19 STRANGEST Animals Found In Australia

Australia’s just so big and a lot of it is land that is still considered the wild. What’s out there in the outback and coasts of the land down under? Keep watching to find out! Subscribe for weekly wacky videos and learn interesting facts about the world with awesome top 10 lists and other amazing videos. 8. The Thorny Devil That’s the exact name for this strange lizard found along the deserts of the Australian outback. The lizard, sometimes called the moloch, has a whole lot of spikes all over its body. Anyone who accidentally steps on this thing better have a really thick shoe. These spikes, or scales, help the thorny devil to collect water on its body wherever it can. The water then gets transported through the skin. Depending on the weather, the color of its scales can change from pale to dark when it goes from warm to cold. 7. Another Anteater While some may call it the banded or marsupial anteater, the numbat, like the echidna, isn’t really an anteater per se. They don’t even eat ants--although they do feed on termites, about 20,000 a day to be exact. Who needs an exterminator when there’s the numbat? The Numbat also, like the wombat, is not a bat. Endemic to Western Australia as well as re-introduced into South Australia, the numbat is considered an endangered species and is heavily protected. 6. The Call Of The Kookaburra Tree Kingfishers known as the kookaburra got its name for the sound of its call, a distinct and really loud sound that many liken to a laugh. While that’s slightly frightening to think about, it’s what makes the kookaburra the kookaburra. They live in humid forests and as well as arid environments. Even though they are called “kingfishers” they do not have much to do with water. Unlike lots of birds you probably feed, they’re not the type to eat things like seeds and nuts. They eat animals such as young birds of other species, mice, snakes, and small reptiles. You’ll when an area belongs to the kookaburra because it will let out that strange call to mark its territory. 5. The Wallaby Way Fans of Finding Nemo you undoubtedly remember the address in which we followed Nemo to and of course it would have the name “wallaby way” in it. The wallaby is one of the most popular and well-known animals native to Australia. This type of animal belongs to eh same taxonomic family as kangaroos. You may even note how similar they appear. Wallabies are a small species, though the largest can grow to be 2 meters long. The spring-like design of their tendons gives them extremely strong hind legs while their tails are used to provide support. While they are native to Australia and New Guinea, they have been introduced to other parts of the world. 4. The Black Swan Ballet aside, the black swan is a real bird that was not just made up to contrast the more well-known white swan. Black swans breed in the southern regions of Australia and were introduced to other parts of the world in the 1800s. They might have white flight feathers, but for the most part their plumage is black and at the end of their faces are red bills. A black swan shows its aggression by holding its long neck up high and then spreading its wings out to show their fathers, so stay away when you see it acting like this. Despite having no migratory pattern, they do no stay in one place all the time and will travel to other regions in a more nomadic way. 3. Gliding On Sugar What’s a cuter name for a small creature like this than sugar glider? None, we’ll tell you that much. The sugar gliders are possums with wing-like membranes that help them glide through the air--similar to that of a flying squirrel. These small animals are native to Australia and were introduced to Tasmania in the 19th century. Guar gliders grow to be about 9 to 12 inches or 24 to 30 centimeters long from head to tail. You might have noticed their huge eyes that are pretty big compared to their heads. Those eyes help them see at night as they live nocturnally. Those big ears also help them detect prey in the dark. To glide, they launch themselves from a tree and spread its limbs so that the gliding membrane catches the air. 2. The Feral Dog We’ve all heard that famous phrase “dingoes ate my baby” in reference to the case that happened back in the 80s, but what else are dingos really known for? Experts debate the taxonomic status of the dingo mainly because no one can really figure out if its genetically closer to a domestic dog or a wolf. Dingos live in the wild though have been known to associate with humans, yet they have not officially been bred to be domesticated. A dingo hunts from behind to surprise their prey. 1...