Top 13 Weirdest Marsupials of Australia – from Numbats to Quolls and Tree Kangaroos
Discover the most unusual tricks, behaviors, abilities, features, and habitats of Australia's marsupials!
Australia is famous for its unique animal species – especially the venomous ones. Let's take a look at the quirkiest marsupials the country has to offer: from flying gliders to mysterious tasmanian wolfs, to beautifully spotted quolls, cheeky striped Numbats, and bandicoots with long rabbit ears.
Interestingly, not all marsupials have a pouch. Some only possess one during pregnancy. There are even species where males have a pouch.
Some live in trees, some on steep cliffs, and others spend most of their time in underground tunnels. Their habitats are very diverse.
1. Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus)
Wait – a kangaroo that lives in trees? Yes, it's true, there are kangaroos that don't bounce through the Australian outback with huge leaps. Tree kangaroos are perfectly adapted to life in trees – with their large paws, long claws, and extremely long tail. They can even leap from tree to tree – over distances of up to 30 feet (9 meters)! In fact, they are the only kangaroos that live in trees.
2. Musky Rat-Kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus)
The musky rat-kangaroo is a peculiar creature. It resembles a rat, inhabits dense rainforests, and moves on all fours instead of hopping. Additionally, it has opposable thumbs (for a 'pincer grip') and a prehensile tail. It is the smallest kangaroo in the world. The name is not without reason: it actually smells like musk – a heavy, sweet scent. The musky rat-kangaroo is considered a 'living fossil' because it still looks like its ancestors that lived 20 million years ago.
3. Sugar Glider (Petauridae)
Isn't this little creature adorable? It's name makes perfect sense, given those charming bulging eyes and its soft, cuddly fur. Sugar gliders are truly unique: they have a furry flying membrane between their arms and legs. While they can't fly like bats, they can glide several feet through the air when they spread their membrane.
4. Quokka (Setonix brachyurus)
What a sweet, tiny animal! You just have to love the quokka! It always looks cheerful and happy because its mouth corners turn upwards. When it was first discovered, it was mistaken for a large rat due to its fur color and its long, smooth tail.
5. Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
The numbat is unmistakable with its beautiful striped fur. It exclusively feeds on termites. It can eat up to 20,000 termites a day! Interestingly, although it belongs to the marsupial family, female numbats do not have a pouch. The young ones crawl to the nipples and must cling tightly to the dense, curly hair on the mother's belly.
6. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
The Tasmanian devil is a very peculiar animal. It's rarely seen because it is nocturnal, but you can certainly hear it. Its eerie screech can send chills down your spine. Among all mammals, it has the highest bite force relative to its body size. It feeds on carrion, making it particularly important for the health of the forest. The most famous Tasmanian devil is "Taz" from Looney Tunes (with Bugs Bunny).
7. Rock Wallaby (Petrogale)
Not only are there kangaroos that live in trees, but also those that inhabit cliffs, rocks, and gorges: the rock kangaroo. It’s like a mountaineer and free climber in one. It can scale steep rock faces, even nearly vertical slopes. Its long, bushy tail isn’t used for support, but rather to maintain balance. Additionally, its fur is adapted to its habitat. It is much rougher and denser, providing greater protection against injuries from sharp rocks.
8. Wombat (Vombatidae)
Wombats are truly quirky creatures. They produce cube-shaped droppings, glow under UV light, bite each other on the rear, can run at speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h), and help other species during bushfires by digging burrows. Their ancestor, the Diprotodon, lived 45,000 years ago and was as large as a rhinoceros!
9. Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
The Red Kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world. It uses its long, strong tail like a fifth leg, engages in boxing matches with its peers, smells like a mouse, can leap 26-29 feet (8-9 meters) in a single bound, and sweats through its forearms. However, it cannot move backward or swim.
10. Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Koalas look like adorable teddy bears, but they have some truly bizarre traits and abilities. For instance, they have two thumbs (!) on each hand. They also possess unique fingerprints – a feature shared only with primates and humans. When stressed, they wiggle their ears and get hiccups. Moreover, they are quite picky eaters, as they only consume eucalyptus. And when they take a snack break, they sleep: up to 14 hours a day.
11. Quoll (Dasyurus)
The quoll is a little clown – at least on the outside. Its fur is adorned with numerous cute, white spots. Although they are marsupials, they don’t always have a pouch. It develops during the gestation period and then disappears again. They can even crack bones with their strong jaws and possess the second strongest bite force relative to their body size.
12. Bilby / Rabbit-Bandicoot (Macrotis)
Quite thin-skinned! We don’t mean to imply that the bilby is overly sensitive, but rather we are referring to a specific body part: its ears! They are not only thin-skinned and large but also nearly hairless. This helps them cool down – much like elephants or fennecs. Its tail is also unusual. It is black, but white at the tip. When this marsupial runs, it always keeps the tip pointed upwards.
13. Thylacine
This animal goes by many names. Thylacine, Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf, or Marsupial Wolf. Indeed, due to its body structure, it closely resembles a dog or wolf. The stripes on its back are reminiscent of a tiger's. Now it gets even crazier: male Thylacines also have a pouch. However, it is not used for raising young. Instead, it protects their reproductive organs. The Thylacine could open its jaw exceptionally wide – at an angle of 120 degrees. Among all mammals, only the hippopotamus has a wider mouth opening. The Thylacine went extinct in 1936 due to excessive hunting.
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