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 Bay, South Australia Emu Bay, South Australia Emu Bay (known as Maxwell from 1882 to 1941) is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia on the north coast of Kangaroo Island located about south-west of the state capital of Adelaide and about located about west of the municipal seat of Kingscote. It is a small town of 97 allotments with an even mix of permanent and holiday homes. The town has no shops or mains water supply. Emu Bay is known as a popular swimming beach, and is one of few on Kangaroo Island where vehicles are permitted. A small jetty