In the land of kangaroos
Nearly 90% of the fauna of Australia is found nowhere else. One of its specificities is the predominance of marsupials, a group of mammals whose young are carried in a pouch, the marsupium.
Kangaroo. Australian national emblem, the kangaroo is the most famous of them. Today, the kangaroo is known as 60 different species of the family Macropodoidea (which means "big foot"). These animals, which range in size from a rat to a man, live all over Australia, from the temperate south to the red center desert. Their weight can vary from 0.5 kg to 90 kg. It is estimated that there are more than 40 million individuals. Each of these species has acclimated perfectly to its environment, some even having adapted to places of unusual access such as rocky escarpments or trees. In arid areas, kangaroos can survive for several weeks without water. The four largest species of kangaroos, which strictly speaking hold the true name of kangaroo, are the red kangaroo, the giant kangaroo, the grey kangaroo and the antelope kangaroo. The red kangaroo is the most common species and also the largest marsupial in the world. It lives in the arid or semi-arid regions of the center. It can measure up to 2 m and weigh 90 kg. Its powerful hind legs allow it to reach 70 km/h and to make jumps of 9 m. The giant kangaroo resembles the grey kangaroo and is widespread in eastern and southern Australia. Smaller, the grey kangaroo lives in the east and south of the Australian continent, Tasmania and Kangaroo Island. Finally, the antelope kangaroo is found in the northern regions of Australia. It is the only kangaroo with a difference in coat between the male (red) and the female (gray).
Wallaby. Wallabies are the smallest kangaroos of the Macropodoidea family. Its body and coat are similar to those of the kangaroo but it usually lives in forests, having a gray fur, with red highlights, and does not exceed 1 meter in height. It gave its name to the national rugby team!
An atypical animal kingdom
Mammals, marsupials or even prehistoric birds, the Australian fauna is rich... And quite singular. It is difficult to establish an exhaustive list! However, the koala is the real national pride and will seduce any foreigner with its bear-like appearance.
Koala can sleep up to 18 hours a day, does not drink and finds the necessary humidity in the eucalyptus leaves which constitute its only food. A diet difficult to digest, which explains why the animal rests the rest of the time. Its natural habitat corresponds approximately to the configuration of the Boomerang Coast.
Possum. Among the more common and easily observed marsupials, the possum, from the possum family, is a nocturnal animal that lives in trees across the continent. Very present in urban areas, it is known for its regular incursions into homes and the nightly noises it causes.
Wombat. Another iconic marsupial, the wombat is a large vegetarian marsupial that lives on the East Coast, in Northern Australia and Tasmania. The largest wombats can be up to 1.2 m tall and weigh 39 kg.
Quokka. It's impossible not to fall under the spell of the quokka, a small, stocky marsupial weighing no more than 2.5 kg. It looks like a wallaby, with small rounded ears and brown or greyish fur. It lives exclusively in Western Australia, mainly on Rottnest Island, near Perth.
The echidna, a small oviparous mammal, is a very curious marsupial with a long pointed nose and venomous fangs at the end of its legs. The small echidna, having its spines only from 2 months, can take refuge during this period in the pocket of its mother without risk to wound her. The echidna feeds on ants and termites that it catches with its long sticky tongue. It belongs to the order of monotremes and lays eggs like the platypus.
The platypus, an aquatic mammal, is perhaps the strangest of Australian animals with its duck-like beak, webbed feet, venomous sting, flat tail and fur-covered body. Hard to see in the wild, it lives near the rivers and lakes of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
Other species, among the reptiles, are surprising like the horny devil, a desert lizard whose skin seems to be covered with spines, just like the chameleon, it can change color depending on its environment. The monitor lizards, called goannas in Australia, are also endemic: there are about 25 species and the largest of them can reach 2 meters. They live in a wide variety of habitats and are able to climb trees and swim.
Kingdom of the most dangerous animals in the world?
Its reputation precedes it: the country is often considered the most dangerous on the planet, and it is particularly feared for its wildlife. Venomous species, giant insects, sea crocodiles or deadly jellyfish, the island-continent is undeniably a hostile terrain for Europeans unfamiliar with the local fauna. However, Australian species are often more impressive than threatening: the risks of coming across a dangerous specimen and dying are very rare. If we add up all the fatalities due to the "dangerous" Australian wildlife, we obtain "only" 5 deaths per year. Australia is the continent with the most deadly spiders, but since the introduction of anti-venom in 1980, no deaths have been recorded.
Among the most iconic spiders, the Huntsman Spider is particularly present in urban areas: this large spider, which can measure up to 15 cm, penetrates the interior of houses and its bite, although benign, can cause painful swelling. The female RedBack, with its distinct red stripe on the back of its black abdomen, is the only one that presents a danger to humans. And even if she is the size of a pea, her bite is very painful. Finally, the Sydney Funnel Web is the most dangerous Australian spider. About 7 cm wide, black to dark brown in color, this very aggressive spider has fangs strong enough to penetrate thick clothing. If anti-venom is not injected within hours, its bite can kill a human.
