Australian Outback

An island continent full of animals found nowhere else on the planet.

ClimateHot, dry and blazing-bright across the interior.

LandscapeRust-red desert, dry scrubland and ancient rocky ranges.

Species recorded125

Written profiles7

Groups present8

Coordinates-25.0°, 134.0°

About the Australian Outback

Australia has been isolated for tens of millions of years, and its wildlife took a different route from almost everywhere else — marsupials filled the roles that placental mammals took elsewhere, and two of the world's five egg-laying mammals live here and nowhere else. The continent is mostly arid, and the arid interior is not simply dry but unpredictable: rain arrives at intervals that cannot be planned for, so many animals breed opportunistically, hold embryos in suspension until conditions improve, or move nomadically rather than migrating on a schedule. Fire is a structural part of the system rather than an interruption. The great modern problem is introduced predators and grazers, which have driven more mammal extinctions here than on any other continent.

Featured animals of the Australian Outback

All profiles →

7 species have a full written profile.

Red Kangaroo

Osphranter rufus

Least concernHerbivore

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

VulnerableHerbivore

Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Near threatenedCarnivore

Dromaius novaehollandiae

Least concernOmnivore

Least concernInsectivore

Most-recorded wild species here

Photographed and identified by iNaturalist contributors in this region, ordered by number of records.

Trachymantis obesa

Insects

Galah

Eolophus roseicapilla

Birds

Red Honey Ant

Melophorus bagoti

Insects

Long-nosed Dragon

Gowidon longirostris

Reptiles

Pink Cockatoo

Cacatua leadbeateri

Birds

Two-toned wolf spider

Hoggicosa bicolor

Arachnids

Western Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Insects

Australian Ringneck

Barnardius zonarius

Birds

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

Birds

Black-headed Monitor

Varanus tristis tristis

Reptiles

Spinifex Pigeon

Geophaps plumifera

Birds

Perentie

Varanus giganteus

Reptiles

Western hooded scaly-foot

Pygopus nigriceps

Reptiles

Orthodera marginata

Insects

White-browed Babbler

Pomatostomus superciliosus

Birds

Dingo

Canis familiaris dingo

Mammals

Burton's Legless Lizard

Lialis burtonis

Reptiles

Western Bowerbird

Chlamydera guttata

Birds

Full species checklist

A further 100 species recorded in the Australian Outback.

