Why are there so many poisonous animals in Australia?

As evolutionary biology professor Michael Lee of the South Australian Museum and Flinders University has observed, venomous reptiles appeared on the continent as it began to drift and become increasingly warm. Thus, snakes colonized Australia about 40 million years ago, becoming the ancestors of modern species that have become even more venomous.

“The diversity of venomous animals is not unusual for a predominantly tropical area,” says Arbuckle. – Australia has a remarkably consistent image as the home of very venomous animals, but for the most part this is not true.”