' for themselves; frequently going as deep as three or four feet. These 'kangaroo pits' are a common source of water for other animals living in the kangaroo's environment. p align="justify"> * A kangaroo being chased by a dog may jump into a dam. If the dog gives chase, the kangaroo may turn towards the dog, then use its paws to push the dogs head underwater in order to drown it. p align="justify"> * Emus [19] and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.
* A monotreme [20] is an animal that lays eggs and suckles its young. The world's only monotremes are the platypus and the echidna. p align="justify"> * The male platypus [21] has a poisonous spine that can kill a dog and inflict immense pain on a human.
* When a specimen of the platypus was first sent to England, it was believed the Australians had played a joke by sewing the bill of a duck onto a rat.
* Box Jelly fish [22] - The box jellyfish is considered the world's most venomous marine creature. The box jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish [23], sharks and crocodiles combined. p align="justify"> * The Sydney Funnelweb spider [24] is considered the world's most deadly spider. It is the only spider that has killed people in less than 2 hours. Its fangs are powerful enough to bite through gloves and fingernails. The only animals without immunity to the funnelweb's venom are humans and monkeys. p align="justify"> * Lung fish [25] - Queensland is home to lung fish, a living fossil from the Triassic period [26] 350 million years ago.
Migration
* Mungo man - In 1974, scientists discovered the Mungo man - a primate who was ritually buried 40-60,000 years ago with his hands covering his penis. ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research found that the skeleton's genetic material contained a small section of mitochondrial DNA. It was analysed and compared to the genetic material from nearly 3,500 people; including Neanderthals, Asians, ancient Aborigines, and present-day Aborigines. It was found that Mungo Man's DNA lacked a gene that was common to all the other samples. Consequently, unlike every other known person on the planet, or unearthed skeleton, Mungo man can not be traced to humans that left Africa any time in the last 200,000 years. p align="justify"> * Robust - The first humans travelled across the sea from Indonesia about 70,000 years ago. These people are called 'Robust' by archaeologists because of their heavy-boned physique. p align="justify"> * Gracile - 50, 000 years ago, the more slender 'Gracile' people; the ancestors of Australian Aborigines, arrived in Australia. At the time of their settlement/invasion, the Gracile were the most technologically advanced people in the world. p align="justify">...
