It’s no secret that Australia is home to some of the world’s most unique creatures! Australian wildlife shows us how crazy nature can be. From the vast expanses of outback to the depths of the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest floors of the Daintree, the nature in Australia is unlike any other in the world.
Platypus
The platypus is a fascinating creature. It’s like nature stitched a load of parts together to form one animal. Platypuses are part mammal, reptile and bird. They have a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver, and a reptile-like body! The males can be venomous, having spurs on their back legs, which can be harmful if you touch them.
Weird fact about platypuses: What makes the platypus so interesting is its hunting methods! They can sense movement of their prey from afar, using receptors on their bills that can pick up electrical signals from far away.
They do this by closing off all their other senses to help optimise their electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors that are all symmetrically arranged in lines along their duck-like bill. This heightens their senses and means they can sense the tiny electrical signals that pass through the water! These electroreceptors are very sensitive, having up to 30 nerve endings. As they close their eyes, they will sway their heads back and forth to help them sense the movements underwater.
For example, a tiny shrimp could make a movement that causes a ripple under the water. The platypus’s bill will sense this movement, and they’ll be able to track down the shrimp and munch on their next meal.
Where can I find a platypus?
You’ll find lots of platypuses in the wild in rivers and estuaries all over Australia! They are particularly common in Latrobe, Tasmania.
Cassowaries
These flightless birds are often described as the closest living thing that we have to dinosaurs. These incredible birds can grow as tall as humans. With dagger-like claws on their feet, the Daintree Cassowaries are best appreciated from a distance!
Weird Cassowary fact: They help keep the rainforest alive through their pooping habits. Cassowaries eat and digest seeds of a large fruit (cassowary plum). When they poop out the fruit, the fruit grows into a new tree, which keeps the rainforest growing!
Where can I see a cassowary?
You can see cassowaries in the wild in Far North Queensland. They roam around Daintree Rainforest at dawn or peruse around Mission Beach in their natural habitats.
Saltwater Crocodile
The largest living reptile on Earth, and one of Australia’s top predators. Saltwater crocs can grow over 6 metres long, swim in both rivers and the ocean, and launch explosive attacks from the water’s edge. They’ve barely changed since the days of dinosaurs.
Weird fact about crocs: Crocs can replace thousands of teeth within the same lifetime. No dentist needed for salty crocs!
Where can I see a Saltwater Crocodile?
It’s probably wise that you don’t go looking for a salty yourself! Instead, hop on a croc cruise in Far North Queensland or Darwin, and watch these majestic beasts from the safety of a boat.
Tasmanian Devil
Small, stocky but fierce, the Tasmanian devil is known for its bone-crunching bite and screeching calls. They are small for their size and have piercing calls. They can even devour bones and fur of their prey. However, despite being shy mammals, they only really come out at night.
Weird fact about Tasmanian devils: They have one of the strongest bites known from any mammal and can devour any part of a carcass. Yikes.
Where can I see a Tasmanian Devil?
It’s in the name…you can see them in Tasmania. They became extinct on mainland Australia about 3000 years ago. In the wild, they roam around forests and bushlands in Tasmania.
Kangaroo
The kangaroo seems like a normal marsupial until you remember they can balance on their tail, box, and leap over 8 metres in one single jump. Kangaroos are muscular, fast, and can be intense in the wild! In some regions of Australia, kangaroos are considered a pest.
Weird fact about kangaroos: It’s estimated that there are around 30 to 50 million kangaroos in Australia! There’s about a 2:1 kangaroo to human ratio!
Where can I see a kangaroo?
Pretty much any region of Australia has kangaroos. There are millions and millions of kangaroos hopping around the whole country. You don’t even have to go that far out of the city to find them!
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