Australian Animals Teaching Resources

Explore Australian animal activities, fact sheets and more teacher-created resources to help you teach primary students all about the animals native to the Australian continent!

Aligned with the Australian science curriculum, each resource in this collection has been created by a member of the Teach Starter teacher team with you, your lesson plans, and your students in mind.

We didn't stop there! Read on for answers to some of kids' frequently asked questions about Aussie animals to help you plan your lessons, including a look at the animals that live in different parts of the country, plus important facts about our endangered species and what students can do to prevent more native animals of Australia from going extinct.

What Animals Are Native to Australia?

The Australian continent is home to more than 200 000 different species, and we have many creatures that can only be found right here in our nation. That means they're what we call native species, a way to describe an animal that is naturally found in a particular ecosystem.

From marsupials to reptiles to birds, here is a list of some of the better-known native Australian animals that you might use in your lesson planning. To make it easier, we've listed the animals from A to Z.

1. Australian Bustard
2. Australian Fur Seal
3. Blue-tongued Lizard
4. Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
5. Cockatoo
6. Dingo
7. Eastern Grey Kangaroo
8. Eastern Quoll
9. Eastern Water Dragon
10. Echidna (also known as the Spiny Anteater)
11. Emu
12. Frilled Lizard
13. Galah
14. Gould's Monitor
15. Gouldian Finch
16. Green Tree Python
17. Kookaburra
18. Koala
19. Numbat
20. Platypus
21. Quokka
22. Quoll
23. Rainbow Lorikeet
24. Red Kangaroo
25. Red-backed Spider
26. Short-beaked Echidna
27. Southern Cassowary
28. Sugar Glider
29. Tasmanian Bettong
30. Tasmanian Devil
31. Tasmanian Native Hen
32. Tasmanian Pademelon
33. Tasmanian Pygmy Possum
34. Tasmanian Tree Frog
35. Thorny Devil
36. Tawny Frogmouth
37. Wallaby
38. Western Barred Bandicoot
39. Western Grey Kangaroo
40. Wombat
41. Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby

What Australian Animals Are Endangered?

Unfortunately there are a number of Australian animals that make conservation experts' lists of endangered animals. Here is the official list of all 10 endangered Australian creatures.

1. Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
2. Eastern Curlew
3. Eastern Quoll
4. Gouldian Finch
5. Mountain Pygmy-possum
6. Numbat
7. Orange-bellied Parrot
8. Purple-crowned Fairy-wren
9. Regent Honeyeater
10. Woylie

What Australian Animals Are Extinct?

Perhaps even more troubling than the fact that so many of our native animals are endangered is the fact that many more are considered extinct.

The Aussie government officially lists 100 of Australia’s native species as extinct. That means Australia has thehighest mammal extinction rate in the world.