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Australia is home to some of the world's most unique and fascinating animals. Its geographical isolation has meant that its wildlife has evolved separately from animals in many other parts of the world, resulting in a number of unique animal groups with curious ways of surviving in Australia's harsh, dry environment. The continent is known for its diverse landscapes, from the stark outback to the lush Daintree rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's native wildlife ranges from tiny marsupials to enormous birds and one-of-a-kind mammals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of native bird species | 46% of all birds in Australia are endemic to the country |
| Number of native mammal species | 69% of all mammals in Australia are endemic to the country |
| Number of native amphibian species | 94% of all amphibians in Australia are endemic to the country |
| Number of native reptile species | 93% of all reptiles in Australia are endemic to the country |
| Number of native insect species | 75% of all known Australian species are insects |
| Number of native marsupial species | Over 330 |
| Number of native monotreme species | 2 |
| Number of native venomous snake species | 9 out of 140 |
| Number of native frog species made extinct by humans | 3 |
| Number of native bird species made extinct by humans | 24 (3 from the mainland) |
| Number of native mammal species made extinct by humans | 33 (27 from the mainland) |
| Number of native reptile species made extinct by humans | 1 |
| Number of native placental mammal species | Few |
| Examples of native animals | Koalas, kangaroos, wombats, dingos, wallabies, platypuses, echidnas, Tasmanian devils, kookaburras, emus, rainbow lorikeets, pademelons, crocodiles, thylacines |
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What You'll Learn
Dingoes, wild dogs and descendants of Indian wolves
Dingoes are Australia's wild dogs. They are an ancient breed of domestic dog that was introduced to Australia, probably by Asian seafarers, about 4,000 years ago. They are a medium-sized canine with a lean, hardy body adapted for speed, agility, and stamina. Their three main coat colourations are light ginger or tan, black and tan, or creamy white. They can also be dark brown. The skull of a dingo is wedge-shaped and appears large in proportion to the body. They have longer canine teeth than a domestic dog, and their muzzle is longer and tapered.
Dingoes are closely related to the New Guinea singing dog, but dingoes are taller. They can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour and have flexible shoulder joints, which help them climb fences, cliffs, trees, and rocks. They prefer high vantage points. Dingoes rarely carry excess fat and wild ones often have exposed ribs. Those in northern and northwestern Australia tend to be larger than those in central and southern Australia.
Dingoes are distinct from dogs and wolves, though they are often classified as a form of domestic dog or a subspecies of wolf. They have unique anatomical features, including a wider head and longer snout. They are a protected species in Australia, though "dingo-dogs", hybrids of dingoes and dogs, are considered pests due to their killing of livestock.
Dingoes are comfortable around humans and often live alongside Indigenous Australians, but they are capable of living independently. They can breed with other breeds of domestic dogs. Pure dingoes breed once a year, producing litters of between four and six pups.
Dingoes are just one of many fascinating native Australian animals. Others include kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koalas, platypuses, echidnas, and Tasmanian devils.
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Kangaroos, powerful jumpers and swimmers
Kangaroos are Australia's most famous animals, and they are the country's only native marsupials. They are identified by their muscular tails, strong back legs, large feet, short fur and long, pointed ears. Female kangaroos have pouches that contain mammary glands, where their young, known as joeys, live until they are old enough to emerge.
Kangaroos are powerful jumpers, able to jump 30 feet long and 10 feet high in a single bound. They can travel at over 30 miles per hour, with a top speed of 40 miles per hour. Their powerful tails and front paws also make them excellent swimmers. They can swim at a speed of 3 feet per second, or 1 meter per second, and they move each foot independently as they paddle forward.
Kangaroos are highly intelligent. Research has shown that kangaroos from the red kangaroo and eastern grey species use their left hand about 95% of the time to complete important tasks such as grooming or eating. They typically use their right hand for strength and their left hand for precision, challenging the assumption that handedness is unique to primates.
Kangaroos live in groups, dubbed mobs by Australians, which typically consist of 50 or more individuals. They have a chambered stomach, similar to cows, and feast on a wide variety of plants. They regurgitate their food before chewing and swallowing it again, with their highly specialized teeth helping them break down low trees, grasses, and leafy shrubs effectively.
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Koalas, eucalyptus-eating, excellent sense of smell
Koalas are one of Australia's most iconic animals, known for their love of eucalyptus leaves. They have a very powerful sense of smell, which is their most highly developed sense, and it plays a crucial role in their survival.
Koalas are very fussy eaters, and their diet primarily consists of eucalyptus leaves, also known as gum leaves. They eat between 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day, and they are very particular about the type of leaves they consume. In Australia, there are over 600 types of eucalypts, but koalas will only eat a small proportion of these. They have a strong preference for fresh leaves, as they are more nutritious and better for their survival.
