Unique Australian Animals

The dingo is Australia's wild dog. It is found everywhere except Tasmania. They live and hunt alone rather in packs. Regardless of people think, dingoes are not truly native to Australia. There are a few different theories to how they arrived. Some believe Aborigines brought them to the island over 15,000 years ago. Others think sea farers from East Asia brought dingoes to Australia to trade and/or eat them.

Another animal unique to Australia is the platypus. It is only found in eastern Australia, alongside rivers and freshwater lakes. It eats shrimp and aquatic larvae as well as worms. It has webbed feet to help with swimming, and males have a toxic spur located on the inside of both hind leg ankles. Its venom is strong enough to kill a dog and enough to cause excruciating pain in humans. It is a buoyant creature, and therefore has to keep swimming downward in order to stay submerged.

More uncommon, however, is the Quokka. They are marsupials like the forest wallaby and tree kangaroo. They are mainly nocturnal, and found mostly on Rottnest Island, which is located off the south-western part of Australia. However, they are believed to be spreading back to the mainland. The Quokka has no fear of humans. Apparently and it is not uncommon for Quokka to approach humans closely, kind of like the squirrels at Harding University.


Of course there are the animals normally associated with Australia: kangaroos, koala bears, Tasmanian devils and emu. I can't wait to go and see the things that are unique to each specific country and experience their culture and the things that they are known for.