Rare & Wild animals of Australia

Animals are everywhere- domestic, wild, and exotic. Animals migrate, adapt, and evolve based on the weather conditions and the topography of the land. Many lands are connected, making it easy for animals to migrate and explore the vast lands. Animals thrived and moved everywhere before humans created civilizations and limited their movement. Animals explored the continents moving from North to South, East-West, and vice versa.
Over time lands became disconnected and got separated due to the various reactions inside the Earth’s core. Some islands became isolated, and they floated alone, taken away by the vast ocean currents, distancing themselves from the mainland. Weather and environmental conditions also caused large chunks of ice melt and part. It is no wonder many countries today, want a part of Antarctica for themselves. The disjointed island took along with them the vast plantations and the animals. The animals evolved and thrived in the islands based on the climatic conditions and the land structure. Some developed hoofs in their feet to climb boulders and mountains, and others have webbed feet to move about inland and in water. The animals in such islands cannot migrate and are mostly unique to the place. One such island continent with rare, wild, and exotic species of animals is Australia – A beautiful and dry continent.​

Australia was part of the cold continent Antarctica some 60-80 million years ago before it split from the mainland. As the continent drifted apart and was taken away by the strong currents, North from the mainland, it became warmer and drier. The animals that also got separated evolved and adapted themselves to the conditions of the land. Thus a unique and wild species of animals and insects evolved, which are rare and may not be found in any other parts of the world. The island is warmer and drier, the animal species thrived and survived for millions of years. World statistics estimate that 80% of animal species and 90% of reptile species in Australia cannot be found elsewhere in the world. This blog describes a few of the animals found mostly in Australia. Check out the “Kidz Fun – Category Select” application to get information about wild and rare animals in other parts of the world.

1. Green Tree Python: -These are present in the rainforest of Northern Queensland and feed mainly on small mammals and birds. They sleep during the day in the tree hollows and ferns. They are active at night.

2.  Magnificent Tree Frog: -
This frog is mostly found in the caves of Northern Australia. These frogs feed on small bats.

3. Eastern brown snake: -
​They are highly venomous snake. When threatened, they turn in to an”S” shape. Though deadly this snake helps and protects human vegetation by eating harmful mice.

4. Tasmanian Devil: -
​These are marsupials i.e. they carry their babies in a small pouch attached to their mothers bodies. They are carnivore, and eat any type of meat.

5. Bush Stone Curlew: -
​These are ground dwelling birds found through out Australia. They are active at night and feed on insects, lizard and small mammals.

6. Koala bear: -
​These bears feed on Eucalyptus leaves and live on trees. The bears need special bacteria to break the tough leaves. They are not born with the bacteria, so the baby needs to be fed with a special paste by their mom.

7. Wombats: -
These live in burrows and they are mostly prevalent in Southern Australia. Wombats have powerful claws and bony plated back which can crush and squash any small animal entering their burrow.

8. Water Monitor: -
These are semi aquatic lizards that hunt by swimming and walking under water ground. These are mostly prevalent in Northern Australia.

9. Platypus:-
These are mammals but lay eggs. They can eat half their weight in one night. They have electroreceptors in their bill that allows them to hunt for food and navigate under water with their eyes, ears and nose closed.

10. Cassowary: -
They are huge birds and mostly feed on seeds. Many tree species depend on Cassowary to spread their seeds. The male birds take care of their young.

11. Wallaby: -
These animals have special compact body frames needed for life amongst boulders and scrubs. They feed on leaves holding food in their paws.

The above photos and text are captured and referenced from Sydney Wildlife Zoo.