1. Australian Wildlife Australia became a separate continent about 100 million years ago. Since that time, its animals have developed differently from those on other continents. Many species live only in Australia. Some of Australia’s most famous animals are its marsupials, or pouched mammals. They are different from other animals because young marsupials live, feed and grow in a pouch on their mother’s abdomen. The more well-know animals are the echidana, platypus, kangaroo, koala, dingo, thorny devil and the kookaburra.

2. Echidna The echidna, or spiny anteater, has a long snout and strong claws—ideal for finding and eating insects. These anteaters are also found on the nearby island of New Guinea.

3. Platypus The world’s only egg-laying mammals live in Australia. The platypus is a duck-billed creature that lives in the streams of south-eastern Australia.

4. Kangaroo The largest Australian marsupials are the kangaroos, of which there are about 50 different species. Kangaroos hop along on their two back legs, and large red and grey kangaroos can cover up to 9 metres in one bound. Wallabies are the best known of the smaller kinds of kangaroo.

5. Koala These remarkable creatures spend almost all their time in Australia’s most famous trees—eucalyptus, or gum trees as Australians like to call them. Koalas feed only on the leaves of certain kinds of eucalyptus trees.

6. Dingo The Dingo is Australia's wild dog. It is found in Australia, in all states but Tasmania. The Dingo is a medium sized dog, with a bushy tail, and red to yellow coat. Dingos do not bark, but they do howl.

7. Thorny Devil The thorny devil is an amazing Australian reptile covered in thorns but is totally harmless. They are found in central and western Australia throughout deserts and light bushland. The thorny devil is on average about 20 cms long, and they feed on a wide variety of ants.

8. Kookaburra Kookaburras, known as the Laughing Jackasses of Australia, are from the family Kingfishers. Kookaburras inhabit woodland areas of eastern and south western Australia. It’s rolling, laughing call is one of the best-known sounds in the animal world.