Gallapogos tortoises with slouch hats and sandals

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I jest. But Galapagos has something very much in common with Australia - it's fauna is almost entirely endemic. Darwin should have studied us, but then he may never have discovered evolution because his brain would be overloaded by trying to work out why the platypus. "It's like this. Many biologists have speculated about the existence of a mammal - well, they think it's a mammal as it ticks at least some of the boxes - with the beak and webbed feet of a duck (bird), fur and rudimentary mammary glands (mammal), which lays eggs (bird/reptile), and which has poison glands and a means of delivery for same (reptilian). Such a creature which appears to have been created by assembling the leftovers from at least three phyla feels like an experiment made by the God of Evolution". (Pratchett) It's not an uncommon feeling after seeing some of Australia's fauna. The echidna is the only other member of the family of which the platypus is king, and it's a bit of an oddity itself, since it looks like a mammal but lays eggs. Anyway, this discussion is about Austrlian animals, and I hope lots of people come visiting so that I can get to post lots of weird pics. Like the platypus. Lash