Common name	Scientific name	Group	Records
Western Brown Snake	Pseudonaja mengdeni	Reptiles	176
Stuart's Mussel	Velesunio wilsonii	Mollusks	175
Centralian Bluetongue	Tiliqua multifasciata	Reptiles	173
Desert Death Adder	Acanthophis pyrrhus	Reptiles	172
Camponotus aurocinctus	Camponotus aurocinctus	Insects	171
Caper White	Belenois java	Insects	169
Australian Bluetail	Ischnura heterosticta	Insects	168
Orange-naped Snake	Furina ornata	Reptiles	166
Central Bearded Dragon	Pogona vitticeps	Reptiles	165
Variable Fat-tailed Gecko	Diplodactylus conspicillatus	Reptiles	162
Unbanded Shovel-nosed Snake	Brachyurophis incinctus	Reptiles	160
Tawny Frogmouth	Podargus strigoides	Birds	158
Azelota ochracea	Azelota ochracea	Insects	157
Singing Honeyeater	Gavicalis virescens	Birds	156
Whistling Kite	Haliastur sphenurus	Birds	155
Children's Python	Antaresia childreni	Reptiles	154
Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus axillaris	Birds	151
Eastern Barn Owl	Tyto javanica	Birds	150
Little Pied Cormorant	Microcarbo melanoleucos	Birds	150
Hypolixus mastersii	Hypolixus mastersii	Insects	149
Ungee-Gungee	Desertaria lepida	Insects	148
Australian Painted Lady	Vanessa kershawi	Insects	147
Common Urnisa	Urnisa guttulosa	Insects	146
Common Toadhopper	Buforania crassa	Insects	145
Greenish Meadow Katydid	Conocephalus upoluensis	Insects	143
White-plumed Honeyeater	Ptilotula penicillata	Birds	142
Zebra Finch	Taeniopygia guttata	Birds	141
Budgerigar	Melopsittacus undulatus	Birds	139
Blue Skimmer	Orthetrum caledonicum	Insects	137
Sacred Kingfisher	Todiramphus sanctus	Birds	136
Red-capped Robin	Petroica goodenovii	Birds	135
Common Wallaroo	Osphranter robustus	Mammals	134
Thorny Devil	Moloch horridus	Reptiles	129
Australian Zebra Finch	Taeniopygia guttata castanotis	Birds	127
Australian Golden Orbweaver	Trichonephila edulis	Arachnids	126
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp	Delta latreillei	Insects	125
Lumpy Beplessia	Beplessia dispar	Insects	124
Port Lincoln Ringneck	Barnardius zonarius zonarius	Birds	122
Little Crow	Corvus bennetti	Birds	121
Striped Ungee-gungee	Desertaria fasciata	Insects	120
Granulomelon adcockianum	Granulomelon adcockianum	Mollusks	119
Rufous-breasted Babbler	Pomatostomus temporalis rubeculus	Birds	118
Crested Bellbird	Oreoica gutturalis	Birds	116
Sand Monitor	Varanus gouldii	Reptiles	115
Australian Magpie	Gymnorhina tibicen	Birds	114
Black-flanked Rock Wallaby	Petrogale lateralis	Mammals	113
Silver-spotted Huntsman	Isopedella inola	Arachnids	110
Scarlet Percher	Diplacodes haematodes	Insects	109
Grey Teal	Anas gracilis	Birds	108
Collared Sparrowhawk	Tachyspiza cirrocephala	Birds	107
Nankeen Kestrel	Falco cenchroides	Birds	103
Australasian Grebe	Tachybaptus novaehollandiae	Birds	102
Double-spotted Line Blue	Nacaduba biocellata	Insects	101
Rainbow Bee-eater	Merops ornatus	Birds	100
Dusky Grasswren	Amytornis purnelli	Birds	97
Redback Spider	Latrodectus hasselti	Arachnids	95
Rosy Skimmer	Orthetrum migratum	Insects	94
Blistered Pyrgomorph	Monistria pustulifera	Insects	93
Spangled Perch	Leiopotherapon unicolor	Fish	92
Black-faced Cuckooshrike	Coracina novaehollandiae	Birds	90
Crested Pigeon	Ocyphaps lophotes	Birds	85
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko	Strophurus ciliaris	Reptiles	84
Godart’s Hawkmoth	Agrius godarti	Insects	83
Willie Wagtail	Rhipidura leucophrys	Birds	82
Pygmy Mulga Monitor	Varanus gilleni	Reptiles	78
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater	Acanthagenys rufogularis	Birds	77
Rainbow Grasshopper	Macrocara conglobata	Insects	72
Mainland Black-faced Cuckooshrike	Coracina novaehollandiae melanops	Birds	71
White-faced Heron	Egretta novaehollandiae	Birds	69
Brown Cutworm	Agrotis munda	Insects	64
Red-necked Avocet	Recurvirostra novaehollandiae	Birds	62
Inland Thornbill	Acanthiza apicalis	Birds	61
Splendid Fairywren	Malurus splendens	Birds	60
Slater's Ring-tailed Dragon	Ctenophorus slateri	Reptiles	59
Magpie-lark	Grallina cyanoleuca	Birds	57
Red-browed Pardalote	Pardalotus rubricatus	Birds	54
Australian Striped Hawk Moth	Hyles livornicoides	Insects	50
Mistletoebird	Dicaeum hirundinaceum	Birds	45
Crested Tooth-Grinder	Ecphantus quadrilobus	Insects	42
Peakesia striata	Peakesia striata	Insects	39
Anthela asterias	Anthela asterias	Insects	37
Sand Dune Grasshopper	Urnisiella rubropunctata	Insects	36
Inland Snake-eyed Skink	Cryptoblepharus australis	Reptiles	35
Grey-headed Honeyeater	Ptilotula keartlandi	Birds	33
Southern Whiteface	Aphelocephala leucopsis	Birds	32
Gray Shrikethrush	Colluricincla harmonica	Birds	31
Bag-shelter Moth	Ochrogaster lunifer	Insects	29
Megacmonotus magnus	Megacmonotus magnus	Insects	28
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis	Birds	27
Small Grass-yellow	Eurema smilax	Insects	26
Fairy Martin	Petrochelidon ariel	Birds	25
Wandering Percher	Diplacodes bipunctata	Insects	24
Crimson Chat	Epthianura tricolor	Birds	22
Yellow-throated Miner	Manorina flavigula	Birds	19
Bony Bream	Nematalosa erebi	Fish	13
Red-headed Centipede	Scolopendra morsitans	Other animals	11
Pacific Swift	Apus pacificus	Birds	10
Lawson's Night Moth	Eudesmeola lawsoni	Insects	8
Cystococcus pomiformis	Cystococcus pomiformis	Insects	6
Brown Honeyeater	Lichmera indistincta	Birds	5

Australian Outback

About the Australian Outback

Featured animals of the Australian Outback

Most-recorded wild species here

Full species checklist

Groups found here

Mammals

Birds

Fish

Reptiles

Insects

Arachnids

Mollusks

Other animals