On thesnake side , 140 species coexist in the territory. The Brown Snake species - Eastern, Dugite, Gwardir, Five- Rigner, Ingram's, Speckled - are considered the most dangerous, even if they are small snakes of a few dozen centimeters long. The Taipan, present in the Brisbane (Queensland) and Darwin (Northern Territory) regions, can be recognized by its reddish-brown coat and measures between 1 and 2 meters. It is considered as the most venomous land snake in the world. Its bite is 100 times more deadly than that of the rattlesnake. Other snakes in the country include the Australian Copperheads, found in South Australia and Tasmania, the Death Adder, the Fierce Snake or Small Scaled Snake, the King Brown or Mulga, the Red Bellied Black, mainly found in the wetlands of New South Wales and Queensland or the Tiger Snake.
Wild but more endearing, the dingo lives mainly in packs in the north and west of Australia. This wild dog with red hair, originating from South-East Asia and present in Australia for thousands of years, measures up to 50 cm and weighs from 10 to 20 kg. It represents a major problem for farmers whose sheep flocks are decimated by it. In order to reduce the incidence of this plague, the authorities have erected a barrier on both sides of the continent: the Dog Fence.
More classic, although feared, the shark does not always deserve its status of great man-eating predator: in fact, sharks attack humans relatively little. Of the 370 species of sharks in the world, 70 are found in Australian waters and Australians live in good harmony with them. Most serious accidents are attributed to three species: the Bull Shark, the Tiger Shark and the Great White Shark. The number of attacks recorded each year is insignificant compared to the number of divers, surfers and swimmers present during the same period. Attacks are rarer than drownings and it is estimated that sharks kill one person per year. There is no doubt that it is necessary to be careful, without falling into psychosis.
Saltie. However, keep your eyes open: the Australian waves have other surprises in store for you, such as the very impressive marine crocodile (nicknamed saltie), which can measure 5 meters and lives in the north of Australia.
And surprise! The most feared species by Australians is often not the one we imagine: it has neither claws nor fangs, but represents a plague: jellyfish, present on the North and East coasts, between September and May, are annually responsible for more victims than all the shark and crocodile attacks put together. Two species that can be deadly are to be mentioned. The Box Jellyfish is the best known. The adult body of this cubomedusa can be as big as a watermelon and its tentacles can reach more than 2 m in length. The tentacles contain toxins that can stop the cardio-respiratory functions of the person they touch in a few minutes. The irukandji was discovered very recently: measuring only 2.5 cm in diameter, it can however be deadly.
Other marine species such as the Blue Ringed Octopus, a venomous octopus with blue rings, or the stonefish, with poisonous dorsal spines, inhabit the waters of the Australian coast.
Exotic and prehistoric birds
With more than 750 species of birds listed, 500 of which are endemic, it is impossible to sift through the variety of Australian plumage. On the other hand, some species are more frequently observed, such as the ibis, a bicolored bird with a long black beak, the rainbow lorikeet, a small multicolored parrot that is not very shy and has a high-pitched cry, and the yellow-crested cockatoo, a large bird with immaculate white plumage.
The kookaburra, particularly emblematic, can be recognized by its typical cry - a sort of mocking laugh. Sacred bird in the aboriginal culture (it would have created the sun), it differs completely from all the other birds you will meet on Earth: giant kingfisher, it has a big white head, a pointed beak and resplendent small blue feathers.
Casoar. Birds with multicolored plumage are not limited to small birds: other very impressive Australian birds can exceed the size of a human being! This is the case of the helmeted cassowary, present in tropical forests, and considered the most dangerous bird in the world - its sharp claws measure 12 centimeters!
Less shy, the emu is the largest bird in Australia and can reach 2 meters. A close cousin of the ostrich, it does not fly, but runs very fast and over very long distances. The emu prefers to live in a group, the male incubates the eggs and then takes care of the young for four months.
Flying foxes. Finally, with a pair of wings although not considered as birds, the Flying foxes are pretty bats with fox heads. Harmless, they eat only fruit and, like all bats, live at night.
Australia's biodiversity under threat
The arrival of Europeans led to a real upheaval in biodiversity: land management and development practices, hunting and the introduction of foreign species caused numerous extinctions.
