New Zealand andTasmanian Devil
Australia’s neighbour,New Zealand, has very few native species of land animals. For this reason, a large number of flightless birds native to the country have managed to survive in safety.Most famous of these is the kiwi. It sleeps underground during the day and looks for food by night. It is very shy and avoids human contact. The kakapo ,also called the owl parrot,isone of the world’s rarest birds. As well as being the largest parrot in the world, it is the only parrot that is nocturnal and the only one that can’t fly.Unlike the kiwi, the kakapo is unafraid of people and has been known to climb up a man’s body and sit on his head.
Although they are not native to New Zealand, penguins also migrate here from the Antarctic during the winter months.
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is now extinct in the rest of Australia, but a few can still be found in remote parts of Tasmania.About the size of a small dog, this marsupial is called a ‘devil’ because of its fierse looks, its bad temper and the strange noise it makes. Despite its large jaws, strong teeth and aggressive behaviour, it doesn’t often hunt other animals.Instead, it eats animals – mainly sheep – that are already dead when it finds them.
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