15 Super Cool Animals That You May Find Only In Australia

Exotic wildlife is the first thing that strikes our mind when we think of Australia. Australia is home for a wide range of animal species. Australian flora and fauna is unusual and exotic. The animal and bird species we get to see in Australia are typically not found in other parts of the world.

Let’s have a quick look at 15 of Australia’s super cool animals!

“Think Australia – Think Kangaroo”! Kangaroos belong to the ‘marsupial’ class of animals. They are native to the Australian continent. They carry their babies in a pouch-like biological structure called marsupium. These animals give birth to their babies (called joeys) in an underdeveloped form. They keep their babies in the marsupium, and feed them until they complete the postnatal development. Kangaroos are mostly herbivorous.

Koalas are popular around the world for their cute and innocent appearance. These happy looking animals belong to the Australian continent, and fall under the same marsupial class as kangaroos. Koalas or koala bears are vegetarian animals, and eat eucalyptus leaves. Though they are called koala bears, koalas are not bears! Their relatives are wombats and other marsupials like kangaroos. Their resemblance to the teddy bear must also be noted.

Wombats are another cool animal species that you only find in Australia. They look like small sized bears, and live in burrows dug under the ground. Wombats are vegetarian animals; they normally eat grass and roots. Wombats are strong, and can dig burrows up to a hundred feet in depth. These animals spend most of their day hiding in their burrows, and come out for food at night.

Kookaburra is a beautiful yet noisy bird you will see in Australia. These birds are also known by the name ‘laughing jackass’. Kookaburra birds belong to the Kingfisher family, and eat mostly insects and worms. These birds incredibly make sounds that resemble the human laugh. Kookaburras grow up to 10 cm in height, and lay 3 to 5 eggs during their breeding cycle.

Platypus is one of two egg-laying mammals in the world, which is again a native to the Australian continent. Platypus look cool and confusing at the same time with a body like a semi-aquatic animal and bill like a bird. Platypus are mammals, but they don’t lactate like other female mammals, as these animals don’t have nipples – you won’t see them in Playboy. Platypus lactate through pores in their skin, and the special groove like structure on its body help it to pool milk.

If you ever wonder what could be the world’s happiest animal, it should be the Quokka! Quokka are small rat like creatures that are found mostly in Rottnest Island, Australia. Quokka are super cute with a smily face, giving an impression that they are happy and always smiling. These animals are nocturnal, meaning they eat and move around only during the night. Quokka have long and strong hind legs with sharp claws.

Leafy sea dragons are weird looking creatures found in the sea waters of Australia. They are basically a fish species, and belong to the seahorse family. Leafy sea dragons possess leaf-like structures all over their bodies, making them look more like a plant/tree than a creature. Sea dragons are camouflage masters! They act like plants to protect themselves from predators.

Emu is the second largest bird in the world, standing next only to ostrich in terms of size. Emu is a native Australian bird, found on the Australian Coat of Arms along with Kangaroo. These birds can swim and run fast, reaching speeds up to 50 kmph. Emu are grown throughout the world on poultry farms for their meat. 

Echidna, commonly known as spiny anteaters, are native Australian mammals that lay eggs. These animals look similar to porcupines and hedgehogs, though the 3 belong to different animal classes. Just like the platypus, echidna lactate via their skin pores. Echidnas eat insects and ants, and live in burrows dug by other animals.

Galahs are too cute miss out on! Galahs are cockatoos, found everywhere in Australia. These pink and grey colored cockatoos live and move around in the forests as flocks. These bids are quite noisy, and known for their playfulness. Galahs mostly eat seeds, grains, insects and worms.

Bilbies resemble rabbits, and are known by the name ‘rabbit-bandicoots’.  These are Australian native animals, found mostly in Central Australia. This is an endangered species and their population has drastically come down in the last few years, mainly because of the habitat loss. Bilbies live in burrows, and eat seeds, fruits, and insects.

Dingos are Australian wild dogs that grow up to four feet in length, and weigh up to 30 pounds. These wild dogs usually have reddish-brown fur with white patches. Though Dingos relate more to a dog than a fox, they don’t bark like dogs. Dingoes actually howl like foxes. Surprisingly, dingoes live both on a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. They hunt other animals in the forest like kangaroos for food, and eat fruits as well.

These birds are amazing singers! Superb Fairywrens are known for their ability to sing amazing tunes. The birds which are found mostly in the eastern parts of Australia, are among the few species of birds that possess strikingly bright colors. Male fairywrens in particular have a distinct color combination of blue and sky blue, while their female counterparts posses a dull grey color. Fairywrens sing to their eggs, and teach a unique note to their hatching babies. This note acts like a ‘pass-code’ between the babies and their mothers, so the babies do not respond to the calls of other birds like cuckoos.

Freshwater crocodiles or Johnston crocodiles are native to the Australian continent, found everywhere in Australia but in more numbers around Queensland. They grow at a very slow pace, and reach up to 10 feet in length. These animals are known to be cannibals, meaning they eat their eggs or new hatchings when food is scarce. Freshwater crocodiles mostly eat fish and small birds. These crocodiles don’t attack humans unless they are threatened. 

Saltwater crocodile or estuarine crocodiles are the most dangerous animals in Australia. These animals are huge, aggressive and are highly notorious for attacking and killing humans. The saltwater crocodiles attack and eat large prey like horses and wild buffaloes. These monster crocodiles grow up to 7 meters in length and weigh over 1000 KGs.