Many people do not know this, but Australia drifts northwards by 3 inches per year. There will come a point in the future when Oceania and Asia will come into direct contact, namely, the animals of the two continents. What will happen then? One thing is certain, there will be changes of the landscape and the animals populating the changes. Some species will adapt to the new conditions, while others might not.
The story of the fauna inhabitants of Australia goes back to history, to the time when all the continents of the southern hemisphere were one. Some of the fauna from that period can be seen in Australia, as we can find the universal jungle in the island country.
Back then, marsupials, which are now native to Australia, as well as eutherians and monotremes lived in the primeval forests. As they gained ground, new species evolved, some prototypes improved, and we have new fauna. A key aspect is that new mammals had placentas, but they were also more intelligent.
Australia moved north, and started a slow journey across the Indian Ocean. With the climate change, jungle was lost, and Australia got vast open plains. The pasture took over the land. We see the effect in the past few years. Koalas, one of the species native to Australia, are becoming more and more endangered. Loss of habitat is the primary reason. But even though the koala adapted to feed on the leaves of eucalyptus forest, things are moving in a different direction.
The Australia Adrift documentary explores all the possible changes that might happen to the island continent and country.
