Animals Down Under

Question: What is the most deadly Australian animal?

Answer: The box jellyfish, or sea wasp, lives in Australian waters. The toxins in its tentacles can stop a human’s breathing in three minutes. They kill more people than crocodiles.

Question: What kind of animal is a kangaroo?

Answer: Kangaroos belong to the marsupial order, which includes those kinds of animals that carry their young in pouches.

Question: What is the name for a baby koala?

Answer: A female koala has one baby at a time. The baby is called a joey.

Question: What feature do adult platypuses lack?

Answer: Adult platypuses do not have teeth. Instead, they use flat pads of hardened gum tissue for chewing.

Question: How many baby kangaroos are usually born at a time to a single mother?

Answer: When the single, naked baby kangaroo, or joey, is born it is only 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long and is only partially developed. It matures inside its mother’s pouch.

Question: What does the kangaroo excel in?

Answer: The kangaroo’s body is specially built for jumping. Kangaroos use their long lower legs and toes to make great leaps.