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What animal is native to Australia but has a similar species on another continent?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
There are no animals that match this description.
It is possible that the question is supposed to refer to possums and opossums, as many people believe that possums and opossums are both the same animal, or at least similar. This is quite incorrect, however.
The "possum" of North America is just a shorter name for an opossum, but true Australian possums are different from opossums, and not related at all, except by virtue of both animals being marsupials.
- Possums belong to the family Phalangeridae and order Marsupialia, while opossums belong to the order Didelphimorphia, although they are also marsupials.
- Opossums are found only in North America, although there is a "water possum", also known as the yapok, which is found in central and South America.
- True possums are found in New Guinea, Australia (including Tasmania), Sulawesi (Indonesia) and a few other small islands in the Pacific region. Although not native to New Zealand, the brush-tailed possum was introduced into that country over a century ago and has subsequently become a pest.
- The North American Opossum has a bare tail. All varieties of Australian possums have furry tails.
- There are many varieties of possums in Australia (and New Guinea), including Gliders and the Cuscus. There are more limited species of the opossum.
- Captain Cook's botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, named the Australian animal "Possum", referring to it as "an animal of the Opossum tribe" because he believed there was a physical resemblance.
- Opossums were named by Captain John Smith in 1612.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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What animals in the US are similar to the echidna?
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What is a hard question about plant?
How many species of plants are in the continent of Australia
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Of the mammal species known to have become extinct since 1800 about a third are from what continent?
Australia
Why does Australia have a high degree of Endemism?
The remote island continent of Australia has kept its distinct species from spreading naturally worldwide.
What continent has more than 130 species of marsupials?
Australia has well over 130 species of marsupials. The many species of kangaroos alone constitute around 70 of the marsupial species.
How many different breeds of Cockatoo are in Australia?
There are about 400 species of cockroaches in Australia, most of which are native to the continent. see the related link below for more information.
What is the name of butterfly that mitegrate from one continent to another continent?
There are several butterfly species that migrate between Europe, Asia, and Africa.
In what country are most marsupials found?
Most species of marsupial are found in Australia (there are at least 60 species of kangaroos alone in Australia), but it is not the only continent where they are found. Some species of marsupials are found in New Guinea, some islands of Indonesia, and many more are found in Central and South America. There is also one species of marsupial, the Opossum, in North America. Brushtail Possums and wallabies have also been introduced to New Zealand, but they are not native to the islands.
What occurs when species that were distinct evolve similar traits?
The species probably evolved under similar circumstances and they become more similar as a result. Additionally, they can become more competitive with one another.
What continent did spiny anteaters originate from?
The spiny anteater, more correctly known as the echidna, originated on the Australian continent. Both species are found on Australia's nearest neighbour, the island of New Guinea, but only the short-beaked echidna is found in Australia itself.
What country or continent does the kangaroo live in?
Most species of kangaroos are native to Australia. The tree-kangaroos, however, are found in Australia and on the island of New Guinea, as well as a few Indonesian islands.
