The Arid Inland Expert

The Arid Inland, also known as the Outback, is well known across the world. The majority of Australia's land mass is covered by the Outback. It occupies a large area and it has a variety of climates. The northern part has only two seasons (hot and wet). The south has four seasons; the summer heat can reach 27 degrees Celsius and in the winter the temperature can drop to -1.0 degrees Celsius. It is a natural habitat to many rare animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. Many forms of mammals, reptiles, and birds are unique to the Australian Outback.

Some categories of animals that live in the Arid Inland are:

Amphibians - they are cold blooded and live in warmer parts of continents. They tend to be aquatic and are limited to moist surroundings.

Reptiles - they are cold blooded and limited to temperate and tropical areas. They usually creep or swim, which is similar to amphibians. Reptiles lay large shelled eggs or in some cases give birth to live young.

Mammals - they are warm blooded animals consisting of three main groups: marsupial, monotreme, and placental.

Birds -they are warm blooded and most species are capable of flying; however some are sedentary and some are flightless. They lay shelled eggs and care for young in a nest.

Insects - they have hard jointed exoskeletons. The adult body has three parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen.

Worms - their bodies are divided into 100 or more body segments. This phylum includes such things as earthworms, leeches, and tapeworms.

Here are some questions to keep in mind as you are gathering information about these animals:

1. Is this animal a vertebrate or invertebrate?
2. What type of animal is this: mammal, fish, bird, etc.?
3. Is this animal native to Australia, if not where is it from?
4. What are some defining characteristics of this animal?
5. Is this animal poisonous?

Search the following web sites to learn more about animals that live in the Arid Inland: