Discoveries Down Under: The Animals and Wildlife of Australia

The sights, sounds, and food of Australia are one-of-a-kind. But if you are an animal-lover, perhaps the most rewarding experiences in the land down under are the encounters with the wildlife you’ve only seen on TV or at the zoo. In fact, over 80% of the wildlife you see in Australia is unique to the continent. Your chances to see many of the indigenous animals are good on any given trip to Australia, but here are three of the most unusual (and fun!) animals to seek out on your Australian adventure.

1. Tasmanian Devil

Standing about 12 inches tall at the shoulder, the Tasmanian devil is a marsupial. This means that females carry their young in pockets. (Like kangaroos!) Tasmanian devils used to be abundant throughout Australia, however now they are only indigenous to the island state of Tasmania and are a protected species.

2. Kangaroo

An iconic animal of Australia, the kangaroo can travel almost 35 miles per hour and leap more than a distance of 29 feet. They live and travel in small groups called troops (or ‘mobs’ by Australians). Kangaroos are known for carrying their babies – known as joeys – in a pouch on their belly. Joeys do not leave the pouch permanently until 10 months of age.

3. Koala

Though often called a koala “bear”, this creature is not a bear at all. In fact it is a marsupial, like the Tasmanian devil and kangaroo. Koalas typically feed at night and sleep during the day, sometime for up to 18 hours! They love to eat leaves from the eucalyptus tree and actually eat so many that koalas take on a distinguishing scent from eucalyptus oil.To see beautiful photos of these animals and more, check out Australia on Instagram.

How to Explore

Now that you have your Australian wildlife bucket-list in hand, what does your trip down under look like? If you have a good itinerary in mind but are overwhelmed with pulling it all together, consider a group tour.

Let Holiday Vacations help you find these fantastic animals and others as part of their magical Australia and New Zealand tours. For more information visit holidayvacations.com or talk to a friendly Tour Consultant by phone at 800-826-2266.

For more travel experiences available from the Xanterra Travel Collection^® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.