KidZone Geography: Australia

Habitats

The range of environments in Australia means there are lots of very different places for animals to live. As such, there are many unique animals in Australia.

A Koala
Photographed by Akshay Chauhan on Unsplash

Australia has an array of habitats owing to its huge size. Due to this, a large number of unique and rare animals inhabit the Australian continent. The most famous of which is the marsupial, a group including kangaroos, wallabies and koalas (above). These are quite widespread but can mostly be found in various national parks.

Alongside marsupials, monotremes or egg laying mammals are unique to the region. Platypus have webbed feet and a bill like a duck, they enjoy living in small streams or calm rivers. Meanwhile, Echidnas are spiny and are a little more difficult to spot in the wild.

Along with having some unique animals, Australia has a large proportion of more widespread animals. There are more venomous snakes there than any where else in the world while six out of seven global turtle species call Australia home.