Pademelon
Like wallabies and kangaroos, the pademelon is a small marsupial found in thickly vegetated areas of Queensland and New South Wales, while an abundant population exists in Tasmania. Once hunted by Aboriginals and settlers for their meat and soft fur, today the pademelon is threatened by predators and land clearing.
Kookaburra
This bird is the world’s largest kingfisher bird and grows up to 46 cm (18.11 inches) from beak to tail! It is known for its chuckling voice which sounds like human laughter. Kookaburras can be easily heard and thus spotted.
Tiger Quoll
Also known as the spotted quoll, this predominantly nocturnal creature is mainland Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial and feasts upon lizards, birds, small wallabies and gliding possums. These rust coloured quolls have white spotted coats, short legs and a long tail and dwell along eastern Australia, including Tasmania, in cool rainforest habitats and coastal scrub.
Cassowary
Cassowaries are flightless birds who have black feathers, brightly coloured necks and a crest known as a casque and are found in tropical rainforests in Northeastern Australia and New Guinea. The third largest bird in the world, cassowaries stand five to six feet tall and can reach speeds of 50 kms (31 miles) per hour. Although shy, cassowaries will attack when provoked, which is unlucky for whoever gets in their way as their claws are similar to that of a velociraptor.
Numbat
Once widespread across southern and central Australia, the Numbat is now considered endangered, with an estimated population of less than 1,000, all of which are confined to Western Australian eucalypt forests. First discovered by Europeans in 1931, this striped, termite-eating marsupial is the emblem of Western Australia.
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