Wild animals of Outback Australia

Photos from the Real AUSTRALIA

Outback Australia

There are some animals that are best avoided and probably the Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile has the worst reputation: in Darwin museum is the huge skeleton of "Sweetheart", a monster crocodile that used to attack motor boats. But these large reptiles, once mercilessly hunted, are now protected and should be respected as belonging there. They are now regularly caught in Darwin harbour and released in the wild, or end up in the crocodile farm.

The Freshwater Crocodile, in contrast, is quite harmless, as is the Carpet Snake and the goanna (monitor lizard), the latter two prized as food by Aborigines. The water buffalo, once introduced from Indonesia, is considered a pest as it degrades the environment; brought under control and herded into cattle pens, they now appear on the menu in Darwin restaurants.

The possum is a nocturnal marsupial and widespread around Australia, as is the large flightless bird, the emu, and the kangaroo, both emblems on Australia's Coat of Arms and native to the dry interior. By contrast, the seas around Australia teem with fish, especially on the Great Barrier Reef, considered the largest living structure in the world.

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