climate and Wildlife of Australia two factors that affect the climate of Australia are latitudes and the direction of the mountain ranges Australia lies entirely in the southern hemisphere between latitudes 12 degrees south and 40 degrees south hence the seasons are opposite to that of the northern hemisphere in June it is winter in Australia and they celebrate Christmas in summers the northern part of Australia is closer to the equator and is hotter than the southern part since the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the middle of the continent it comes under the influence of the trade winds the Southwest and the southeast parts of the continent are influenced by the trade winds in the summer and the westerlies in the winter due to seasonal shifting of the pressure belts direction of mountain ranges also affect the climate the Eastern Highlands running parallel to the east coast act as a barrier to the moisture Laden trade winds blowing from the southeast thus East Coast receives plenty of rainfall while there's hardly any rain on the leeward side Australia has seven types of climatic regions and their respective vegetations the monsoon tide has alternate wet and dry seasons and is seen in the northern part of Australia hot summers creates low pressure over the land attracting monsoon winds from the ocean summers are hot and wet while winters are cold and dry rainfall is unreliable and varies from year to year tropical deciduous forests found here have trees like bamboo palms eucalyptus the eucalyptus or gum tree or Jarrah is found throughout Australia with over 500 varieties it is the leading timber tree of Australia and also yields valuable oil the savanna type of climate is found in a broad belt south of the region with monsoon type of climate summers are hot and moist as it is the season for rains while winters are cool and distinctly dry in this region the northern part has Savannah woodlands and as rain decreases the woodlands give way to the savanna across the savanna woodlands consist mainly of eucalyptus the tropical desert found over a large part of the continent covers the whole of the western plateau it consists of the Victoria Desert the Gibson desert and the sandy desert summers are hot and winters are cool and the region receives less than 25 centimetres of annual rainfall corny bushes found here like spinifex or porcupine grass are adapted to withstand long droughts and exploit brief rainfalls also varieties of eucalyptus plants like ecclesia and salt bush grew here the Mediterranean type of climate occurs in southern Australia summers are hot and dry while winters are cold and wet varieties of eucalyptus are found everywhere Nally bushes and different kinds of gum trees are found here the quarry and Chara trees are found in the southwestern parts the British type of climate is found in Tasmania summers are warm and winters are mild the westerlies bring moderately high rainfall which is distributed throughout the year temperate deciduous forests found in this region include trees like pine and beech in wet or West and eucalyptus trees in the drier East the temperate grasslands are found in the Murray Darling Basin the Australian temperate grasslands are called downs it has hot summers and cold winter and receives an average amount of rainfall with more rain in summer the lean vegetation consists of short grass and as rainfall decreases towards the west the pastures change to Mally scrub bushes the China type of climate is found along the southeast coast of Queensland and New South Wales summers are hot and wet while winters are relatively mild and dry temperate deciduous forests found here have mainly eucalyptus trees beneath the spreading eucalyptus trees a thick growth of tree ferns and unusual plants such as grass trees are seen as one of the oldest areas in the world the Australian continent has been cut off from the other continental masses for millions of years and hence it has a plant and animal life that is quite unique and unlike any other continent kangaroo the most typical animal found in Australia is a marsupial it means that the mother kangaroo carries her young ones or Joey's in a skin pouch under her belly a Joey spends the first several months inside its mother's pouch as soon as it leaves the pouch most female kangaroos give birth to a new baby a kangaroo has long hind legs and a strong long tail which helps to keep its balance it runs very fast in a series of leaps on its hind legs in Australia kangaroos are known as Roos the Roman herds in dry woodlands and feed on grass Australia has about 50 varieties of kangaroos some are smaller than rabbits while others stand over 6 feet tall one kind of kangaroo has long sharp claws and climbs trees to feed on leaves the Koala a native bear of Australia is a member of the marsupial family these are harmless animals with clawed feet the young koalas hold tightly to their mothers bags as they climb through the trees that form the habitats they feed on eucalyptus leaves and are found in the eastern and southern regions with monsoon and China type of climate today these natives have become endangered as they are hunted for their fur however laws have been enacted to protect these inmates the platypus is one of australia's most unusual animals it has a bill like that of a duck and poison Spurs on its hind legs and although it is a mammal and the young ones feed on the mother's milk this duck-billed platypus lays eggs it swims with its eyes and ears closed while the flat bill acts as a rudder to inform whether the worms are to be found the dingo or the wild dog is the only carnivorous animal of Australia and it attacks sheep and cattle it's remarkably strong jaws enable it to completely tear away the flesh gripped in its bite causing the prey to be killed by mere shock other unique types of animals found here include the possum and the edge it 'nor emus are large flightless birds similar to ostriches they are the second largest birds in the world the kookaburra also known as the Laughing jackass is a noisy Kingfisher that makes loud laughing and barking sounds the Lyrebird found only in Australia has a huge tail shaped like a liar a musical instrument it is the largest and most unusual songbird in the world the bird sings well and can imitate the voice of other birds dogs barks car horns and even whistles Australia has many other interesting birds like many kinds of parrots honey sippin songbirds black swans golden Whistler Oh you