Fauna of Australia in Australia, feeding on sea grass in coastal areas. The destruction of sea grass beds is a threat to the survival of this species. Eleven species of seal—family Pinnipedia—live off the southern coast. Australia and its territories are home to around 800 species of bird; 45% of these are endemic to Australia. The fossil record of birds in Australia is patchy; however, there are records of the ancestors of contemporary species as early as the Late Oligocene. Birds with a Gondwanan history include the flightless ratites (the emu and southern cassowary), megapodes (the malleefowl and Australian brush-turkey), and a huge
Emu Downs, South Australia Emu Downs, South Australia Emu Downs is a rural locality in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated in the Regional Council of Goyder. In 1880, the Emu Downs were described as "a vale extending between the Robertstown ranges on the west, and a line of smaller hills on the east. On the western side the country is adapted for sheep, and the stations Anlaby and Koonoona meet. Just within the rainfall line, the crops in most years are fair". Emu Downs Post Office opened on 1 May 1881, was downgraded to a receiving office on 1 March 1921,