The fauna of Australia

The fauna of Australia is hardly to compare with other regions. This is mainly because the continent is one of the oldest landscapes and the isolated location, which favored an independent fauna.

For us as Europeans this animal world is very beautiful but sometimes also dangerous.

Bird world

One of the most famous birds in Australia is the Emu, which measures up to 1.60 meters. Kakadus, rainbow-parrots are some of the most beautiful animals worldwide. Nearly everywhere you can hear them screaming. Also budgies, which are often kept in our households, come from Australia. A typical bird of this continent is the Kookabuura, often called "Lachender Hans", because his scream remembers us of a laughing person. Further birds are e.g. Kasuars, Pelicans

Terrestrial animals

The most famous Australian animals are the marsupials like Kangaroos, Koalas or the Wombat. Further well known mammals are the Dingo, the duckbill and other animals brought with the first immigrants, like buffaloes, camels, horses, sheep and many others.

Everywhere you can find ants. Some of them are really annoying, like the Bullants, a very large sort of ants, which can bite powerful. Also termites are found everywhere, mainly in the north of Australia, where you can also see the up to 2,50 meters high structures.

Sea animals

Dolphins and whales, especially Humpback Whales, can be met from July to October, where they swim around the coast of Queensland and New South Wales.

But in Australia there are a lot of dangerous animals, it is also called the most poisonous continent.

Sharks

One of the most well known beasts of pray is the shark. Mostly "Schwarz-" and "Weiß-Spitzenhaie" but also the very agressive Tiger- and Hammer-Sharks are met here. Sharks normally only attack human when they feel threaten.

Crocodiles

On Hinchinbrook Island crocodiles are the biggest danger for humans. But also on the mainland they can become serious. There are two sorts of crocodiles, the fresh-water- (feshies)and the salt-water-crocodiles (salties). But mainly the "salties" are a danger for humans.

Jelly-Fish

One of the most dangerous jelly-fish is the seawasp. It is the most poisonous animal in the ocean. Hitting a human it can be lethal. Seawasps are only three to four centimeters large.

Fish

Ball Fish, Stone Fish ore Scorpion Fish; all of them can become lethal to us humans.

Sea-snakes

Near the Great Barrier Reef there are about 15 different kinds of them. But there is one thing, which is very interesting. Even it you get bitten, only seldom you get in contact with poison.

Snakes & Spiders

About 140 kinds of snakes, 20 of them are lethal (Mainland Tiger Snake, Black Tiger Snake, Taipan) and 1500 kinds of spiders, 30 of them are poisonous but only two are deadly (Funnelweb Spider, Redback Spider), live in Australia. So it would be good for your health to wear long pants and boots.