 of mammals
II. b. 17 of birds
III. c. 3 of reptiles
IV. d. 2 of amphibians