Animals From Australia
Animals in Australia, such as the koala and kangaroo, are famous. But have you heard of the sex-crazy antechinus, the headless chicken monster, the bum-breathing turtle or the deadly box jellyfish? Australia's wildlife is full of surprises.
Some of the most unique and fascinating animals in the world live in Australia. While the kangaroo and koala are well-known, many other creatures are equally intriguing. Take the antechinus, which has bizarre sex-crazy mating habits. Or the headless chicken monster, a deep-sea creature that looks like something out of a horror movie. Then there is a turtle that actually breathes through its rear end! Or what about the box jellyfish, the most venomous animal on the planet? Discover these and hundreds of other incredible native Australian animals here.
Blue-Ringed Octopus
The blue-ringed octopus bite is painless and may go unnoticed. However, its toxin acts quickly. Death may occur in as little as 30 minutes.
Tiger Snake
Tiger snakes are large, aggressive snakes responsible for the second-highest number of bites in Australia. Their venom is neurotoxic.
Goanna
The goanna is the largest lizard in Australia and the fourth-largest in the world. If threatened, it whips its tail, bites, and claws its victim.
Dolphin
Dolphins are very vocal, playful, intelligent, and social animals that live in groups of up to 15. They feed on invertebrates, fish, and squid.
Parrot
Australia has 56 species of colourful parrots. It has two-thirds of the world’s cockatoos and around one-eighth of the world’s parrots.
Sea Lion
Australian sea lions have stocky bodies, a large head, and short narrow flippers. The male is twice as large as the female. They hunt fish and squid.
Red-eyed Tree Frog
Red-eye tree frogs live in Australian rainforests and wetlands. They are nocturnal hunters that feed on moths and insects.
Rakali (Water Rat)
The Rakali, a semi-aquatic native placental mammal, lives in burrows on the banks of rivers. It eats insects, fish, crustaceans, snails, and frogs.
Taipan
Taipans are large, fast-moving snakes. They are some of the most venomous snakes in the world but prefer to avoid confrontation with humans.
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
Peacock mantis shrimps have the fastest punch in the world, creating small implosions in the water that generates heat, light, and sound.
Handfish
Handfish prefer to walk on their pectoral and pelvic fins rather than swim. They live at depths of 5-40m and eat crustaceans and worms.
Red-fronted Parakeet
Red-fronted parakeets were quite common till about 1879. They became extinct because of hunting by humans and as a result of the feral cat.
Whale
Humpback whales travel up from the Antarctic to give birth and feed their young. They can grow to 12 – 16 metres and weigh 36,000 kgs.
Plains Wanderer
Plains wanderers are small quail-like birds that live in semi-arid grasslands. They prefer to run rather than fly and fall easy prey to foxes.
Loggerhead Turtle
Loggerhead Turtles are the largest hard-shelled turtles in the world. They are carnivorous, feeding on shellfish, crabs, sea urchins, and jellyfish.
Eastern Bettong
The eastern bettong became extinct on the mainland in the 1920s as the result of the introduction of the red fox and rabbit.
Lion Fish
Lion fish has zebra-like stripes and venomous spines. A sting from a spine can be very painful but not fatal to humans.
Gastric-brooding Frog
Gastric-brooding frogs incubated their babies in the mother's stomach. They became extinct in the mid-1980s due to a pathogenic fungus spread by humans.
Green Turtle
Green turtles feed on seagrasses. They also eat the venomous box jellyfish. They get their name from the colour of their fat.
Mandarin Fish
The exotic mandarin fish has no scales for protection. Instead, it is covered in smelly toxic mucus and spines to deter predators.
Australian Wildlife Australian Fauna
Photo: world map with Australia highlighted
Australia is home to some of the most unique wildlife on Earth. An astonishing 69% of its mammal species, 93% of reptiles, 94% of amphibians, 46% of birds, and 96% of invertebrates are found only in Australia. The exceptional uniqueness of Australia's fauna is the result of its prolonged geographic isolation from the rest of the world. For millions of years, Australia remained isolated from neighbouring landmasses, preventing the influx of new animal species. Consequently, the resident wildlife underwent distinct evolutionary changes, adapting to the country's arid and challenging environment in splendid isolation.
There Were No
Mice, Apes & Monkeys
in Australia
Until Europeans came to Australia in 1788, there were no hoofed animals (like horses, cattle, goats, deer, etc.) in Australia. There were no apes or monkeys in Australia either.
Starting from about 5,000 years ago, humans have brought many new animal species to Australia. For example, the dingo was brought to Australia by ancient seafarers about 5,000 years ago. Then, starting from 1788, European settlers introduced many other animals such as cattle, sheep, camels, and rabbits. These animals are certainly not native to Australia and are referred to as Introduced Australian Animals.
Australian Mammals Types of Native and Introduced Mammals in Australia
Photo: Wallaby hopping
There are three types of mammals in Australia. These are monotremes, marsupials, and placentals.
Photo: Platypus swimming underwater
Monotremes first appeared between 145–99 million years ago and are the oldest type of Australian mammals. Two out of the five known species of monotremes in the world live in Australia. The echidna and platypus are two such animals found in Australia.
Marsupials appeared about 64-65 million years ago and are the second oldest type of mammal found in Australia. They occupy every niche of the Australian habitat and range from the large red kangaroo to marsupials smaller than a mouse.
Placental mammals are relatively recent arrivals to Australia. Bats were the first to arrive, getting here about 23 million years ago. Rodents came 5-10 million years ago. These animals reached Australia by flying or hitching a ride on floating debris and crossing the oceans that separated Australia from Asia as Australia stated drifting slowly closer to Asia. These placental mammals make up a tiny percentage of the total mammalian population. Humans introduced several animals. The dingo was the first of these, coming here about 5,000 years ago. Beginning in 1788, many types of placental mammals such as cattle, foxes and rabbits were brought to Australia.
Australian Amphibians and Reptiles Some are the Most Poisonous Snakes
Photo: Red-bellied Black Snake
Australia has many amphibians and reptiles found nowhere else in the world.
Snakes – Australia has 140 species of land snakes and 32 species of sea snakes. Of these about a 100 are poisonous snakes. The bite from about 12 of these can be fatal to humans. The taipan and red-bellied black snake are some such poisonous snakes.
Photo: Blue-tongue lizard
Lizards – There are over 700 species unique to Australia alone.
Frogs – Four families of native frogs numbering 230 species inhabit the continent. One hundred thirty-five of these are unique to Australia.
Crocodiles – Australia has two species of crocodiles. The Saltwater crocodile is the world's largest and can weigh as much as 1,000 kilos, and is known to attack humans. Freshwater crocodiles are much smaller and do not attack humans.
Turtles – There are 35 species of freshwater turtles. Six species of sea turtle also visit the coastlines.
Australian Birds Desert, Outback and Rainforest Birds of Australia
Photo: Australian red parrot
Ratites such as the emu and cassowary are large flightless birds similar to the ostrich. The emu lives in the Australian Outback. And the critically endangered cassowary lives in the tropical rainforests of Australia.
Megapods such as the Mallee fowl, trace their ancestry as far back as Gondwanan time. These stocky birds look somewhat like chickens, but they have small heads and large feet (that's why the name "megapod" meaning big-feet). These birds are usually found in forested areas.
Parrots unique to Australia comprise nearly 20% of the world's know species. These include the cockatoo and the almost extinct night parrot, which lives in the Australian desert.
Other birds, such as Kookaburras, are the world's largest kingfishers.
All Rights Reserved. (Last Updated: Nov 17, 2023)