Coastal Fauna in Australia and its adaptation to the Aussie environment

There are also quite a few types of coastal fauna in Australia. In this post, I will be describing the Koala (which is a coastal animal/fauna) and its adaptation to the Aussie environment.

Definition of Koala; What is a Koala?
A koala is a bear-like arboreal Australian marsupial that has thick grey fur and feeds on eucalyptus leaves.

Where is the Koala's habitat?
Koalas are found in a range of habitats, from coastal islands and tall eucalyptus forests to low woodlands inland. Today, they do not live in rainforest, although it is thought that millions of years ago, the ancestors from which today's Koalas evolved lived in the rainforests which covered much of Australia at that time.

Koala adaptation to Aussie environment
Koalas have a variety of adaptations that enables them to survive in the Aussie environment.

Koalas adapted to be able to sit on the hard branches for very long periods without getting too uncomfortable. They haves paws adapted for climbing and clinging on to tree branches. Eucalyptus leaves are toxic/poisonous for most mammals and they are very fibrous and low in nutrition. The koala’s intestine adapted to dealing with this diet.

This is a labelled diagram of a Koala

Did You Know?
- Koalas are not bears. They are not placental or 'eutherian' mammals, but marsupials, which means that their young are born immature & they develop further in the safety of a pouch. It’s incorrect to call them ‘Koala bears' - their correct name is simply 'Koalas'.
- Koalas have 5 digits on each front paw, two of which are opposed to the others, much like our thumbs are able to be moved differently from the fingers. This helps them to hold firmly onto the branches and to grip their food. The 2nd and 3rd digits on their hind paws are fused together to form a grooming claw.
- Koalas are mostly nocturnal. Nocturnal animals are awake at night and asleep during the day. Koalas, however, sleep for part of the night and also sometimes move about in the daytime. They often sleep for up to 18-20 hours each day.
- There is a myth that Koalas sleep a lot because they ‘get drunk’ on gumleaves. Fortunately, this is not correct! Most of their time is spent sleeping because it requires a lot of energy to digest their toxic, fibrous, low-nutrition diet and sleeping is the best way to conserve energy
- Koalas in the southern parts of Australia are considerably larger and have thicker fur than those in the north. This is thought to be an adaptation to keep them warm in the colder southern winters.
- Each Koala’s ‘home' is made up of several trees called home trees. They visit these same trees regularly. The area covered by these trees is called the Koala’s home range. Each Koala has its own home range, which overlaps those of other Koalas but except for breeding purposes, they do normally not visit another Koala’s home trees. The size of each home range depends upon a range of factors including the quality of the habitat and the sex, age and social position in the population of the Koala.

This is an image of a Koala

This is a distribution map of Koalas in Australia

Inland Flora in Australia and its adaptation to the Aussie environment

There are quite a few types of inland flora in Australia. I will be describing the Cactus plant (which is an inland plant/flora) and its adaptation to the Aussie environment.

Definition of Cactus:
A cactus is a succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem which typically bears spines, lacks leaves, and has brilliantly coloured flowers. Cacti are native to arid regions of the New World and are cultivated elsewhere, especially as pot plants.

Where do Cacti grow; Where is their habitat?
Nothing can grow in a true desert – but many cacti do grow in very dry areas which might be known as deserts.

Cacti have a variety of adaptations that enables them to survive in the desert climate. 

The main adaptations are:- 
- The leaves are modified into spines and hence it prevents loss of water due to transpiration. 
- The stem is thick and fleshy and stores a lot of water. It becomes green and takes over the process of photosynthesis. 
- The body of the plant is covered by a thick waxy cuticle that prevents loss of water from the small pores of the plant. The roots of the plant are deep rooted in order to search for underground stored water. Also the plant can easily tolerate hypersaline conditions that is usually found in the deserts.
- The plant has spines all over it. This protects it from being eaten as the spines will penetrate and harm any mouth that tries to get hold of it.

A labelled sketch of what I have described above.

Did You Know?
- Cactus is the singular word for the plant, cacti is the plural form.
- Cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in South America through to areas of western Canada. One species, Rhipsalis baccifera, is the exception, it is also found in tropical Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. It is thought that droppings from migratory birds dispersed the Rhipsalis seed in these other lands.
- The cactus generally lives in dry places prone to drought, such as deserts.
- There are 1,500 to 1,800 species of cacti. Each species for the most part fall into one of two core cacti categories, these being opuntias or cactoids.
- Cacti come in all shapes and sizes from round and short through to thin and tall. The smallest grow just a few centimeters high and about 1 cm across. The tallest cactus can reach heights close to 20m  and up to 1 meter thick.
- Cacti show many adaptations to conserve water during long dry periods. An adaptation is a trait in a living organism that helps it to survive, populate and evolve.
- The spines (thorns, stickers) of a cactus are highly modified versions of plant leaves, there are very few cacti species with true plant leaves. These sharp spines and the thick tough skin of the stem help to protect the cactus from animals who would otherwise have easy access to the liquid inside.
- The cactus manages to collect its water using its quite large root system. Small thin roots grow near the surface of the soil and collect as much rainwater as quickly as possible during the few times it rains. Cacti can also have a single long thick root called a taproot which grows much deeper to reach underground water supplies when the top soil is dry.
- Cacti can gather and hold a lot of water in their stems. The water is not pure, clear water but is quite a thick viscous liquid. It is drinkable though and has been known to save many peoples lives in the desert.

This is a Cactus in a dry area.
Try to look for the visual characteristics I described earlier

This is a distribution map of cacti in Australia.