Animals That You Can Only See in Australia

How many animals can you name that are unique to Australia? Australia is a wonderland with some extraordinary animals that only live on this far-away continent. The land down under has marsupials and other very interesting animals. Many of the world’s strangest living creatures are found in Australia. 

Wallabies

You thought we were starting with a kangaroo for animals only found in Australia? Well, you are almost correct. Wallabies are the smallest of the kangaroo family and are found in Australia. They are herbivores that mostly eat grass and are usually solitary animals.

Wallabies are not as common as kangaroos and have not adapted as well to the loss of natural habitat. Like other larger marsupials, the kangaroo has large feet and rear legs for bounding and large tails for balancing on their rear legs. They are found in the more remote areas of Australia and New Guinea.

Kangaroos

Yes, we can’t have a list of Australian animals without mentioning the wallabies’ larger cousins. Kangaroos are marsupials and females have the well-known pouches in which joeys (baby kangaroos) are carried. Kangaroos are also herbivores eating mostly grass. They can be as large as two meters tall and weigh up to 90kg.

These large kangaroos have adapted much better to the loss of natural habitat due to farming activities and are abundant throughout Australia. Kangaroos are found in Australia and New Guinea. 

Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is the size of a cat. They are carnivorous marsupials and are found in Tasmania. They are well known for a very strong bite as well as the loud screech they make. Sounds like they are very aptly named.

Thorny Devil

On to more devils with the thorny devil in this case. The thorny dragon, or thorny devil as they are also known, are lizards covered in spiky thorns as a defense against predators. They grow up to about 21 cm in length and mostly eat insects like ants.

Wombats

Back to the marsupials with a wombat. Wombats are nocturnal and rarely seen in daylight. They are herbivores and mostly eat grass, roots, and bark. They also have an upside-down pouch because they are burrowers and this way their pouches don’t get filled up with dirt when digging. 

Koala

No list of Australian animals will be complete without these animals. Koalas are not bears, but marsupials. They live in eucalyptus forests and eat the leaves of these trees. They are mostly sedentary and solitary animals. Koalas are tree-dwelling marsupials and that is where they sleep and eat. Eucalyptus leaves are not rich in energy and koalas can sleep up to 20 hours a day to make up for this. 

Dingo

Dingos are canines and they are very closely related to domesticated dogs. These are the largest predators that are still existing in Australia today. They can prey on mammals as large as some kangaroos and also eat reptiles, fish, and insects.

Echidna

Echidnas are very rare egg-laying mammals. Together with platypus and echidnas, these are the only egg-laying living mammals. Echidna eats worms, larvae, ants, and termites. They also have electroreceptive beaks with electro sensors that help them find burrowing insects and worms.

Although echidnas might look similar to anteaters they are not closely related to them at all. Their closest relations are the platypus. Echidna and platypus are the only living members of the order Monotremata which are egg-laying mammals. 

Platypus

Except for echidna, the platypus is the only other living egg-laying mammal. These unique mammals look like no other animal on earth. They appear to have bills like ducks, feet like otters, and tails like beavers. 

The platypus is a semi-aquatic animal that lives in Tasmania and Eastern Australia. The platypus is carnivorous and finds its prey with the help of electrolocation. Similar to echidna they have electroreceptors on their bills and this helps them sense the muscle contractions of prey.

Emu

Emus are large long-legged, long-necked, and flightless birds. Sounds familiar? Yes, emus are related to ostriches. Emus are the second-largest (tallest) living birds. Their cousins the ostriches being the largest. They can reach up to 1,9 m in height. They are also the largest endemic bird in Australia. 

Emus are omnivores that eat plants and insects. They are a very hardy species that can survive in harsh conditions. Emus live in various habitats across Australia. They can also run at speed of up to 50 km/h. 

Australia is a unique wonderland of interesting animals. The geographical isolation of the continent explains many of the unique animals that are only found here. Can you think of any more animals unique to Australia?