Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Australian fauna
Australia is unusual because the animal population evolved largely out of contact with the other continents. A very high percentage of Australian animals are endemic (found nowhere else) including about 70% of its birds and 95% of its mammals. Over time, marsupials filled most of the ecological niches that are occupied by placental mammals in most other parts of the world. Australia is also home to the only three extant monotreme species in the world - two echidnas and the Platypus. The only placental mammals naturally found on the Australian mainland are bats; a large number of rodents which arrived only about 5 million years ago, and the Dingo, which was introduced to Australia by humans perhaps 7000 years ago.
Australia is also home to large and diverse populations of various other types of animal - snakes, lizards, insects, spiders, birds and fish.
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Mammals
Monotremes
Marsupials
- bandicoots
- bilbies
- cuscus
- hopping mice
- kangaroos
- Koala
- possums
- potoroos
- Quokka
- quoll
- Tasmanian Devil
- Thylacine
- wallabies
- wombats
Placentals
- Dingo (introduced)
- flying foxes
- Rock rats
- water buffalo (recently introduced)
Marine mammals
See Australian marine life for more comprehensive listing
Birds
Some prominent bird types
- several Australiasia-specific Psittaciformes species (cockatoo, parrot, galah etc.)
- several varieties of duck
- Emu
- Southern Cassowary
- lyrebirds
- Australian Pelican
- Australian Magpie
- Brolga, Jabiru, spoonbills
- Black Swan
- penguins
- Brush Turkey
See the main article List of Australian birds, and List of Australasian birds for a more comprehensive listing
Reptiles
Australia has both salt-water and fresh-water species of crocodiles and turtles. As well as some species of tortoises.
Lizards
- blue-tongued lizard
- frill-necked lizard
- goanna, a broad group of lace monitors
- geckos
- skinks
- thorny lizard
Snakes
- several varieties of tiger snakes
- several varieties of taipans
- several varieties of brown snakes
- several varieties of black snakes
- several varieties of broad-headed snakes
- several varieties of whip snakes
- several varieties of sea snakes
- Mulga snake , formerly known as king brown
- Rough-scaled snake or Clarence River snake
- death adder
- copperhead snake
- Collett's snake
- Small-eyed snake
- Dunmall's snake
- De Vis' snake
- Marsh snake or black-bellied swamp snake
- Myall or curl snake
- Grey snake
- Ornamental snake
- Golden-crowned snake
See List of Australian snakes for more comprehensive listing
Amphibians
- Corroboree frog
- Eastern tree frog
Fish
- rainbow trout
- pufferfish
- Spanish mackerel
Invertebrates
Insects
- green ant
- numerous other native species of ant
- numerous native species of termite
- native bees
- wasps
- cricket
- butterflies and moths
- cicada
See List of Australian insects for more comprehensive listing.
Arachnids
See List of Australian spiders for more comprehensive listing
Freshwater crustaceans
For information marine and shore-line crustaceans and other marine invertebrates see Australian marine life .
Pest species
See also
- Extinct Australian fauna
- Recently extinct Australian animals: from 1788 to present;
- Australian megafauna: from first human colonisation to 1788;
- Australian marine life
- List of Australian insects
- List of Australian spiders
- List of Australian snakes
- List of Australian birds
- List of Australasian birds
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