Visit down under and see some of the most unique and unusual animals that call this place home!
Australia’s weird and wonderful wildlife is without a doubt one of the key draws for visitors travelling to Australia. The native species range from unique marsupials to dangerous reptiles, which wander through Eucalyptus forests and across sprawling escarpments. The best part, though? Many of them can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Here are some of the best-loved creatures in Australia.
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Koala
The cuddly koala is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most beloved animals. Found mostly in the south-eastern and eastern parts of the country, they spend most of their days asleep in the crooks of trees. As their diet only consists of eucalyptus leaves, you can mostly find them in eucalypti forests. Their name stems from a number of Indigenous Australian languages, which means ‘no drink’ due to the creatures getting 90% of their liquid intake from the Eucalyptus leaves, which wonder they’re always munching away.
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Kangaroo
Australia animal is the kangaroo. They are the largest living marsupial – animals that carry their young in pockets attached to the front of their bodies. There are four species found in Australia: the red kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the western grey kangaroo, and the antilopine kangaroo. You’ll find them all over Australia as well as in Tasmania and some of the smaller surrounding islands. They mostly gravitate towards forests, woodlands, grassy plains, and savannas.
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Tasmanian Devil
Not just a cartoon character, the Tasmanian Devil is an unusual little mammal found only on the island of Tasmania. They are loosely related to koalas and kangaroos, as they are also marsupials, and you’re most likely to find them in eucalyptus forests, woodlands, scrubland on the coast, and lush agricultural areas. By day, these creatures shelter from the sun under stones and in caves to keep cool.
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Platypus
These historic creatures look like they’re made up of a mishmash of animals, with the bill and webbed feet of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and the body and fur of an otter. They tend to hunt underwater, picking food up off the bottom of rivers and lakes, and they get around either by swimming elegantly through the water with their webbed feet or by using the large surface area of their feet to run on dry land.
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Echidna
Echidnas are definitely the strangest looking animals on our list, but they are also famous for their unusual habits and history. They are thought to be the oldest surviving mammal on the entire planet, all due to their low body temperature that slows down their metabolism. In Australia, there are five sub-species of short-beaked echidnas that can be found all over the country, including rainforests and arid zones.
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Wombat
These cute Australian creatures use their huge claws to dig shelters and burrows into open grasslands and eucalyptus forests – their environments of choice – and they tend to live solitary lifestyles. As nocturnal animals, they venture out at night to feed on roots, grasses, and barks.
Related article: 9 bucket list experiences for your trip to Australia
