Wildlife of the Tablelands

Our region supports a tremendous variety of animals inluding many endemic mammals.  Here are just a few you may come across.

Platypus - thought a hoax in 1799 when it was introduced to the British Public, this egg laying mammal is a very unusual character indeed.  With a furry body up to 50cm long, including a rubbery duck-like bill, webbed feet and broad rudder shaped tail it spends half the day feeding on the bottom of a creek or dam.  The other part is spent on land or in a burrow just above water level.  In spring the female may lay up to 3 eggs, and when the young hatch they suck milk which oozes from pores on the mothers belly. The platypus can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes at a time. You may catch a glimpse of them when they pop up, or when they are feeding in the reeds at the waters edge, or when they are swimming swiftly down the river.  They are not yet endangered, but their habitat is on the decline.

Lumholtzs Tree Kangaroo - endemic to the wet tropics and listed as rare, this nocturnal mammal can be found on the Tablelands.  It lives in the canopy of Rainforests and adjacent wet sclerophyll forests. It is thought to have evolved from kangaroos, and returned to the trees just like its possum like ancestors. It is the size of a small dog, with a long black tail, black face and paws and strong forelimbs.  Though spending most of its time in the trees, it does move between rainforest patches, so please be careful when driving through the forest at night or early in the morning.

Musky Rat-kangaroo - Thought to be the most primitive of the kangaroo family this endemic mammal can be found by day, foriaging for fruits and insects on the floor of the rainforest. With a body length of about 30cm long, it has dark rusty brown fur and a scaly tail. Though a member of the kangaroo family, the Musky Rat-kangaroo moves on all fours, in a slight bunny hop motion.

Possums - Nocturnal by nature, there are a wide diversity of possums in our region, including the endemic Lemuroid Ringtail Possum,  Green Ringtail Possum and Striped Possum.  The Common brushtail possums are found in many habitats across the region.

Gliders - They use membranes on either side of their body to glide up to between their favourite trees.  The Mahogany Glider is an endemic glider that is critically endangered, it was thought to be extinct at one time. Sugar gliders are small and cute and live in family groups.

Boyds Forest Dragon - this reptile has a distinctly primeval look.  It eats rainforest fruits, slugs and insects and is active by day.  At about 20cm long, it is well camouflaged, so you have to look hard to see it.  It is commonly seen near waterways, and is endemic to the wet tropics.

Frogs - The rainforest and the open sclerophyll country support a good range of frog species.  Unfortunately many of our frog species are endangered. There are many interesting frogs in our region. The Northern Barred frog is an impressive rainforest dweller that has the distinction of producing Australias largest tadpole which can reach up to 15cm (6 inches) long! In the drier reaches of western Tablelands, the Short-footed Waterholding frog burrows deep into the soil during the dry months and remains until heavy rains, then it climbs out and breeds quickly.

Butterflies and moths - the Tableland is home to some very beautiful butterflies and impressive moths.  The electric blue wings of the Ulysses butterfly is probably the best known. You may also see the emerald green and black of the male Cairns Birdwing.  The Hercules Moth has the largest wingspan of any moth in the world, females reaching up to nearly 30cm (1 foot).

Images from top: Cairns Birdwing Butterfly (JWright), Platypus (Holmes), Musky Rat-Kangaroo, Boyds Forest Dragon (Holmes), Northern Barred Frog (Adam).  All images are copyright and not to be reproduced.