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The red kangaroo is the largest extant macropod and is one of Australia's heraldic animals, appearing with the emu on the coat of arms of Australia. [1]The fauna of Australia consists of a large variety of animals; some 46% of birds, 69% of mammals, 94% of amphibians, and 93% of reptiles that inhabit the continent are endemic to it.
The dates derived have been interpreted as suggesting that the main mechanism for extinction was human burning of a landscape that was then much less fire-adapted; oxygen and carbon isotopes of teeth indicate sudden, drastic, non-climate-related changes in vegetation and in the diet of surviving marsupial species.
Climate change has been a critical issue in Australia since the beginning of the 21st century. Australia is becoming hotter and more prone to extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods, and longer fire seasons because of climate change. Climate issues include wildfires, heatwaves, cyclones, rising sea levels, and erosion. [20] [21] [22] [23]
Climate change will have a higher impact on Australia's coastal communities, due to the concentration of population, commerce and industry. Climate modelling suggests that a temperature rise of 1–2 °C will result in more intense storm winds, including those from tropical cyclones. [108]
In recent years, the impact of bushfires has exacerbated the impact of brumbies as native species struggle to adapt to climate change. [46] The distribution of brumbies in Australia. In some habitats, hooves of free-roaming horses compact the soil, and when the soil is compacted, air spaces are minimised, leaving nowhere for water to collect. [47]
Increasing temperatures have also been found to play an important role in the distribution of the quokka as the mean annual temperatures have increased exponentially since the 1970s in South West of Western Australia. [32] With climate change limiting the optimal living conditions of the quokka and changing the abundance of their diet, the ...
An isolated group of polar bears living in southeast Greenland has surprised scientists with its ability to survive in a habitat with relatively little sea ice.
The large kangaroos have adapted much better than the smaller macropods to land clearing for pastoral agriculture and habitat changes brought to the Australian landscape by humans. Many of the smaller species are rare and endangered, while kangaroos are relatively plentiful, despite a common misconception to the contrary.