Every year on January 26, Aussies around the world celebrate Australia Day! This national holiday marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the first fleet of British ships to Sydney Cove.
In addition to our annual event in Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes this Sunday, we'll be celebrating Australia Day with special posts on WATERblog all week long.
Day One: Australia's Majesty
Situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans, the continent of Australia is roughly 3 million square miles in size. Its six different climatic zones give Australia a wide variety of habitats.
From the Great Barrier Reef to the Outback, Australia is home to more than 5,700 different animal species...a staggering number when you consider how much of the island continent remains unexplored.
Here are just a few of the Aussie species you can see at the Aquarium:
Did you know? Seventeen of the world's 26 most venomous snake species live in Australia. Check out this list of the country's 30 deadliest animals.
Death adders inject, on average, 40–100 mg of highly toxic venom in each bite.
Australia is also home to the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef, which is 1,500 miles in length. Comprised of over 3,000 individual reef systems, the Great Barrier Reef hosts thousands of species of fish, mollusks, sharks, marine mammals and sea turtles.
It is the world's largest marine sanctuary and just one of the countless biodiverse natural wonders Australia has to offer.
Stay tuned for more Australia Week posts and join the conversation online using #AussieWeek!