Australia is home to unique animals

Australia has many animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. Four out of five animals can only be found in Australia.  Monotremes, are mammals that lay eggs. There are two species of Echidna and the Platypus that lay eggs.

Some of the critically endangered species of mammals include the northern hairy-nosed wombat, several species of potoroo and rock wallaby, the western ringtail possum, several species of quoll, the bilby, koala, Australian sea lion, bandicoot and some species of whale.

Ningaloo Reef is a very beautiful place where whales, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, huge cod, turtles and whale sharks live in abundance. Outback Australia is the driest inhabited continent, but even our deserts have animals. These include the red kangaroo, plus emus, dingoes and even wild camels.

The Wombat is Australia’s second largest marsupial. These rotund grass-munchers are more agile than they appear with a top speed of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour.

Some of the species have declined in population due to habitat loss or degradation, invasive species, natural disasters (including bushfires) and climate change. These include the northern hairy-nosed wombat, several species of potoroo and rock wallaby, western ringtail possum, several species of quoll, the bilby, koala, Australian sea lion, bandicoot and some species of whale.

Some of the bird species under threat include several species of albatross and parrot, Cape Barren Goose and the grey falcon. Australia is also home to threatened species of insect, fish and reptile.

One of the unique features of Australia’s fauna is the relative scarcity of native placental mammals. Consequently, the marsupials – a group of mammals that raise their young in a pouch, include the macropods, possums and dasyuromorphs (Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the thylacine. In Australia, the exceptions include the omnivorous bandicoots and the marsupial moles). Australia has numerous venomous species, which include the platypus, spiders, scorpions, octopus, jellyfish, molluscs, stonefish and stingrays. Uniquely, Australia has more venomous than non-venomous species of snakes. 

Would you hang a reproduction of Australian animals on your wall? Of course you would.