What are some small animals in Australia?

There is a great variety of typical animals in Australia - both native and introduced.

Australia's most common native animals are marsupials. These are the pouched mammals (some pouches are nothing more than a flap of skin) and include:

• some sixty species of kangaroo, including wallaroo, potoroo, pademelon, rufous rat-kangaroo and wallaby (note: the rat-kangaroo is quite different to the kangaroo rat of North America)
• koala
• wombat
• possum (not opossum)
• glider
• potoroo
• bandicoot, including the bilby
• quokka
• quoll
• Tasmanian Devil
• phascogale
• dunnart
• cuscus
• bettong
• nabarlek
• numbat
• antechinus
• native hopping mouse

There are many marine mammals, including dolphins, and the very unique dugong, or sea-cow. The only placental mammals native to Australia are bats, of which there are over 80 species, bush rats and native hopping mice (rodents, not marsupials), of which there are several species. Dingoes are not truly native, not having originated here: they came with the Aborigines thousands of years ago, and for this reason are not necessarily considered to be truly native.

Monotremes (egg laying mammals) are also native to Australia. These include the platypus and the short-beaked echidna.

Native birds include:

• emu and southern cassowary, Australia's only Flightless Birds
• kookaburra
• budgerigar
• magpie
• lyrebird
• brush turkey
• friar bird
• little penguin
• bowerbird
• many varieties of lorikeets, rosellas and parrots, including the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Gang-Gang Cockatoo, corella, mulga parrot and the Galah
• Australia's most well-known native eagle is the Wedge-tailed Eagle. It is considered to be in the same "superspecies" as the Golden Eagle, but has some distinguishing characteristics (especially the shape of the tail).

There is a wide variety of native reptiles uniquely adapted to the country, such as:

• Thorny Devil
• Blue-tongue Lizard
• Frill-necked lizard
• goanna
• native geckos
• Saltwater or Estuarine crocodile
• Australia is also home to many of the world's most venomous snakes, such as the Inland Taipan, Death Adder, Mulga or King Brown, Red Bellied Black, Black Tiger, Copperhead, Gwardar, Collett's, Fierce, Eastern Tiger and Eastern Brown.

In addition, Australia has many introduced species, some of which cause massive damage to the ecology in Australia. The following is a list of animals that are of most concern to Australia's native flora and fauna.

• Cane toad (Bufo marinus)
• European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• European red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• Feral camel (Camelus dromedarius)
• Feral cat (Felis catus)
• Feral goat (Capra hircus)
• Feral horse (Equus caballus) and Feral donkey (Equus asinus)
• Feral pig (Sus scrofa)
• Feral water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
• European carp (Cyprinus carpio)

All domesticated pets, with the exception of some native birds such as finches, and various parrots such as budgies, cockatoos, cockatiels, Bourkes, etc, have been introduced into Australia. Non-native birds include Indian mynas, common starling, mallard and rock pigeon.

Dogs, cats, white mice and other common pets have also been introduced.

All livestock has been introduced, and this includes sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cattle and poultry. Deer have also been introduced.

Rats and mice are introduced, as are hares. Insects include the honey bee and the fire ant.