When it comes to the many, many animals in Australia we’re all familiar with the standard kangaroos, koalas, dingos and emus. Like, old news. But what about the not-so-famous creatures like edible ants, egg-bearing mammals, albino reptiles, and hidden sea dragons? Now these guys are pretty cool.
Want to know more about the weird animals of Australia? Course you do…
Honeypot Ants
Despite what your parents may have taught you, eating bugs is (sometimes) a good thing. Unlike most insects that store their food in a nest or a comb, honeypot ants use their own bodies as a live-in pantry. In the Australian Outback, these ants are picked up off the ground and eaten by the locals as a sweet treat.
Flying Fox
Deemed a “Megabat” by nature, these huge flying rodents can often grown bigger than an average dog. They roost in massive colonies and don’t use echolocation to find their food. Instead they rely on their gigantic eyeballs to seek out and hunt their prey… which makes them all the creepier.
Peacock Spider
Talk about tiny dancers! With 8-legs to work with, peacock spiders can accomplish so much more than just a simple 1-2 step. Named for their colorful display, these jumping spiders are actually better known for their fantastic dance moves.
Leafy Sea Dragon
These little creatures are so endangered that researchers are only allowed to capture one per year across the entire globe. Any sea dragon is cool, but we think the “Leafies” might just take the crown.
Echidna
It appears the Echidna has several cousins! Similar to ant-eaters for their diet, porcupines for their spikey hair, and platypi for their ability to lay eggs; these critters are properly named after a creature in Greek mythology that has both mammalian and reptilian characteristics.
Coconut Crab
Don’t worry, you’re not seeing things – That is a crab hugging a coconut. While many crustaceans are water-lovers, the coconut crab is exclusive to land, only returning to sea to lay eggs. In fact, if it’s ever submerged in water, it can drown.
Albino Crocodiles
These mutated animals are rare, unusual, and hardly found in the wild. In fact, most of them can only exist in captivity as they are such easy targets to prey. This doesn’t, however, mean they’re small in scale – one of the biggest albino crocodiles ever recorded weighed in at over 500 lbs.
Quokka
How cute are these things?! I mean, seriously… how CUTE are these things? They’re like a mixture between kangaroos and koalas, and they make pretty good selfie companions.
Cassowary
Is that a velociraptor with wings? No. It’s a cassowary. These birds, similar to ostriches, can’t fly. They are shy creatures with an enormous weight of strength… just like feathered ninjas.
Blobfish
Cheer up blobfish! These fish look completely normal underwater, but take them out of their deep sea environment and they’re like… BLAH!
