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Animals in Australia
Australia consists of three different biomes, or habitats: desert, savanna, and tropical. Each separate biome is made up of different types of animals that thrive in the particular climate.

' Desert

Known as a symbol of Australia, kangaroos live across the country, but many different species can be found in the Australian desert in the center of the continent. Kangaroos are not domesticated animals, and generally will shy away from humans when approached. The legs of a kangaroo are very strong, and it is possible for an adult kangaroo to kill an unarmed man.

' Savanna

Perhaps the most recognized native Australian animal after the kangaroo, dingoes are wild dogs that prowl the plains of this island nation. The dingo is a hunter, an attribute that makes this creature a nuisance to farmers, who often complain of having their livestock killed by dingoes. Dingoes are also known to attack small children, and have even mauled and killed Australian children.

Large, flightless emus are also native to the Australian plains, and can also be found in the desert. These birds are believed to have been around since prehistoric times, and are the second largest bird alive today, following the
Ostrich
ostrich. An unusual attribute to the emu is that, while females lay eggs, the male emus are the nesters and incubate the eggs until hatched. Emus are usually non-agressive, but have razor-sharp claws and should not be approached.

Koalas also live in the plains of Australia. Often called by the misnomer "koala bear", the koala is actually a type of marsupial, like the kangaroo. The koala prefers to eat the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree, specifically those of 120 specific types of the tree, which consists of over 600 types. As a marsupial, koalas have pouches where their young, called "joeys", live for the first six months of life before emerging.

' Tropical

One species many may be surprised to find in Australia is the fairy penguin, which lives on the tropical coastline. The birds hunt in the water, and can even swim miles to find food. The fairy penguin makes its nest on the shoreline, where it returns each night after a day spent hunting in the ocean.


