Description: Short and stocky. Woolly grey fur with white chest and belly. Koalas have three 'fingers' and two 'thumbs' on each front paw.
Behaviour: Nocturnal and spend most of their time resting or feeding in the upper branches of eucalypt trees.
Lifespan: 10-15 years.
Development: Koalas breed once a year and give birth to a single young. Newborns weigh only 0.5 grams and are the size of a human thumbnail.
Length: 90 cm (Males are larger than females).
Weight: 4-13.5 kg. Males are up to 50% heavier than females.
Diet: Eucalypt leaves
Habitat: Dry to open eucalypt forests.
Threats: Land clearing, cars and dogs
Status: Vulnerable in South East Queensland
Description: Light stripe on face; reddish shoulders and upper back.
Behaviour: Sleep during the day but active in early morning and late afternoon.
Lifespan: May live up to 18 years of age.
Development: Breeding throughout the year, except in Tasmania when breeding takes place between January to July. A joey will remain in their mother's pouch until they are 40-43 weeks of age.
Length: Body length 82 cm, tail 80 cm.
Weight: 15 kg.
Habitat: Costal woodlands with some brushy undergrowth and grasslands.
Threats: Land clearing, cars and dogs.
Description: Grey-brown fur with red neck and shoulders.
Behaviour: Nocturnal. Solitary and shy animals.
Lifespan: 18 years.
Development: Sexually mature at 17 months of age. Breeds throughout the year and produces one young at a time.
Length: Body 50 cm, tail 40cm.
Weight: 6 kg. Males larger than females.
Diet: Leaves and grasses.
Threats: Dogs and cats.
Northern Brown Bandicoot
Description: Long pointed snout and rounded ears; thick-set bodies with a short neck. The hind feet are elongated and the second and third toes are fused together. Bandicoots have sharp teeth and their molars are slightly pointed.
Behaviour: Nocturnal. Detect food by smell; dig holes with their forefeet and probe with their snout. Males are solitary and territorial.
Development: May live up to 3 years of age. Sexually mature at 3-4 months.
Length: Body 40 cm, tail 17 cm.
Weight: 2 kg.
Diet: Worms, insects, fungi, seeds, plant roots.
Habitat: Bushlands and suburbia that has long grass and thick shrubs.
Threats: Cars, dogs and cats.
Description: Body covered with short sharp spines. Each spine is formed from a single hair. Short-beaked Echidnas have short powerful limbs with claws and a long sticky tongue. Their scientific name, Tachyglossus aculeatus, means 'spiny fast-tongue'.
Behaviour: Active during the day. Detects ants and termites by smell and by using sensors in the tip of their beak. They use their powerful claws to uncover prey and dig burrows for shelter.
Development: May live up to 50 years of age. Mate between June - September. Babies develop spines at 6-9 weeks of age.
Length: 45 cm.
Weight: 7 kg.
Diet: Ants, worms, termites and other invertebrates.
Habitat: Most habitats. Australia wide and anywhere with a food source.
Threats: Cars and dogs.
Common Brushtail Possum (juvenile)
Length: (Adult) Body 50 cm, tail 38 cm.
Weight: (Adult) 4 kg.
Diet: Fruit, leaves, grass, insects.
Habitat: Dry and wet forests, wodlands, suburban gardens. Australia wide but declining in central Australia.
Threats: Cars and dogs.