Secrets of Wild Australia

Descended from the Asian wolf, dingoes have been in Australia for over three thousand years. As apex predators, they keep feral animal numbers in check, but the introduction of non-native sheep and cattle has caused them problems.

Crocodiles are formidable predators, superbly adapted with skull-crushing jaws and lightning speed. They were on Earth long before the dinosaurs, and have outlived them by millions of years. Now protected in Australia, their numbers have surged.

Australia is home to one of the most successful mammals on the planet: the bat. And one of the most gregarious of its kind is the flying fox. With its metre-long wingspan, the grey-headed flying fox is the largest fruit-eating bat in the country.

Marsupials have evolved in isolation to become some of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet. While they all share similarities, some of the rare smaller species like quokkas and quolls highlight their fascinating differences.

Australia's tropical forests are packed with a diversity of insects. From the canopy to the forest floor, they've adopted extraordinary survival strategies: spiders jump, ants use larvae as glue-guns, and stick-insects become masters of deception.

The vast island continent of Australia is a land of contradiction: an arid land fringed with rainforest, and a country where drought can reign for years in one area while rivers flood another. And animals must adapt to survive its extremes.