A sobering estimate has put the number of animals killed across Australia at 1 billion - and that’s a conservative figure. But let’s look at some uplifting facts: how animals survive, and what challenges they overcome in the days and weeks after a fire. READ MORE:* Over 1 billion animals feared dead in Australian bushfires* Australian bushfires: How climate change and other factors worsen fires* How Kiwis can help those affected by the Australian bushfires* Australian bushfires: Rescued koala brings 'ray of sunshine after nightmare' on fire groundSENSING FIREIn 2018, a staff member at Audubon Zoo in the United States accidentally burned pastry, and noticed something peculiar. The beetles can detect very distant fires; one study suggests individuals of some species identify a fire from 130 kilometres away. And as this bushfire season has made brutally clear, climate change is increasing the scale and intensity of bushfires.

Source: Stuff January 07, 2020 23:03 UTC