Southern Cassowary
The female cassowary can be distinguished from the male by her larger size, more vibrant colours around her head and neck and a larger casque, the helmet-like structure on top of the head.
The female cassowary can be distinguished from the male by her larger size, more vibrant colours around her head and neck and a larger casque, the helmet-like structure on top of the head.
Only the adult male has a truly white head in this species. In the female and immature birds the head and breast are often quite strongly tinged with grey.
The Torresian imperial pigeon is a large plump pigeon and is entirely white or pale cream, apart from the black flight feathers, part of the tail (rectrices) and spots on the undertail coverts.
The topknot pigeon is a large grey pigeon with a swept back crest that is grey in front and rusty red behind, giving the head a unique shape.
The silvery-grey plumage streaked with black and brown and mottled with flecks of rusty brown and white provides these birds with the ability to sit in full view on an old tree stump in broad daylight and be practically invisible.
Bowerbirds are so named because of the intricate bower structures built by the males. These are not nests but display arenas to attract females.
The rainbow lorikeet is aptly named. Its head is violet-blue, upper breast is orange red, the abdomen is dark blue margined with some red and the back is bright green.
Often called a pink cockatoo due to its soft pink body colouring, the Major Mitchell cockatoo is in fact named after Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, who was a surveyor and explorer of Southeast Australia during the 1800s.
This well-known bird is an iconic Australian species and is known for its ‘laughing’ call. This kookaburra has dark brown wings with white underpart and head.
Surely one of the most beautiful of all the parrots, the male king parrot is resplendent in his plumage of scarlet red head and underparts, electric blue tail and emerald green wings and back.
The Eclectus Parrot is a large parrot (43cm-45cm including tail) with marked sexual dimorphism (the male and female are different).
The Eastern grass owl is a medium-sized, slim owl with long slender legs that are sparsely feathered. The heart-shaped facial disc is white in the male and pale orange buff with dark speckles in the female.
The common bronzewing is a cautious pigeon, and rarely allows close approach. If startled, it flies away with a clatter, keeping low to the ground while moving in a steady, direct manner.
The bush stone-curlew has grey feathers with black and white streaks, tinted with varying shades of buff or brown. The bird’s plumage is a perfect camouflage against the bark, sticks and grass that are found throughout its habitat.
The boobook owl does not possess the distinctive facial mask of the barn or masked owls. Boobook owls are the smallest of the Australian owl species, but they vary in size depending on where they live.
The blue-winged kookaburra is a large kingfisher with a big square head and a long bill. It has a distinctive pale eye. The head is off-white with brown streaks, the shoulders are sky blue and it has a uniform blue rump.
The blue-faced honeyeater is a large black, white and golden olive-green honeyeater with striking blue skin around the yellow to white eye. The crown, face and neck are black, with a narrow white band across the back of the neck.
The Bar-shouldered dove is a medium-sized, long-tailed dove. Adults doves have a blue-grey head, neck and upper breast, with a distinctive reddish-bronze patch on the hindneck, with dark barring.
The Bar-shouldered dove is a medium-sized, long-tailed dove. Adults doves have a blue-grey head, neck and upper breast, with a distinctive reddish-bronze patch on the hindneck, with dark barring.
The banded lapwing has a distinctive white ear stripe, a yellow eye-ring, a black cap and a small red wattle over the bill. Its upper breast is black with a white bib, the wings are grey-brown and its underbelly white.
The Northern corroboree frog is a small distinctively striped yellow and black frogs measuring 25-30mm in size. The decline of Northern corroboree frogs is due to disease caused by the introduced Amphibian Chytrid Fungus.
The big, fluid filled sac on the top of this frog’s head is a poison gland, the biggest of any amphibian in Australia. Luckily the foul-tasting poison doesn’t affect humans, but it does deter birds from eating the frog.
The green and golden bell frog has smooth skin, usually green, with a variable pattern of golden-brown blotches. It has a creamy-gold stripe along the side of the body, from the eye to the hind legs.
The cane toad is large, reaching up to 23cm in length. It has highly visible poison glands located near the back of the head. The back and legs of the cane toad are covered in wart-like lumps and its skin has a leathery appearance.
The green tree frog is usually a beautiful bright green, though, depending on the mood of the frog, this may sometimes fade to a dark khaki green. Some specimens also have white spots that are outlined in darker colours.
There are many different species of wolf spider, which are so named because they actively hunt and run down their prey. Most species are dark brown or grey in colour with black, grey, orange or brown markings.
The redback spider is closely related to the black widow spider. The female redback spider is black with a distinctive red or orange marking on its back, although this may sometimes be absent.
The white-tailed spider has a long cigar-shaped, dark grey abdomen with a creamy-white speck on the tip. The legs usually have a brownish hue.
The common name of the mouse spider is derived from the mistaken belief that this spider excavates a deep mouse-like burrow. Females are black overall and are larger than the males.
An attractively marked spider conspicuous by the bright orange-red markings around the middle of each leg, hence its common name. The rest of the spider is predominantly dark brown in colour with...
