How much do you know about Australian Animals for Kids? | Quiz

Answer: Platypus

The platypus is a monotreme, which means it is a mammal that lays eggs. It is the animal emblem of New South Wales and you can find one on an Australian 20 cent coin. When it was first discovered by Europeans, a sketch of one was sent to England. The English scientists first thought it wasn't real, and they would not believe that it existed until they saw a live one.

Answer: Emu

The emu was chosen as one of the two animals on the Australian coat of arms because it cannot move backwards, symbolising that Australia is a forward moving country. Emus live all over Australia except for Tasmania.

Answer: Tasmanian Devil

Tasmanian devils are loud, but small. Despite its small size, it is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial in Australia. They are endangered, which means there aren't many left in the wild. The Looney Tunes character Taz is a Tasmanian devil.

Answer: Kangaroo

Kangaroos hop everywhere and they have a pouch to keep their babies safe. They are herbivores, which means they only eats plants and vegetables. They love to box and they can sometimes attack humans. They are often hit by cars by accident and they can be found on the Australian 1 dollar coin.

A kangaroo is on the Australian coat of arms along with the emu because neither of them can move backwards. There are many different types of kangaroo, such as the eastern grey kangaroo and the red kangaroo.

Answer: Echidna

Echidnas are small, spiny creatures which are named after a monster in Greek mythology. They can also be found in New Guinea. They eat ants and termites, which they catch using their long, sticky tongue. Their spines act as protecting from the creatures that try to eat them.

When it feels it is in danger, it curls up into a ball with the spines facing outwards. There are many different types of echidna, such as the western long-beaked echidna and the Sir David's long-beaked echidna.

Answer: Wombat

Wombats are short legged creatures that are strong enough to knock an adult human to the ground. Early settlers used to call them badgers because of the size and habitat of this creature. They have quite a large brain, unlike most Australian marsupials.

There are three different types of wombat, the common wombat, the northern hairy-nosed wombat and the southern hairy-nosed wombat. Despite being cute and cuddly, they would not make good pets.

Answer: Frilled Neck Lizard

The frilled neck lizard lives in hot places of Australia, which means they live all over northern Australia. The frill is to make it seem bigger and to scare off predators. It is a very fast runner and it runs on two legs. A frilled neck lizard appeared on the Australian 2 cent coin, before they stopped making them. They eat all types of small insects and they lay about 15 eggs.

Answer: Kookaburra

The indigenous people of Australia believed that if a child insulted a kookaburra, they would grow an extra tooth. They also believed that the kookaburra was told by one of their gods to laugh during the sunrise so that mankind would not miss it. Kookaburras are from the kingfisher family and they eat snakes, insects, small reptiles and the young of other birds.

They are dark-brown with spots of white. They sometimes fly into farms and eat one of the baby ducklings or chicks, which farmers don't like.

Answer: Koala

Koalas are often thought of as bears, but they aren't bears at all. They are marsupials and they are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. They can be found in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. Eucalyptus leaves are the only things koalas eat. They are almost always up trees and they sleep for up to 18 hours every day!

Answer: Lyrebird

The lyrebird is a truly remarkable bird named after a musical instrument, which the male's tail looks like. There are two types of lyrebird, the superb lyrebird and the Albert's lyrebird. The Australian 10 cent coin has a lyrebird on it. Lyrebirds are shy, running away quickly when they feel they are in danger. They live in rainforests in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.