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Animals of Australia

Australia is where the odd answers live: egg-laying mammals (platypus and echidna), pouched ones (kangaroo, koala, wombat, Tasmanian devil) and some of the world's most venomous snakes.

It's a good list to know for the game, because so many of these animals break the usual rules.

40 animals, A to Z.

• 🐾BandicootAustralia and New Guinea, plus nearby islands such as the Bismarck Archipelago, Seram and Halmahera.
• 🦎Bearded dragonThroughout much of Australia.
• 🐾BilbyParts of northwestern and central Australia.
• 🐾Bird of paradiseMainly New Guinea, plus eastern Australia and the Maluku Islands.
• 🐾BlackbirdEurope, western Asia and North Africa; introduced to Australia and New Zealand.
• 🐾BlobfishDeep water off mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, 600–1,200 m down.
• 🦜BudgerigarAustralia.
• 🐝BumblebeeMostly the Northern Hemisphere, north to Greenland; also South America and North Africa; introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania.
• 🐾CassowaryNew Guinea, the Moluccas (Seram and Aru Islands) and northeastern Australia.
• 🦜CockatielMainland Australia, mostly in arid or semi-arid country but always near water. It is largely nomadic, moving to wherever food and water are.
• 🦜CockatooAustralia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines.
• 🐾CraneEvery continent except Antarctica and South America.
• 🐊CrocodileTropical rivers, lakes and swamps, and for the saltwater crocodile the coast, in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Unlike alligators, all crocodiles are sensitive to cold.
• 🐕DingoAustralia.
• 🐾EchidnaAustralia, including Tasmania, and New Guinea.
• 🐾EmuMost of mainland Australia. The Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King Island forms died out after European settlement.
• 🦇Fruit batTropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Oceania; Papua New Guinea has the most species.
• 🦘KangarooAustralia and New Guinea.
• 🐨KoalaEucalyptus woodland in coastal eastern and southern Australia: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
• 🐾KookaburraAustralia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands; the laughing kookaburra was introduced to New Zealand, Tasmania and Western Australia.
• 🐾LungfishAfrica, South America and Australia; lungfish once lived all over the world.
• 🐾LyrebirdEastern Australia: rainforests of Victoria, New South Wales and southeast Queensland; introduced to Tasmania.
• 🦎Monitor lizardAfrica, Asia and Oceania, including New Guinea and Australia; the Nile monitor is invasive in South Florida.
• 🐾MudskipperThe Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic coast of Africa. One widespread species runs from East Africa and Madagascar to Southeast Asia, northern Australia, southern China and Samoa.
• 🐾NumbatSmall colonies in Western Australia, plus fenced reserves in South Australia and New South Wales.
• 🦜ParrotMostly tropical and subtropical regions, with the greatest variety in South America and Australasia.
• 🕷️Peacock spiderAll species live in Australia; the area around Cape Riche in Western Australia is a hot spot for them.
• 🦆PlatypusRivers and streams of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.
• 🐍PythonSub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, southern China, the Philippines and Australia. Burmese pythons are invasive in Florida’s Everglades.
• 🐾QuokkaSouthwestern Australia: Rottnest Island, Bald Island and scattered spots between Perth and Albany.
• 🐾QuollMainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, now in much smaller areas than before.
• 🐾SawfishTropical and subtropical coasts, estuaries and rivers worldwide, but now gone from much of that range except northern Australia and Florida.
• 🦂ScorpionEvery continent except Antarctica.
• 🐾SeadragonSouthern Australian waters, from Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria west to Jurien Bay in Western Australia.
• 🐾Sugar gliderCoastal forests of southeastern Australia; close relatives live across eastern and northern Australia and New Guinea.
• 🦢SwanEurope, Asia and North America, plus the black swan of Australia.
• 🐍TaipanAustralia and New Guinea.
• 🐾Tasmanian devilTasmania only; it died out on the Australian mainland about 3,500 years ago.
• 🦘WallabyAustralia and New Guinea; introduced to New Zealand, Hawaii and the UK.
• 🐨WombatAustralia.

How each answer is decided: How we answer. Every animal, in one list: All animals.