Australia is one of Earth's twelve mega diverse nations. Its unique plant life, is typified by the uniquely Australian gum tree, distinguishes Australia as one of the world's six floristic regions. Not only is Australia rich in species, but most of its native plants and animals are endemic; that is, they occur naturally only in Australia. Australia's high levels of uniqueness arise because for more than 50 million years, Australia has been an island continent and …showed first 75 words of 357 total…

…showed last 75 words of 357 total…kauri pine Agathis jurassica is known from the Talbragar Fish Beds in New South Wales, as are fossils of the cycad, Lepidozamia hopei. These beds have been dated as 175 million years old. The genus Lepidozamia is endemic to Australia and L. hopei is still found in north Queensland. Agathis is more widespread, and occurs in Australia, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific, with three extant species found in rainforests or rainforest margins of southern Queensland.