The Mexican fireleg resembles its better-known relative, the Mexican redknee tarantula in its dramatic orange and black coloration, though the adults of the species range from 5 to 6 inches in size.
Huntsman spiders are familiar to many Australians as the large, flat-bodied and extremely fast intruders, which, to some people’s horror, occasionally take up residence in kitchens and living rooms.
The Australian native tarantula is found in the warmer and more arid regions of Australia. The largest species may attain a body length of 60mm and a leg span of 160mm, with powerful fangs 10mm long.
The spotted black snake is also known as the blue-bellied black snake and is a venomous snake endemic to Australia. It can be variable in colour ranging from uniform black above, through to various degrees of spotting.
The Spencer’s monitor is a ground-dwelling species that likes to take shelter in burrows and large soil cracks. The species can grow to approximately 1.2m and is sandy and brown in colouration.
The saw-shelled turtle is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family endemic to Australia. The shell has marginal serrations which are the reason for its name. It retains some of these serrations throughout its life.
This snake is dangerously venomous, but bites are rare because it is usually a placid and fairly docile snake, preferring to enact a lengthy bluff display with flattened neck and deep hisses rather than bite.
The pig-nosed turtle's feet are flippers, resembling those of marine turtles. The nose looks like that of a pig, having the nostrils at the end of a fleshy snout, hence the common name.
The perentie is Australia’s largest lizard reaching over 2.5 metres in length. It has a long neck and a stout, robust body ending in a long, tapering tail. The colour is yellow or cream with tawny brown rosettes edged in dark brown on their back and they have dark limbs with white spots.
The New Caledonian giant gecko is the world’s largest gecko, growing up to 36 centimetres long. This stout gecko has a short blunt tail and its skin, which has many loose folds, seems too big for its body.
As the name suggests, the Mertens’ water monitor loves the water. During the day the monitor can be found basking on rocks and logs near the shoreline of rivers, creeks, billabongs and lagoons.
This striking medium sized freshwater turtle is known for their yellow markings on the underside of its shell, and tail, as well as a clear yellow stripe from the jaw, down to the neck of the shell.
A highly variable species, which does not always display the distinctive tiger stripes suggested by its common name. The body can be grey, olive-brown or almost black. In most specimens’ darker bands are visible.
The leopard tortoise is a large and attractively marked tortoise and is the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world. Typical adults can reach approximately 46cm in length and can weigh up to 18kg.
Although it has a fishy name, the land mullet is actually the largest member of the skink family of lizards. Large adults can reach 50cm or more in total length.
The lace monitor grows to between 1.5m-2m in length, it is a dark steel grey above with pale yellow or cream bands or rows of spots. The jaws and snout are usually strongly barred with yellow and dark grey.
One of the most imposing (and famous) snakes in the world, the king cobra certainly lives up to its name. With lengths in excess of 5m and a body diameter of over 12cm, it is the longest venomous species of snake.
The jungle carpet python is a vividly coloured python that at its most striking is brilliant yellow and black, although it can be tan and black. Its underbelly is usually white.
Despite its common name, the king brown snake is not a true brown snake but one of the black snake family. A bite from this snake would therefore be treated with black snake antivenom.
The inland taipan (also known as the fierce snake) can reach a total length of 2.5m, although 1.8m is the common length. The upper surface of the snake can vary from dark brown to a light straw colour.
Aptly named for the star-like pattern on the shell this attractive land tortoise reaches a maximum length of around 35cm from a hatchling size of about 12cm. The upper shell or carapace is coloured...
Hosmer’s skinks are stocky skinks that grow to 23 centimetres long, nearly half of which is the tail. The scales on their body have 3-4 sharp points (or keels) and the scales on the tail each have a long spine.
Also known as Rosenberg’s monitor, the species is It is dark grey above, finely spotted with yellow or white, and with paired, blackish cross-bands from the neck to the end of the tail.
An unmistakable arboreal or tree-dwelling python, the adult green tree python is emerald green in colour with a yellowish belly. Occasional specimens also have small white markings along the back.
The green iguana is a fantastic looking creature. With a row of spines along its back and tail, its multitude of skin textures and its scaly beard or ‘dewlap’ under its chin, it looks like a miniature dragon.
One of only few venomous lizard species in the world, the Gila monster is named after the Gila River in Arizona where is it was once common. The lizards grow to 60cm and have a solid body with blunted tail and head.
Galapagos tortoises may reach a maximum shell length of over a metre and weigh up to 180 kg in weight. There are some 14 distinct subspecies inhabiting different islands in the Galapagos Island archipelago.
The frilled lizard grows to around 45-90cm in length, about two-thirds of which is tail. It has a vivid yellow mouth and a large extendible frill gathered about the neck and under throat.
The back of a freshwater crocodile is light brown usually with a number of black, irregular bands with the underside being creamy-white. They can be distinguished from the larger saltwater crocodile by their longer and thinner snout.
The critically endangered Fijian crested iguana is a brilliant green with three white stripes that are sometimes edged with black, these iguanas grow to 75cm long.