The document provides information about endemic flora and fauna of Australia. It includes sections on echidnas, Banksia nutans plants, dingos, Agonis plants, scrub birds, red kangaroos, eucalyptus trees, hakea flowers, lyrebirds, bat-leaved flowers, Tasmanian tigers, bilbies, and desert spinifex grass. The organisms are described and their key adaptations to the Australian environment are discussed, such as spines, claws, roots, leaves, flowers, pouches, and other physical traits that allow them to survive in Australia's diverse habitats and climate.

1. ADAPTATIONS OF
AUSTRALIA’S
ENDEMIC FLORA AND
FAUNA
Researched and presented by 9 HSIE I
at Braidwood Central School
February 2012

2. AUSTRALIA
ENDEMIC FLORA AND FAUNA
By Forbes

3. Echidnas
the short beaked echidna is a native animal to Australia. An echidna
is an animal that burrows . When the animal is attacked it will
burrow into the ground with is long sharp claws or by curling itself
into a ball and use its spines as defence. The spines are venomous.
Echidnas will usually weigh around two to seven kilograms and be
around 35 to 50 centimetres long . They find food with their very
sensitive nose and then they use their long sticky tong to catch ants,
worms and other such insects.
The adoptions of the echidna include all of the physical aspect of the
animal. But this is not the only adaption they have adapted to the
climate by going into hibernation during the winter months to save
energy and to reduce metabolism before it heats up to bread.
Another adaption is that when they are threatened they will quickly
burro and curl into a ball, they also use their sharp claws to quickly
burrow deep into the ground. As the echidna needs to survive under
the ground it can tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide and low levels
of oxygen. The echidna can’t handle the heat well, without the ability
to sweat so it tends to avoid daytime activity in heat. The echidna can
also swim. The snout has electroreceptor's that help detect what is
around.

4. BANKSIA NUTANS
Banksia Nutans is a small shrub which grows up to two
metres tall, the leaves are short & narrow growing up to 22
mm long. IN winter and summer they flower out a large
cylindrical shaped flower about 7cm wide The flower are a
dull pink in bud but open into a rusty brown colour.
The Banksia Nutan has a number of adoptions that have
allowed the wonderful plant to survive the vast Australian
landscape and weather conditions. E.G poor soil, dry, high
rates of seed predation (seed predators use the seeds of a
plant as their exclusive food source),low rates of seed set &
low rates of seedling survival. These adaptations include
proteoid roots (a very thick cluster of roots) & lignotubers (to
ensure effective pollen transfer and the release of seed in
response to bushfire)

5. The Dingo
By Catherine

6.  A dingo is a wild dog,
found only in Australia.
 The only state in
Australia where there
aren’t dingos is
Tasmania.
 Dingos are medium
sized with a bushy tail
and a reddy, yellow
coat.
 They don’t have a bark
but they do howl.

7. Agonis

8.  Agonis is a type of
plant; all of it is
endemic to Western
Australia, with the
majority growing on
the south west.
 Agonis grow as tall
as most small shrubs.
 Usually Agonis has
dark brown bark, dull
green leaves and
small white flowers.
 When the leaves are
torn or crushed they
give off the scent of
peppermint.

10. ENDEMIC
PLANTS

11. An endemic plant is
a plant that occurs
naturally in one
place and nowhere
else.

12. Endemic plants of Tasmania...
 Tasmania has high number of endemic plants.
Up to 70% of Tasmania’s alpine plants are
endemic, occurring naturally in Australia.
“Climbing Heat” is one of Tasmania’s endemic
alpine plant.
 Why are they Unique?
Because over a million of years ago the plants
of Tasmania have changed from their mainland
relatives and the history of this change has a lot
to do with changes in the landscape.

13. Climbing Heath
O Climbing heath is common in the
rainforests of the west and south-west of
Tasmania, usually in montane areas and
also happens in alpine vegetation.
O It is a climbing plant , often seen around
the trunks of trees.
O It has relatively large and beautiful pink
bell shaped flowers from November to
April.

14. Endemic
Animals

15. Australia’s endemic animals…
O The most species that is endemic to Australia
are the marsupial fauna.
O Marsupial are mammals with a different
lineage and anatomical differences from
placental mammals.
O They have a lower body temperature, early
birth, lack of placental and different sexual
organs.
O 224 marsupial species endemic to Australia.
Marsupials have entirely displaced placental
within Australia.

