Travel Australia
Wildlife in AustraliaWildlife in Australia
Australia's Unique Wildlife
Australia's wildlife is indeed unique even as relates to a very diverse planet but of this antipodean state it may also be said, it is extremely prolific.
Only a small part of the truly vast array of unique wildlife will be noted here as likely to be easily seen and appreciated on an average visit from overseas. Australia has an estimated 1 million native species of its flora( the bulk of that figure) and fauna and 80% of these are strictly unique to this land.
An island-continent long isolated following the break-up of the southern super continent of Gondwanaland, Australia became a separate entity 45 million years ago. This isolation is exceeded only by New Zealand and Antarctica, however the intervening eons have served to evolve an extraordinary range of amazing creatures that it's neighbors do not share.
Australia has over 387 mammal species, 300 lizard species, 828 bird species, 140 snake species plus two crocodile species one of which, the Salt Water Crocodile - over 20',( 6 metres) in length - is the worlds largest reptile.
Generally the most well known and popular animals of Australia are the koala, kangaroo, dingo, echidna, platypus and wombat.
The koala's habitat is along the eastern and southern areas of the continent in the states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. A marsupial like many of Australia's mammals, they carry their young in pouches under the mother, this a particularly cute and cuddly bear-like animal hence its misnamed moniker 'koala bear'. No relationship to a bear, it is tree dweller whom fills the ecological niche akin to a sloth. They are arboreal and feed during the night on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. They are about the size of a rotund terrier and have a soft fur with longish tufts from the ears.
The kangaroo is Australia's iconic mammal and the 'Roos' as they are called, can be quite large as in the largest the Red kangaroo – adult males 6' ( 1.82m) - found in arid hot central Australia. The two other main species, the Eastern Grey and Western kangaroo are slightly smaller. Roos are typically found in 'mobs' of a dozen up to 50 or more but usually have one dominant male whom leads them.
The echidna as with the platypus are termed monotremes and are truly unique. Incredibly although they are mammals they lay eggs as though they were birds.
A unique porcupine/hedgehog looking creature, it is a marsupial carrying its young in a pouch.
The long billed echidna has 2,000 electroreceptors on its snout to detect prey and with a long snout like all anteaters it has a long sticky tongue which it uses to feed on ants and termites.
The platypus has to be natures most bizarre of all combinations. Although a mammal, it has a ducks bill- with 40,000 electroreceptors on it with which to detect its prey,- a furry body with a beaver-like tail and lays eggs. It is also the only mammal that is venomous, the male having a spur on its hind legs that can inflict great pain to humans.
The size of a small cat, it is semi-aquatic and ranges the entire eastern coast of Australia. It feeds on crustaceans, tadpoles,frogs, fishes, earthworms and mollusks.
The Dingo is an ancient wild dog indigenous to Australia. Medium sized it is a handsome, usually ginger fawn colored canine possessed of high intelligence. Although long domesticated by the Australian Aborigines, they feed in the wild on lizards, grasshoppers, and almost any prey able to be taken all the way up to wallaby and kangaroo. They usually forage and hunt at dawn and dusk and have
often erroneously been blamed for sheep predation when the more common larger, more aggressive cross breeds of dingo/domestic dogs are the culprits. The males can be up to 24 kg in weight and their range is throughout all Australia except Tasmania.
The Wombat is a very charming looking creature. A marsupial, it is chubby, short legged, powerfully built and 'guinea-pig' like in appearance distinguished by an enormous head.
About 1 metre (39 ins) long in the males, they have cute little ears and eyes. Their habitat is all of south eastern Australia and their diet is mainly sedges, grasses, bark, herbs and roots. Carrying its young in a rear facing pouch under the mothers belly, this is advantageous in digging the elaborate and extensive burrow systems it favors along stream and river banks. Like the koala, it has an extremely slow metabolism and thus generally move slowly.
