Australian Animals

Bilbies

• The bilby is the largest member of the family of marsupials called bandicoots• Bilbies live in burrows under the ground• The pouch of the female bilby opens backwards so as not to be filled up with dirt

while digging• Bilbies are nocturnal animals that live in burrows under the ground.• Bilbies dig for termites, witchitty grubs and ants at night to eat.

Where can bilbies be found?

Go to this Link to see a bilby video

• http://www.sharkbay.org/Assets/Multimedia/Test/bilby.swf

Spinifex Hopping Mouse

• The Spinifex Hopping Mouse is a nocturnal animal which stays hidden during the heat of the day in their deep burrow

• They live in the sand country of central Australia• The entrance to their burrows are usually hidden under clumps of grass• They are omnivores and live on leaves, shoots, roots and insects• They have big eyes, a long tufted tail and large ears• They can survive in the desert without water for long periods of time

Military Sand-dragon

• The Military Sand-dragon is a lizard that lives on sand plains with prickly porcupine grass. It shelters in the grass from the sun and predators

• It is called a Military Sand-dragon because of its reddish colour (looks like early military uniforms) which keeps it invisible against the reddish sands

• It eats mostly ants but also termites and other insects• At night it shelters in the grassy hummock

Marsupial Mole

• The Southern Marsupial Mole is not a mole, it is a small, unusual, pale golden marsupial with no visible eyes or ears and a horny shield protecting its nose and a stubby leathery tail

• It has claws for digging and a tail to move itself forward 20cm beneath the surface in the sand• It lives mostly underground• It eats beetle larvae, mulga seeds and ant eggs• It lives in desert rivers and sandy country in Australia• They are blind

Chirping Froglet

Short-beaked Echidna

• The short beaked Echidna is a monotreme, a mammal that lays eggs and suckles its young• Short-beaked Echidnas feed on ants, termites, grubs and worms. They use their long sticky

tongue to lick up their prey• A young echidna is called a puggle• They live in almost all Australian habitats, including the desert• In the desert it shelters under thick bushes by day, and is active at night

Boobook Owl

• Boobooks are the smallest and most common owl in Australia• They eat small birds, frogs, moths and lizards but also lots of insects• They are nocturnal• They have very soft feathers on their wings so they can’t be heard by their prey• They are found all around Australia from forests to desert regions • They need hollows in trees to nest

Australian Landscape

Mulga trees

Spinifix/hummock grass

Australian deserts

Australian deserts