It is the birthplace of songbirds, the land of egg-laying mammals and the world capital of pouch-bearing marsupials, a group that encompasses far more than just koalas and kangaroos.
Nearly half of the continent’s birds and roughly 90 percent of its mammals, reptiles and frogs are found nowhere else on the planet.
Australia has also become a case study in what happens when people push biodiversity to the brink.
Habitat degradation, invasive species, infectious diseases and climate change have put many native animals in jeopardy and given Australia one of the worst rates of species loss in the world.
In some cases, scientists say, the threats are so intractable that the only way to protect Australia’s unique animals is to change them.
Locations:
Australia