The koala's sharp front incisors are used to nip leaves from the tree, and their back teeth, or molars, are shaped to cut and shear the leaves rather than crush them. A gap between the incisors and molars, called a 'diastema', allows the tongue to move the leaves around the mouth efficiently.
Koalas have a highly specialized sense of smell, which helps them distinguish their food sources. They can track eucalyptus forests from miles away and can identify the quality of the leaves and the trees with the most strategic food availability. This is particularly important during turbulent times when their usual food sources may be destroyed.
The koala's strong sense of smell also helps them recognize the scent of other koalas, as well as the bellow of other male koalas. They have a home range within their colony area and home trees within that range. Their sense of smell is so strong that humans can sometimes smell them when they are out in the bush, especially during the breeding season when male koalas have well-developed scent glands.
Koalas also have a special fibre-digesting organ called a caecum, which is much longer than that of humans, at 200 cms. The caecum contains millions of bacteria that break down the fibre in the gum leaves into substances that are easier for the koala to absorb. However, the koala is still only able to absorb 25% of the fibre eaten, and their bodies need a lot of energy to digest the leaves, which is why they sleep or rest for up to 22 hours each day to conserve energy.
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Platypuses, egg-laying mammals with duck bills
Platypuses, also known as duck-billed platypuses, are semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammals native to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Platypuses are part of an ancient lineage of monotremes, which are mammals that lay eggs. They are the sole living representative of their family, Ornithorhynchidae, and genus, Ornithorhynchus. Platypuses have an average body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F), lower than the 37 °C (99 °F) typical of placental mammals. They have a reptilian gait with legs on the sides of their body, rather than underneath.
The platypus's bill is soft and covered with sensitive skin that contains thousands of electroreceptors. These electroreceptors help the platypus detect electric fields and tiny electrical currents generated by the muscular contractions of prey, allowing it to hunt underwater with its eyes, ears, and nostrils closed. The watertight nostrils on its bill remain sealed, allowing the animal to stay submerged for up to two minutes while foraging for food. Platypuses have no teeth, so they store their catch in their cheek pouches and mash it up with gravel before swallowing.
Female platypuses lay their eggs in underground burrows near the water's edge. They typically lay between one and three leathery eggs, which they incubate by curling their bodies around them. The eggs develop in three phases: in the first phase, the embryo has no functional organs and relies on the yolk sac for sustenance; during the second phase, the digits develop; and in the final phase, the egg tooth appears. After about 10 days, the eggs hatch, and the mother feeds her young by secreting milk through specialised mammary glands, as she lacks nipples. The young remain in the burrow for about three to four months before venturing out on their own.
Platypuses are mostly nocturnal, being most active at dusk and dawn. This lifestyle helps them avoid predators and conserve energy. They are agile swimmers, paddling with their front feet and steering with their hind feet and tail. Platypuses are one of the few species of venomous mammals, as male platypuses have a sharp, venomous spur on each hind leg, which they use for defence. While the venom is not fatal to humans, it can cause intense pain and swelling.
The duck-billed platypus is currently classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss, water pollution, and predation by invasive species. Human activities such as dam construction, land clearing, and pollution have severely impacted their natural habitats. Conservation efforts are underway to protect this iconic species, emphasising the preservation of freshwater ecosystems.
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Wombats, muscular diggers with burrows up to hundreds of feet
Wombats are muscular diggers that create extensive burrow systems, with interconnecting tunnels and designated sleeping chambers. These burrows can be up to 100 feet long and 11.5 feet deep, and are often shared with other species, including wallabies, rabbits, foxes, and lizards. Wombats use their rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws to dig these intricate tunnel systems.
Wombats are native to Australia and are among the largest burrowing mammals in the world. They are marsupials, related to koalas and kangaroos, and have brown, tan, or grey fur. While they may resemble short, stocky bears, wombats are actually stout, sturdy, and powerful, with short, muscular legs and sharp claws. They typically waddle but can reach impressive speeds of 40 kph when running.
Wombats are expert diggers, and their burrows serve as a means of defence against predators. If threatened, wombats will escape to their burrows, using their tough, thick-skinned rumps to crush a predator's skull against the burrow's roof. Their lack of a meaningful tail and the cartilage that makes up most of their posterior make it difficult for predators to bite or injure them as they retreat into their tunnels.
There are three species of wombats: the common wombat, the northern hairy-nosed wombat, and the southern hairy-nosed wombat. The northern hairy-nosed wombat is considered critically endangered, with just over 100 individuals remaining in Epping Forest National Park in eastern Australia. The southern hairy-nosed wombat is listed as "near threatened," and the common wombat is of "least concern." All three species of wombats are protected in every Australian state, and conservation groups are working to safeguard their habitats.
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