Australian Animals - Australian Wildlife
Unique And Sometimes Scary Animals Of Australia

Australian animals: pictures, wildlife information and stories about the unique Australian animals that you can find in the Outback.

Koala, the most popular of the Australia animals

Kangaroo, another popular Australian animal.

One of the very first questions travellers usually ask me is about the animals of Australia.

Two things seem to be fascinating:

Many of the animals in Australia are unique, and a lot of them are considered dangerous.

Marsupials like koalas, kangaroos and many others can be found nowhere else in the world, neither can our two egg laying mammals, the platypus and the echidna.

(Read why the animals found in Australia are so unique)

Some of our fascinating animals are in danger of disappearing, like the Tasmanian Devil, others are already extinct, like the Tasmanian Tiger.

Few people realise it, but the Australian dingo might be facing the same fate soon...

Are you worried about venomous or otherwise dangerous animals in Australia?

Read about my experiences with all these creatures, which are rarely as dangerous as they make you believe... (Ok, with exception of the crocodiles. They are dangerous!)

Actually, once you arrive in the Australian Outback you will mostly be fascinated by the abundance of animals here! I know I was. Coming from densely populated Europe I couldn't get over it: all the rivers are full of fish, there are so many different colourful (and noisy!) birds...

...and the whole bush seems to be moving with lizards of all shapes and sizes. (The one in the middle is huge. But don't worry, they're all friendly.)

Northern Australia has many wonderful wildlife parks and national parks, great places to become acquainted with our wildlife. But I can guarantee that even without visiting parks you will see countless fascinating Australian Outback animals on every day of your travel through the Outback.

Dangerous Australian Animals

Australia is also home to some of the most dangerous animals on earth.

The waters of the northern coasts are inhabited by man-eating saltwater crocodiles. These prehistoric reptiles are without doubt some of the the most dangerous creatures in the world, and any signs warning about crocodile attacks need to be taken very seriously.

Swimmers also need to be aware of the times when box jellyfish frequent the northern coast, and should know about the great white shark, the blue ring octopus and the stone fish.

Australia has many venomous snakes, and is the only continent where venomous snakes outnumber the non-venomous! Still, snakes do not usually present a risk to travellers. Australian snakes are generally inoffensive and shy.

Neither do our poisonous spiders pose any threat. The last deadly Redback spider bite in Australia was recorded in 1955, and nobody as died from a funnel-web spider bite since the antivenom was introduced in 1980.