16. The Dugong...
O Dugong is a large marine mammal, it’s
one of the four living species of the order
Serenia.
O The majority of dugong lives in the
northern waters of Australia.
O Dugongs are found in warm coastal water
and it’s lifespan is 70years old and slow
rate of reproduction, the dugong is
especially vulnerable to extinction.

17. Why are they unique?
O There are thousands of species endemic
to Australia.
O Australia has been isolated from other
continents since it splits from Antarctica
about 40 millions years ago.
O This can be recognized to the
geographical isolation of the continent.

18. By Mya

20.  Red kangaroos live in Australia's deserts and open grasslands
and gather in groups called mobs. Millions of these animals
roam Australia, and considerable numbers are killed each year
for their skins and meat, which is becoming a more popular
human food.
 The red kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest
Australian native animal and the largest surviving marsupial. Red
kangaroos hop on their powerful hind legs at great speed. A red
kangaroo can reach speeds of over 56 kilometres an hour. They
are able to cover 8 meters in a single leap and can jump 1.8
meters high. Female red kangaroos are smaller and lighter than
the males. This allows them to travel faster.
 When the Red Kangaroo is first born it is about the same size as
a cherry.it immediately climbs into its mothers pouch and stays
there until is about 8 months of age when it is then able to
survive on its own.

22.  Eucalyptus belongs to the myrtle plant family. There
are over 700 different types of Eucalyptus. It is
mostly native to Australia however small amounts of
it can be found in New Guinea and Indonesia and one,
the eucalyptus deglupta, is found in the Philippines.
Only 15 types are found outside of Australia and only
9 types are not found within Australia.
 Many Eucalypts are known as gum trees because of
the copious sap that many exude from the break in
there bark.
 A mature Eucalyptus tree can be a take the form of a
small shrub or a tall tree.

24.  Scrub birds are cautious, private, ground dwelling
birds that are very rare and native to Australia.
 There are only two species; The Rufous scrub bird,
which is rare and very restricted in its area, and the
noisy scrub bird which is so rare it was thought to be
extinct until 1961.
 These birds are closely related to the lyrebird, and
probably also the bowerbird and treecreepers.
 These birds all originated from the Australia-New
Guinea region.
 There are now about 1,200 birds known in 2002, which
is a dramatic improvement since the 1960s’ when
there were only 40-50 birds.

25.  The birds are roughly 20cm long and coloured in varying
browns and blacks.
 They live in dense undergrowth, the Rufous scrub bird in
temperate rain forests near the Queensland-New South
Wales border, and the Noisy scrub bird in heaths and
scrubby gullies in coastal Western Australia.
 They are very good at scuttling mouse-like under cover to
avoid any notice.
 Even though they run fast, they cannot fly very well.
 The male birds call however is a really loud ringing noise
which is so loud you can hear it from a long distance in
heavy scrub and is almost painful at close range.
 The female birds build a domed nest on the ground and
are responsible for caring for the young.

28.  The Hakea flower species is named after Baron
Christian Ludwig von Hake a German patron of
botany.
 The flowers are quite small but they create clusters
which can consist of perhaps 100 or more individual
flowers in some species.
 Many of the flowers have stiff leaves with sharp points
and the flowers look a bit like banksias. These sharp
leaves are ideal as a boundary where they can
restrict access to bird from animals such as cats.
 The Hakea generally blooms in winter and spring.
 The seeds of the bush have a papery wing which
enables them to be distributed by wind.

29.  The plants that are native to areas in Australia which are
prone to fires often have a thing called a ‘lignotuber’,
which is a woody swelling below the ground that can help
the plant to regenerate if the above ground parts are
destroyed.
 Most Hakea are small shrubs but some can become a
small tree.
 The species is rather undesirable and because of that
there are no real cultivators or breeders for the plants, so
they just grow wild.
 One of the great things about the plant is that many
attract honey eating birds which can pollinate the plants.
 These species of plants regularly rely on many things to
pollinate them, such as beetles, moths, bees, ants and
even some small marsupials.