In the 19th century, for example, settlers used Afghan camel-drivers to cross the desert when building the telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin. At the time, these animals, renowned for their endurance, were good allies. But since then, the animals have been neglected, and the Australian desert has seen their numbers multiply. In 2020, to protect water reserves threatened by thirsty camelids, 10,000 dromedaries were shot by snipers from helicopters: the method was criticized and particularly denounced. Why should animals have to pay the heavy price of their lives to repair ecological disasters caused by man? Europeans have upset the natural balance of the island-continent. The introduction of rabbits, for example, wreaked irreversible havoc: in 1859, an English settler with a nostalgia for hunting brought in fifteen rabbits. But the rabbits reproduced too quickly, and foxes were introduced to hunt them down. But these new predators turned their attention to other local prey, which were easier to catch. This trophic cascade led to an overabundance of rabbits: by 1900, there were 600 million of them! In response, the authorities decided to introduce a deadly virus: myxomatosis. Despite this radical initiative, rabbits continue to thrive today.
One of the country's most emblematic mascots has not escaped ecological upheaval: the koala is threatened by deforestation, urbanization in its preferred areas, and dog attacks. And sadly, the massive fires that have ravaged southern Australia in recent years have wiped out several thousand of them.
The Tasmanian tiger and the Tasmanian devil remain prime examples. The Tasmanian tiger, a type of marsupial wolf, became officially extinct in 1936. It had previously been present throughout the country, as evidenced by Aboriginal cave paintings in Kakadu dating back 2 or 3,000 years. The Tasmanian devil, long considered a threat to livestock, was hunted for decades before becoming a protected species. This direct exploitation of local fauna, the destruction of natural habitats and the introduction of predators and herbivores - competing with Australian species - have led to the extinction of some 30 mammal species, 23 bird species and several amphibian species. And there's more to come: 86 species are considered to be on the brink of extinction.
Finally, the colonization of Australia by Aborigines over 60,000 years ago, then by Europeans from 1788 onwards, has had a significant impact on the flora. The practice of slash-and-burn by the former, followed by agriculture and urban development by the latter, altered the composition of most terrestrial ecosystems, leading over time to the extinction of 61 plant species and threatening more than 1,000 others.
A thousand-year-old and endemic flora
In Australia, the eucalyptus is king. A true symbol of the country, there are 500 varieties adapted to both semi-arid and humid zones, sometimes reaching 90 m in height, like the eucalyptus regnans, the tallest of its kind. Forest trees are those with a single trunk and a crown occupying the terminal part of the trunk, while woodland trees are those with a single trunk and branches appearing a short distance above the ground. Most eucalyptus trees are evergreen, covered with oil glands. The oily vapours released by eucalyptus forests are not only responsible for the bluish halo in which the Blue Mountains seem to be lost, but also for the phenomenal spread of forest fires, when they ignite and spread. Among the different varieties of eucalyptus are red gum, found along inland waterways; cider gum, so named for the sweet drink made from its latex; blue gum, Tasmania's floral emblem; and peppermint eucalyptus, with its fibrous bark, the species most widely used for the medicinal virtues of its oils. And let's not forget the Spectrum gum tree, one of the finest representatives of the eucalyptus family. In addition to the many uses that man has made of the different varieties of this tree (pharmacology, paper pulp, cabinetmaking, charcoal, draining swampy areas, ornamental plants...), eucalyptus is essential to the survival of Australia's fauna and is part of the diet of many marsupials.
But there's more to Australia's flora than eucalyptus: there are over 20,000 species of vascular plants (with roots, stems and leaves), as well as numerous other plants, fungi and lichens. This flora is similar to that of Gondwana, the super-continent of which Australia was part some 65 million years ago. Not surprisingly, the most common types of vegetation are those adapted to arid conditions and areas untouched by agricultural activity. The vastness of the country allows a wide variety of habitats to coexist, forming several ecozones distributed as follows: tropical forests(rainforests), temperate forests on the coasts; savannah and herbaceous steppes, and of course, deserts in the central and north-western parts.
Among the country's most famous trees is the Acacia (or Thorn Tree). There are over 1,500 species of acacia worldwide, of which almost 1,000 are found in Australia alone. Many are called mimosa, and one of them, the golden mimosa(Acacia pycnantha, or Golden Wattle), is the country's national flower. They root and grow in a multitude of environments, from generously watered coastal areas to sub-mountainous regions and arid or sub-arid zones. The flowers, usually yellow, are regularly shaped and often small, grouped in globular heads or cylindrical spikes.
Banksia, named after the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, has 76 varieties, the majority of which grow on the east coast. A few, however, have been discovered in arid regions. Trees of the largest species often exceed 15 m in height, and can even reach 30 m. Banksias are easily recognized by their brush-like flowers, whose color varies according to variety.
Mallees, on the other hand, are trees that have already grown several stems from the ground and are less than 10 m tall; they usually bear clumps of vegetation at the tips of their small branches.
One of Australia's most impressivecuriosities is the tree fern. This is the hardiest species of fern and one of the oldest plants in the world. Native to Australia, it hasn't evolved for... 130 million years! Also known as soft tree fern, it grows in certain rainforests in the south-east, often near streams, where it can reach 15 m in height.
