Encyclopedia Of Australian Animals

Cuddly and curious, furry and ferocious, odd and unique—the amazing animals of Australia are a mixed bunch. They live in all kinds of different habitats—the desert, the sea, in forests, rivers and lakes—and because Australia is an island, many animals live here and nowhere else in the world. Meet them up close in this beautifully presented encyclopedia that is designed especially for young readers. Encyclopedia of Australian Animals combines over 250 gorgeous photographs with informative, easy-to-read text and fun facts about Australia’s unusual animals, where they live and what they do. With a list of engaging activities to help young readers expand and consolidate their knowledge, this comprehensive collection will provide hours of educational and entertaining reading.

Martyn Robinson has worked at the Australian Museum (Sydney) for more than 30 years, providing wide ranging expertise on exhibitions, education and science. He will be familiar to many Australians through his frequent media appearances on ABC Radio and in Burke's Backyardmagazine.

The Great Southern Land . 6 Habitats and Environments . 8 Classifying Animals . . . . . . . . . 10 A Ants . 12 Arachnids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Arthropods . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 B Bandicoots and Bilbies . . . . . . . 18 Bats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Bees . 22 Beetles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Bettongs and Rat-kangaroos . . . . 26 Birds of the Bush . . . . . . . . . . 28 Birds of Prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Bugs . 32 Butterflies and Moths . 34 C Centipedes and Millipedes . 36 Cockatoos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Corals and other Cnidarians . . . . . 40 Crocodiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Crustaceans . 44 Cuckoos . 46 D Dangerous Animals . 48 Ducks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 E Echinoderms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 F Flightless Birds . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Freshwater Fishes . 56 Frogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 G– K Gliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Insects . 64 Kangaroos and Wallabies . 68 Koalas and Wombats . . . . . . . . 70 L Lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 M Mammals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Marine Fishes . 78 Megapodes . 82 Molluscs . 84 Monotremes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 N– P Night Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Parrots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Perching Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Possums . 96 Pouched Predators . . . . . . . . . 98 R Rodents . 102 S Sea Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Seahorses and Pipefish . 104 Seals and Sea Lions . 106 Sharks and Rays . 108 Snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 T– Z Turtles . 116 Wading Birds . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Whales and Dolphins . 120 Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Glossary . 126 Want to Know More . . . . . . . . .127 Answers . 128