Animal geography: what lives where, and only there
Some of the most consequential lines on any map are invisible and were never drawn by anybody: the boundaries where one set of species stops and a completely different one starts, often across a strait a few kilometres wide.
Which country has the most wild camels?
Australia
Camels were imported for desert transport in the 1800s and released when motor vehicles arrived. Australia now has the world's largest feral camel population, in the hundreds of thousands.
Source: Australian Department of Agriculture feral animal surveys
Do penguins live in the Arctic?
No
All 18 species live in the southern hemisphere, and only the Galapagos penguin strays marginally north of the equator. Polar bears and penguins never meet in the wild.
Source: IUCN species range maps
Why are the kangaroo and emu said to have been chosen for Australia's coat of arms?
Neither walks backwards
The usual explanation is that both move forward rather than back, symbolising progress. It is folk etymology more than official doctrine, but it is the reason everybody gives.
Source: Australian Government, symbols of Australia
Which country has no native snakes at all?
New Zealand
New Zealand separated from other landmasses before snakes spread, and has none in the wild. Ireland and Iceland are also snake-free, though for glacial rather than tectonic reasons.
Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation
Which country has the most species of bird?
Colombia
Colombia records around 1,900 bird species (roughly a fifth of the world's total) thanks to Andean altitude ranges meeting Amazon, Pacific and Caribbean habitats.
Source: Colombian Alexander von Humboldt Institute; eBird totals
The Wallace Line, running through Indonesia, separates what?
Asian and Australian wildlife
On Bali the fauna is Asian; on Lombok, about 35 km away, it is Australasian. Deep water kept the two apart even when sea levels fell and joined the surrounding islands.
Source: Alfred Russel Wallace, 1859; modern biogeography
Svalbard is home to about 3,000 people and roughly how many polar bears?
About 3,000
The Svalbard and Barents Sea population is estimated around 3,000, comparable to the human population. Residents leaving settlements are advised to carry a rifle.
Source: Norwegian Polar Institute bear surveys
Roughly how many sheep are there per person in the Falkland Islands?
About 150
Around half a million sheep against roughly 3,500 residents. Wool has been the mainstay of the economy since the nineteenth century.
Source: Falkland Islands Government statistics
The Galapagos sit on the equator but have penguins and cold-water species. Why?
The cold Humboldt Current
The Humboldt brings cold, nutrient-rich water from Antarctic latitudes up the South American coast and out to the islands, supporting penguins and fur seals on the equator.
Source: Charles Darwin Foundation; oceanography of the Humboldt Current
Which country is home to the most species of venomous snake?
Australia
Australia has around 100 venomous species, more than any other country and including most of the world's most toxic. Deaths are rare because antivenom is widely available.
Source: Australian Venom Research Unit