Fraser Island is separated from the Australian mainland by the 73 kilometer Great Sandy Strait. With an area of 1,840 square kilometers, it is the world’s largest sand island. Sand islands are primary made of sand and form when wind and ocean currents deposit sand from nearby river systems along the continental shelf.
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Ornithorhynchus anatinus - Along with four species of echidnas, the platypus is a monotreme. These unique mammals lay eggs instead of bearing live young, but they do nurse their offspring with milk and their bodies are covered in hair. The extant species of monotremes are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. The male platypus is one of a few mammals capable of injecting venom into an aggressor when defending itself through an ankle spur located on the hind foot. The female also has the spurs, but it does not deliver venom.
