There
are 2 general types of animals in Australia. One group of animals
are native to the continent. The other group were introduced
by people who settled there. This cassowary (left) is a native bird of
Australia. It can grow to be 2 meters tall (over 6 feet!) and weigh 130lbs!
It's kick is powerful enough to kill a person.
This
frilled lizard is another native animal. Many reptiles call Australia their
home.
To
learn about the famous koala - a native mammal - 
For
more animal photos click here: 
There
are many unusual mammals here. A mammal is a vertebrate that feeds its
babies milk, is warm blooded, has fur or hair, and breathes air.
There are three types of mammals.
1.
Monotremes - A monotreme is a special kind
of mammal that is only found in Australia. They are the only mammals
that lay eggs!!
They
are the echidna and the duck-billed platypus. When the platypus was first
discovered it was so unusual that people thought someone had sewn two different
animals together as a prank!
2.
Marsupials - A marsupial is a pouched animal.
The female carries its baby in the pouch until it is big enough to care
for itself. Babies born to marsupials could not survive on their
own and are often not fully developed. They are hairless, tiny and
often are blind. Nearly all of the native mammals in Australia are
marsupials. 
An
example of a marsupial that lives in the US is an opossum. The kangaroo
is an Australian marsupial.
To
learn about kangaroos, a familiar pouched mammal, click here: 
3. Placentals - Placental mammals are probably the ones that you are most familiar with. Humans are placental mammals! This type of mammal carries their baby inside the mother's uterus until the baby is large enough to survive outside the mother's body. Dogs, cats, mice, and pigs are common examples of placental mammals.
Rats
and bats are the only two placental mammals that are native to Australia!
There are many other placental mammals, but they were brought by humans
when they settled there. Humans often thought this was a good idea, but
didn't realize the effect that these invader species would have on the
native species.