Sure we love the crocodiles, the koalas are cute and the kangaroos’ hopping makes us laugh, but what we’re interested in here are the really weird animals, with faces that make us smile or survival skills that seem ingenious. Whether you’re planning a flight to Australia or not, read on for our list of the strangest creatures Oz has to offer.
Thorny Devil
Everything about this lizard says ‘stay away’. However this is purely for defense, the spiky lizards attack nothing more threatening than lowly ants. If a thorny devil does feel threatened it can tuck its face between its legs for protection and expose a “false head”, a very spiny, knob like appendage on its back.
Their bodies are covered in a system of tiny grooves and channels that run between their scales. All the channels lead to the corners of their mouth. Not only can the thorny lizard capture rain this way, it can also absorb dew drops, for example from the vegetation it moves through. Once the water is in the grooves the lizard can suck it towards its mouth by gulping, perfect for the desert climate.
Frilled Neck Lizard – Frilled Dragon
Looking like the last surviving dinosaur, the frilled lizard is part of the Dragon family, a sub-species of Lizards. The colour of their skin matches the land on which they live, so their skin tones vary depending where they are found.
The frill normally lies in folds around the shoulders and neck until it is “activated” by the lizard when frightened, by opening its mouth wide open. They can move very fast on their two hind legs and certainly talk a good fight, no need to fear though; despite all their bravado they are completely harmless to humans.
Eastern tarantula, bird eating spider
Yes you read that right, bird eating spider.
The Eastern Tarantula is one Aussie arachnid you don’t want to get on the wrong side of. This spider is large, aggressive and with a big appetite to satisfy. Despite its name the tarantula is not solely dedicated to munching on avian life, he is quite the flexible dinner guest and will happily snack on newly hatching birds, insects, small mammals, lizards, frogs and other spiders.
The spider’s venom will kill a cat or dog in around 30 minutes and while its venom will not kill a human, it is quite toxic, meaning a bite can cause severe pain, nausea and profuse sweating, followed by several hours of vomiting. Most endearingly of all, it hisses when threatened, the charmer.
Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo
Ok we’ll let the kangaroos into our list after all, but not the boundlessly energetic, hopping symbol of Australia, but this nocturnal, tree dwelling variety. Only found in Queensland and spending most of their lives clinging onto trees and sleeping, the tree kangas only really venture to the ground if they need to reach another tree to inhabit. However this is also rare, with them tending to rely on their ability to leap up to 15 metres to nearby trees.
Emu
The Emu may have a slightly daft appearance, but they are TOUGH. Their legs are among the strongest of any animal, with claws strong enough to rip their way through wire fences and with a top speed of 31 mph that they are able to sustain for long periods of time.
They drink infrequently and ingest stones, glass, and pieces of metal to grind up food in their digestive system. They are also famously inquisitive and rather vain, spending great amounts of time preening their plumage with their beaks.
Sugar Glider
Named after their ability to glide effortlessly through the air on large wing-like patagium, along with their endearing love of all things sweet, the sugar gliders are small creatures with a shiny grey-silver coat. They are around 40 cm long from nose to tail, and weigh just 150 grams. These possum-like creatures feed on sap from eucalyptus shrubs and move very efficiently from tree to tree, gliding through the air for up to 100 meters.
Blue Tongue Lizard
This slow moving, sun loving lizard is common throughout Australia, often spotted in back yards eating from dog bowls. When threatened the creature’s main defence strategy is – the bluff. It faces the threat and displays his darkened tongue. The blue tongue inside the pink mouth is an unexpected and vivid sight designed to frighten off any attacker.
If pestered too much by human hands they are known for their habit of biting on and not letting go for a long time, leaving a nasty bruise. It’s not just humans who suffer; mating is a rough affair with many females carrying scars from their male’s teeth.
Funnelweb Spider
The stuff of nightmares for many, this big, black and hairy creature should put your next house spider into perspective. Funnelwebs grow to a length of 4.5 cm and possess a terrifying knack for sitting back on their rear legs and showing their dripping venomous fangs when threatened.
They strike their fangs down with a force powerful enough to pierce a fingernail. The venom released contains a toxin called atraxtoxin which attacks the nerves, sending thousands of electrical impulses through them. Muscles twitch violently and the victim experiences a profuse flow of sweat, tears and saliva. Respiratory collapse is a possibility as is slipping into a coma and brain damage.
Funnelwebs have killed people in less than 15 minutes.
Never seen this little guy before? Hardly surprising, this tree dwelling marsupial is shy and rarely spotted. Hanging out in the lowland tropical rainforest and adjacent mangroves, cuscuses are nocturnal creatures found nesting in hollow trees and clumps of vegetation.
Its rounded nose gives a monkey like appearance, its fur is tan to creamy white with a tail of rough, rasp-like scales on the inside surface, perfect for gripping onto branches.
An anomaly of nature, evolution gone mad. So bizarre is the Platypus design that early European explorers didn’t even believe it was a real animal when a specimen was sent to England for examination. Scientists searched for stich marks, believing a mischievous Australian had sewn the bill and feet of a duck onto a rat.
A platypus is what happens when an animal tries to be everything at once. It has the beak and webbed feet of a duck, the smooth silky skin of a mole and the venomous stinging spur of a scorpion, indeed being stung will cause excruciating pain in humans and is strong enough to kill a large dog.
It is also one of only two mammals to lay eggs, soft leathery eggs like a reptile in fact. It then contradicts this by producing milk for its young in large glands under the skin. It swims with an otter-like tail, detecting its prey with electroreceptors (electronic sense) on its bill in much the same way an electric eel does. Once it has caught its prey it then stores its catch in cheek pouches like a hamster. Truly, Australia’s weirdest animal.