Australian Animals – Page 3 – Australian Animal Learning Zone

Birds

Fairy Penguin

Fairy Penguin is the smallest member of the family of Penguins primarily found in the southern parts of Australia and New Zealand. This cute looking Penguin has multiple species and known by different names like Little Blue Penguins. These Penguins are among the major tourist attractions in the places they are found and people are in awe of their beauty as they glide along the coastal areas. They are distinguished by their typical bluish hue and white under color and look wonderful when they move around noisily in clusters.

Scientific name

Fairy Penguin is scientifically known as Eudyptula minor.

Fairy Penguin Description

These creatures can be easily identified, as they are the smallest of creatures in the species of Penguins in an attractive shade. Some of their physical attributes are:

Amphibians

Turtle Frog

Turtle Frog is a unique looking frog which is native to the western part of Australia. It is characterized by its peculiar body which looks like a small turtle without its shell. Mainly found in the semi-arid region, these frogs, unlike the other frogs, have short and muscular limbs. The strong limbs help them dig into the ground. One behavior which separates it from the rest of the frog is that unlike the other frogs, they dig forward like a turtle rather than backwards.

Turtle Frog Scientific Name

The scientific name for the turtle frog is Myobatrachus gouldii. It is the only species of the Myobatrachus genus.

Mammals

Tasmanian Devil

Tasmanian devil is the largest of the marsupial, which is a carnivore. Fossils found widely across Australia prove that they were once widespread across the mainland Australia. That was about 400 years ago. Now they are available only in the island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian devil is the size of a small dog with a muscular built. They have a very loud and disturbing screech, which sounded like a devil at night.

Mammals

Platypus

Post author By admin
Post date January 11, 2012
1 Comment on Platypus

Platypus is one amongst the nature’s unlikely animal. They are the only mammal that lays eggs instead of giving birth to their young ones. They are native to the Eastern Australia and Tasmania. Platypus are semi aquatic mammals and are included as one of the extant species of monotremes. It belongs to the Ornithorhynchidae family and the platypus is the only living family member of its kind. The scientific name for Platypus is Ornithorhynchus anatinus, which is derived from Greek words, which means ‘duck like’ and ‘bird-snout’.