Click here for a list of endangered animals in Australia. Australian sea lion
Afro-australian fur seal
Amsterdam island fur seal
Dolphins, porpoises, and whales in Australia
Dusky dolphin
Coalfish whale
Cuvier's beaked whale
Bryde's whale
Blue whale
Common rorqual
Arnoux's beaked whale
Southern right whale dolphin
Pygmy right whale
Southern right whale
Chinese white dolphin
Pygmy killer whale
Pacific pilot whale
Bridled dolphin
Long-finned pilot whale
Euphrosyne dolphin
Grey dolphin
Long-beaked dolphin
Rough-toothed dolphin
Bunch
False killer whale
Irrawaddy dolphin
Killer whale
Andrews' beaked whale
Blainville's beaked whale
Melon-headed whale
Flatheaded bottlenose whale
Shepherd's beaked whale
Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale
Gray's beaked whale
Bottle-nosed dolphin
Hector's beaked whale
Pygmy sperm whale
Layard's beaked whale
True's beaked whale
Fraser's dolphin
Atlantic dolphin
Hourglass dolphin
Common minke whale
Bats in Australia
Orange leaf-nosed bat
Little long-fingered bat
Yellow-bellied pouched bat
Greater long-eared bat
Moluccan naked-backed fruit bat
Troughton's pouched bat
Pygmy long-eared bat
Beccari's mastiff bat
Naked-rumped pouched bat
Eastern little mastiff bat
Southern free-tailed bat
Flores tube-nosed bat
Large-footed bat
Ustrailian myotis
Australian false vampire bat
Lesser long-tongued frut bat
Northern mastiff bat
Large-eared pied bat
Gould's wattled bat
Chocolate wattled bat
Hoary wattled bat
Southern blossom bat
Black flying fox
Dusky roundleaf bat
Little pied bat
White-striped free-tailed bat
Dusky flying fox
Fawn roundleaf bat
Coastal tomb bat
Spectacled flying-fox
Diadem roundleaf bat
Sharp-nosed tomb bat
Western broad-nosed bat
Small flying-fox
Semon's roundleaf bat
Hill's tomb bat
Little broad-nosed bat
Gray-headed flying fox
Narrow-eared roundleaf bat
Arnham tomb bat
Rüppell's broad-nosed bat
Little red flying fox
Northern broad-nosed bat
Common tube-nosed fruit bat
Queensland tube-nosed fruit bat
Northern long-eared bat
Smaller horseshoe bat
Lesser long-eared bat
Large-eared horseshoe bat
Gould's long-eared bat
Dasyuroid marsupials and marsupial carnivores in Australia
Lesser hairy-footed dunnart
Julia creek dunnart
Large desert marsupial-mouse
Fawn antechinus
Kangaroo island dunnart
Yellow-footed antechinus
Butler's dunnart
Banded anteater
Swamp antechinus
Chestnut dunnart
Brown antechinus
White-footed dunnart
Little red antechinus
Sooty dunnart
Red-tailed phascogale
Wongai ningaui
Brush-tailed phascogale
Pilbara ningaui
Paucident planigale
Long-tailed planigale
Common planigale
Narrow-nosed planigale
Fat-tailed antechinus
Ningbing antechinus
Woolley's antechinus
Kowari
Fat-tailed dunnart
Southern dibbler
Mulgara
Little long-tailed dunnart
Dusky antechinus
Gilbert's dunnart
White-tailed dunnart
Chuditch
Hairy-footed dunnart
Tasmanian tiger
Gre-bellied dunnart
Northern quoll
Long-tailed dunnart
Atherton antechinus
Eastern quoll
Stripe-faced dunnart
Cinnamon antechinus
Spotted-tailed quoll
Common dunnart
Ooldea dunnart
Red-cheeked dunnart
Kangaroos, possums, wallabies, and relatives in Australia
Mala
Antilopine wallaby
Sugar glider
Boongary
Unadorned rock wallaby
Eastern hare-wallaby
Black-striped wallaby
Monjon
Rothschild's rock wallaby
Banded hare-wallaby
Kangaroo island western grey kangaroo
Brush-tailed rock wallaby
Bridled nail-tailed wallaby
Northern hairy-nosed wombat
Whiptail wallaby
Prosperine rock wallaby
Quokka
Crescent nail-tailed wallaby
Common wallaroo
Ring-tailed rock wallaby
Eastern bettong
Bennett's wallaby
Black-footed rock wallaby
Boodie
Red kangaroo
Brush-tailed bettong
Northern nail-tailed wallaby
Allied rock wallaby
Nabarlek
Broom's pygmy-possum
Short-eared rock wallaby
Common phalanger
Buff-nosed rat-kangaroo
Red-bellied pademelon
Bernard's wallaroo
Red-necked pademelon
Long-tailed pygmy possum
Toolache wallaby
Red-legged pademelon
Koala
Common spotted cuscus
Western brush wallaby
Swamp wallaby
Parma wallaby
Western pygmy possum
Little pygmy-possum
Eastern pygmy possum
Greater glider
Leadbeater's possum
Rock possum
Lemuroid ringtail possum
Common ring-tailed possum
Long-footed potoroo
Honey possum
Broad-faced potoroo
Feathertail glider
Common brushtail possum
Striped possum
Green ringtail possum
Southern hairy-nosed wombat
Coarse-haired wombat
Long-nosed potoroo
Mountain brushtail possum
Tammar wallaby
Rufous bettong
Mahogany glider
Eastern grey kangaroo
Central hare-wallaby
Musky rat kangaroo
Squirrel glider
Scaly-tailed possum
Godman's rock wallaby
Spectacled hare-wallaby
Agile wallaby
Yellow-bellied glider
Bennett's tree kangaroo
Monotremes in Australia
Duck-billed platypus
Short-beaked echidna
Marsupial moles in Australia
Northern marsupial mole
Marsupial mole
Bandicoots and bilbies in Australia
Pig-footed bandicoot
Bilby
Lesser bilby
Northern brown bandicoot
Southern brown bandicoot
Long-nosed bandicoot
Barred bandicoot
Golden bandicoot
Desert bandicoot
Eastern barred bandicoot
Rodents in Australia
Hastings river mouse
Central rock rat
Pilliga mouse
Silver-tailed rock rat
Shark bay mouse
Arnham land rock rat
Blunt-faced rat
Carpentarian rock rat
Lakeland downs mouse
Ash-gray mouse
Kimberly rock rat
Forrest's mouse
Silky mouse
Lesser stick-nest rat
Plains mouse
Bolam's mouse
Greater stick-nest rat
Little native mouse
Western pebble-mound mouse
Brown desert mouse
Broad-toothed mouse
Short-tailed hopping mouse
Blue-gray mouse
Northern hopping mouse
Eastern chestnut mouse
Dusky hopping mouse
Sandy inland mouse
Long-tailed hopping mouse
Long-tailed mouse
Big-eared hopping-mouse
Central pepple-mound mouse
Darling downs hopping mouse
Kimberly mouse
Spinefex hopping mouse
Western chestnut mouse
Country mouse
Fawn hopping mouse
Large tree mouse
Mitchell's hopping mouse
Grassland mosaic-tailed rat
Cape york mosaic-tailed rat
Fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat
Rabbit-eared tree-rat
Bramble cay mosaic-tailed rat
Brush-tailed rabbit rat
Black-footed tree rat
Golden-backed tree rat
Golden-bellied water rat
Dusky rat
Polynesian rat
Australian swamp rat
Bush rat
Alice springs mouse
Dusky field rat
Cape york rat
Smoky mouse
Giant white-tailed rat
Pale field rat
Long-haired rat
Gould's mouse
Masked white-tailed rat
New holland mouse
Western mouse
False swamp rat
Dugongs, manatees, and sea cows in Australia
Dugong
Information about the animals living in Australia is brought to you by "List of countries of the world", your first stop in discovering all countries and animals of the world.

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