The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. Because of...
The quokka (Setonix brachyurus), is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. In 1696, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh mistook these animals for giant rats, and renamed the Wadjemup island 't Eylandt 't Rottenest, which means "the rat...
The dingo (Canis familiaris, Canis familiaris dingo, Canis dingo, or Canis lupus dingo) is an ancient (basal) lineage of dog found in Australia. It is variously considered a form of domestic dog not warranting recognition as a subspecies, a...
The Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a large cosmopolitan raptor in the family Falconidae. It is renowned for its speed during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest...
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls,...
The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. Emus can travel...
The Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small arboreal gliding possum that belongs to the marsupial infraclass. It is so called due to loving sweet food such as sugar and honey, while the word 'glider' refers to their gliding habit when moving...
The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie ( BUJ-ee), or in American English, the parakeet. It is closely related to lories and fig parrots. The origin of the budgerigar's name is unclear....
The bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is one of the most common indigenous species of rat on the continent, found in many heathland areas of Victoria and New South Wales.
The cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is a member of its own branch of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia. They are prized as household pets and companion parrots throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed. As a caged bird,...
The Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. In many places, including campsites and suburban gardens, wild lorikeets are so used to humans that they can be hand-fed. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in...
The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a passerine bird most closely related to the Black butcherbird. It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is a corvid. Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds,...
The Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a species of highly venomous snake native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It was first described by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron, and Auguste Duméril in 1854. The Eastern brown...
The Red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is an iconic symbol of Australia and like all Australian wildlife, the Red kangaroo is...
The Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a large long-legged wading bird of the heron native to Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It lives in wetland areas and feeds on various aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or...
The Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-colored booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. The Wedge-tailed eagle is highly...
The Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a nocturnal, semiarboreal marsupial native to Australia. It is the second-largest of the possums. It is mainly a folivore and in most Australian habitats, eucalyptus leaves are a significant...
The Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a large robust kingfisher. It is native to eastern mainland Australia but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. These birds do not migrate and occupy the...
The Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is a large flightless bird closely related to the emu, ostriches, rheas and kiwis. It looks somewhat like a huge prehistoric turkey on stilts, wearing a large pointed casque or helmet. It is the second...
The Black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae. Unlike others in the group, Black kites...
Tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) are large, big-headed birds native to Australia that are often mistaken for an owl due to their nocturnal habits and similar coloring. They are sometimes incorrectly referred to as "mopoke", a common name for...
The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. These amazing birds perform the longest migrations known in the animal world. They have a circumpolar breeding distribution and see two summers each year. Arctic terns nest once...
The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an insectivorous marsupial that was once widespread across southern Australia, but is now restricted to several small colonies in Western Australia. It is therefore considered an endangered species and protected...
The Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron named for its association with cattle. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western cattle...
The Sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a relatively large cockatoo found in wooded areas in Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests....
The Frill-necked lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is a species of lizard native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Its common names come from the large frill around its neck, which usually stays folded against the lizard's body....
The Red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a species of venomous snake native to Australia. Originally described by George Shaw in 1794 as a species new to science, it is one of eastern Australia's most commonly encountered snakes. It...
The Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world. These birds have a stocky appearance as if hunched over, the head tucked down into the shoulders, and they are usually seen...
The Common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is a species of death adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and globally. It is widespread throughout its native range but is facing increased threat from...
The Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. Many fishermen see in the Great cormorant a competitor for fish. Because of this, it was hunted nearly to extinction in the past but luckily due to...
The Australian green tree frog (Ranoidea caerulea ), also known as simply green tree frog in Australia, White's tree frog, or dumpy tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in the United...
The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) is a large wading bird widespread across much of Australia. While it is closely related to the African sacred ibis, the Australian white ibis is a native Australian bird - contrary to urban myth, it...
The Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is a marsupial found only in Australia. It is the second largest and heaviest living marsupial and native land mammal in Australia. It is also known as the Great grey kangaroo and the Forester kangaroo.
The Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to Oceania. This snake is infamous for being an invasive species responsible for extirpating the majority of the native bird population in Guam. It is also one...
The Mulga snake (Pseudechis australis) is a highly venomous snake native to Australia. First described by English zoologist John Edward Gray in 1842, it is variable in appearance. The venom of this snake can cause severe effects if delivered in...
The Little egret (Egretta garzetta) is small elegant heron in the family Ardeidae. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. At one time common in Western Europe, the Little heron was hunted...
The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala ) is a bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, and is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. This miner is a grey bird, with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow patch...
The Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is one of four living species of echidna. It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout and a specialized tongue, which it uses to catch its insect prey at a great speed. The...
The Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami) is a widespread species of mound-building bird from eastern Australia. It has also been introduced to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is the largest extant representative of the family...
The Yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Zanda funerea) is a large cockatoo native to the forests of Australia. The species is not commonly seen in aviculture, especially outside Australia. Like most parrots, it is protected by CITES, an international...
The Red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) is a large black cockatoo native to Australia. These birds like to live in eucalyptus woodlands, or along water courses. They are cavity nesters, and as such depend on trees with fairly large...
The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) is an Australian native rodent first described in 1804. Having adapted to and colonized a unique niche of a semiaquatic and nocturnal lifestyle, this rakali lives in burrows on the banks of rivers, lakes and...
