Animals that live in Australia

Koala Koala’s are probably Australia’s best known animals. Koalas are often referred to as a Koala bear, however they are not a bear. The male koalas are larger than the female koalas. They eat Eucalyptus leaves and sleep for most of the day, only being active for around 2 hours every day.

Kangaroo In Australia you will find kangaroos hopping around in the wild. There are red and grey kangaroos. Kangaroos are very friendly although you have to watch as they have a powerful kick! Baby kangaroos are called joeys and sleep in their mother’s pouch.

Platypus The platypus is found in eastern Australia. They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes, and create burrows for shelter and protection. They are active mainly at nighttime hours, and use their webbed feet for swimming. When swimming the platypus has its eyes shut. Platypuses feed on insect larvae, worms or other freshwater insects. They do so mainly at night, by the use of their bill.

Wombat The northern hairy-nosed wombat is classified as critically endangered and is one of the rarest animals in the world. Brownish grey soft, silky fur covers the northern hairy-nosed wombat. Its head is wide with pointed ears. Northern hairy-nosed wombats have long claws and strong legs which aide the animal in digging burrows. The northern hairy-nosed wombat enjoys eating various grasses; two hours per night in the summer are spent eating and six hours per night in the winter.

Possum The brush tailed possum is one of seven species and is about the size of a cat. It has a pointy snout and a pink nose. Its whiskers are long. These possums live in gum trees, their nests usually hidden away in the forks of branches. They only come out at night time when it is dark.

Saltwater Crocodile The Saltwater Crocodile is the world's largest reptile. These amazing creatures are found on the northern coast of Australia and inland for up to 100 kms or more. The Saltwater Crocodile has been reported to grow to lengths of 7 metres!, but the average size of a Saltwater Crocodile is 4 metres long. When the crocodiles are born, only a very small number of these survive in the wild and grow to be adult crocodiles.

Great White Shark The Great White Shark’s are solitary animals, but have also been reported to swim in pairs or groups. They are found on all coasts of Australia, and furthermore throughout the World. They range between 3.5 to 5 metres long. The females are large than males. The Great White is grey in colour from the top, and white underneath. They have on average 2,800 teeth in their mouth, all in rows and triangle in shape. They are slanted on an angle inwards, which helps keep hold of their prey.

Brown Snake The brown snake is approximately 1.5 metres long, and is one of Australia's more deadly creatures. They have venom which can cause death to humans relatively quickly if left untreated. Brown snakes up to 2.3 metres have been recorded in Australia. They feed on small creatures, such as mice and rats, small birds, lizards or even other snakes. These snakes are found in Eastern Australia.   

Echidna The echidna is a solitary animal that burrows. When it is attacked, the echidna will burrow into the ground or curl itself into a ball using its spines as a method of defense against the predator. The echidna's spines cover the top of its body. Echidna's have long sharp claws on their feet. Their nose is very sensitive, they use this to find food, then they use their long sticky tongue to catch ants, worms and other such insects.

Dingo Dingoes are part of the dog family and can be dangerous. They are a wild animal and they hunt many animals including the kangaroo. They hunt at night and they rarely bark. It is illegal to keep a dingo as a pet without a license. Dingoes can be found all over Australia.

Kookaburra The Kookaburra is an Australian bird whose call sounds like a humans laughter, Kookaburras mate for life and can be found living in pairs or in a family group. Older siblings sometimes help their parents with the eggs.

Tasmanian Devil These little marsupials can be found on the Island of Tasmania, they look very vicious but in fact they would rather escape than fight. They will not attack humans but they will defend themselves. Devils eat huge amounts of food, they are carnivores and they often eat the bodies of other dead animals.

Wallaby Wallabies are a close relation of the kangaroo but they are much smaller. They are herbivores, this means they only eat plants. They rest during the day and they are very active at night. Wallabies are marsupial animals just like the kangaroo!