日本語 Below, from left: numbat, echidna, dingo, wombat, Tasmanian devil, red kangaroo, emu, wallaby, Boyd’s forest dragon, sulphur-crested cockatoo, emu, platypus, green tree frog, koala, pelicans, frill-necked lizard, crocodile, seal. Images: Tourism Australia and state/territory tourism agencies.
Say hello to our native animals!
Even the wildlife here has a peculiar Australian character – only on our isolated continent can you find the likes of the kangaroo, koala, emu, wombat, kookaburra and a host of others.
‘Marsupials’ are unique to Australia – their main characteristic being the pouch in which a mother carries her young. Australia’s marsupial mammals include koalas, kangaroos, possums and wombats.
The platypus is one of Australia’s strangest creatures, a furry egg-laying mammal that lives underwater and fishes with its broad bill. It has been adopted – in cartoon form – as the mascot of the Australian pavilion at World Expo 2005 Aichi. A competition to name the colourful girl platypus was held in Japan and Australia before World Expo began. From 5500 entries, the winner was 11-year-old Yutaka Fukui of Hamamatsu with ‘Kamoné’, from the Japanese word for platypus, ‘kamonohashi’.
Inflight entertainment
Don’t miss Australia’s extraordinary birdlife – colourful cockatoos and parrots can be seen (and heard!) almost everywhere in Australia, even in the heart of cities. Our cockatoos are so clever they can open unlocked balcony doors and come in for a snack!
Top: Cape Barren goose, Tasmania; Galah, South Australia; Pelican, New South Wales
Bottom: Crimson rosella, New South Wales; Rainbow Lorikeets, South Australia; Wedge-tail eagle, Tasmania