31. Endemic Plants and Animals
H.S.I.E
By Elessa Donnelly

33. What does Endemic mean?
• Ecology Native to or
confined to a certain
region.

34. Endemic Plants of Australia
Callistemon Stypandra
• The Callistemon distribution • The Stypadra
is in NSW, Vic and southern
distribution is in
Queensland.
Southern Australia.
• It is usually found in
swampy or wet conditions. • It’s common name is
• There family name I Nodding blue lilly.
Myrtaceae • I’s not considered to
be at risk in the wild.

36. Endemic Animals
Kangaroo
• A Kangaroo is a marsupial
and they are the largest
animal of it’s species.
• Kangaroos were found here
by the first settlers who had
no idea what they were.

37. Why are they different?
• They are unique because
Australia is its own country
and Australia is isolated
from any other country.

38. By David
The Lyrebirds are large passerine birds. They
live in the ground they have strong legs and
feet and has short rounded wings.

39. The Lyrebird is found in areas where there are
rainforest in Victoria, New South Wales and
south-east Queensland, as well as in Tasmania
where it was introduced in the 19th century.

40. Lyrebirds are shy and difficult to approach,
which is why there is little information about its
behaviour. When lyrebirds detect potential
danger they will pause and scan their
surroundings, then give an alarm call. Having
done so, they will either flee the vicinity on foot,
or seek cover and freeze.

41. By David
The bat leaved flower is a fast growing plant
that has dark green leaves that look like
bats. It also has purple fruit that could be
used for ornaments.

42. By Bianca

43. ADAPTIONS ABOUT THE TASMANIAN
TIGER
 The Tasmanian tiger is inaccurate of two kinds of
animals; the first marsupial pouch-bearing mammal
wasn’t related to tigers but it is more related to the
scaled down wolf.
 The Tasmanian tiger was thought to be extinct about
40,000 years ago but was found a few years ago in a
forest land but it is now extinct.

44. FACTS ABOUT THE TASMANIAN TIGER
 Thylacinus cynocephalus is Greek for dog headed
pouched one.
 Was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern
times.
 Became really rare and thought to be extinct when the
European settlement began.
 The intensive hunting is blamed for the extinction of
the tigers.

45. The Bilby and Desert Spinifex
Inga Neilsen 9I HSIE – Ms
Williams

47. • Large Ears: These enable the Bilby to have a
fantastic sense of hearing as their eyesight is
very poor. The ears are also used to cool down
the Bilby during the day and keeps them warm at
night, the blood rushes quickly to the thin tissue
around the ears.
• Sharp Claws: To dig through the soil for insects
and to loosen plants from the soil to eat.
• Long Tongue: To help, when feeding on Fungi
and insect larvae
• Backwards Facing Pouch: To prevent female
bilbies from getting dirt into their pouch whilst

48. • Water: The Bilby doesn’t need to drink water, it absorbs
enough from the food it eats.
• Long Snout: This long snout and great sense of smell
helps it to dig through the soil to find prey.
• Reproduction: A Bilby is only carried in the womb for
fourteen days.

49. The Bilby has adapted to its harsh environment of the
desert, these adaptions have become some of the bilbies
main features:
• They are a nocturnal species, which allow them to be
awake and hunt in the cooler hours of the day.
• Large Ears
• Sharp Claws
• Backwards Facing Pouch
• Long snout
• Water Needs
• Reproduction

51. • Waxy Cuticles: This makes the outside of the leaf hard
and waxy to reduce the amount of transpiration.
• Elongated Leaves: The leaves of the spinifex grass are
long and narrow and don’t have much surface area – this
is also to reduce the amount of transpiration.
• Shallow Roots: The roots are shallow (close to the top
of the soil) and are very long – to cover a long surface
area, so that when it does rain it can absorb the majority
of it.
• Seeds: Spinifex grass can last a long time without water
or nutrients, they just remain dormant, although if they do
die seeds are left behind and once it does rain; they grow
very rapidly.

52. As the Spinifex plant lives in tough conditions in the deserts
of central Australia, it has made adaptions which have also
become some of it’s main features; These include:
• Waxy Cuticles
• Elongated Leaves
• Shallow roots
• Seeds
• Tough, long lasting