Wildlife Perish, Rivers Run Dry in Record-Breaking Australian Heat

The hottest place on earth this month has been Australia. Record temperatures as high as almost 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) have caused electricity outages, sparked raging wildfires, killed as many as a million fish in outback rivers and taken its toll on players in the Australian Open tennis grand slam in Melbourne.

Coming on top of a two-year drought, the worst in a century, Australia's agricultural industry has been slammed and now its iconic wildlife, including kangaroos, emus and native fish, are becoming deadly statistics as outback rivers dry up. Hardest hit by this month's heatwave has been the nation's southeast region, including the island of Tasmania, generally the coolest areas in the country.