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Threatened fauna of Australia facts for kids

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Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This list is the list proclaimed under the Australian federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The classifications are based on those used by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), however IUCN and Australian rankings do differ. Each state and territory has its own legislation relating to environmental protection.

Based on the list of Australian animals extinct in the Holocene, about 33 mammals (27 from the mainland, including the thylacine), 24 birds (three from the mainland), one reptile, and three frog species or subspecies are strongly believed to have become extinct in Australia during the Holocene epoch. These figures exclude dubious taxa like the Roper River scrub robin (Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi) and possibly extinct taxa like the Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichura).

Extinct in the wild

One fish is listed as extinct in the wild.

Critically endangered

Four mammals, six birds, two reptiles, three fish and five other species are listed as critically endangered.

Invertebrates

Fish

Reptiles

Birds

  • Scrubtit (King Island subspecies), Acanthornis magnus greenianus
  • Spotted quail-thrush (Mt Lofty Ranges subspecies), Cinclosoma punctatum anachoreta
  • Yellow chat (Dawson subspecies), Epthianura crocea macgregori
  • Orange-bellied parrot, Neophema chrysogaster
  • Round Island petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana
  • Herald petrel, Pterodroma heraldica

Mammals

Endangered

Thirty-four mammals, thirty-eight birds, eleven reptiles, eighteen frogs, sixteen fishes and eleven other species are listed as endangered.

Invertebrates

  • Desert sand-skipper, aestiva skipper, Croitana aestiva
  • Central North burrowing crayfish, Engaeus granulatus
  • Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi
  • Furneaux burrowing crayfish, Engaeus martigener
  • Scottsdale burrowing crayfish, Engaeus spinicaudatus
  • Gove crow butterfly, Euploea alcathoe enastri
  • Broad-toothed stag beetle, Wielangta stag beetle, Lissotes latidens
  • Freshwater snail, Beddomeia capensis
  • Land snail Mesodontrachia fitzroyana
  • Lord Howe placostylus, Lord Howe flax snail, Placostylus bivaricosus
  • Land snail Semotrachia euzyga
  • Land snail Sinumelon bednalli
  • Moth Phyllodes imperialis (southern subspecies)

Fish

Macquarie perch
This exceptionally large Macquarie perch was caught on a lure (visible in the picture) and was carefully released.
  • Spotted handfish, spotted-hand fish, Brachionichthys hirsutus
  • Elizabeth Springs goby, Chlamydogobius micropterus
  • Golden galaxias, Galaxias auratus
  • Swan galaxias, Galaxias fontanus
  • Barred galaxias, Galaxias fuscus
  • Clarence galaxias, Galaxias johnstoni
  • Northern river shark, New Guinea river shark, Glyphis garricki
  • Clarence River cod, eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei
  • Trout cod, Maccullochella macquariensis
  • Mary River cod, Maccullochella peelii mariensis
  • Macquarie perch, Macquaria australasica
  • Lake Eacham rainbowfish, Melanotaenia eachamensis
  • Oxleyan pygmy perch, Nannoperca oxleyana
  • Arthurs paragalaxias, Paragalaxias mesotes
  • Maugean skate, Port Davey skate, Zearaja maugeana
  • Redfin blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis

Amphibians

Reptiles

Birds

Mammals

Vulnerable

Invertebrates

  • Draculoides bramstokeri
  • Mount Arthur burrowing crayfish, Engaeus orramakunna
  • Burnie burrowing crayfish, Engaeus yabbimunna
  • Lasionectes exleyi, a cave-dwelling remipede crustacean
  • Giant Gippsland earthworm, Megascolides australis
  • Bathurst copper, purple copper, Paralucia spinifera

Fish

CSIRO ScienceImage 2535 The Red Handfish
The red handfish
  • Edgbaston goby, Chlamydogobius squamigenus
  • Murray hardyhead, Craterocephalus fluviatilis
  • Swamp galaxias, Galaxias parvus
  • Saddled galaxias, Galaxias tanycephalus
  • Eastern dwarf galaxias, dwarf galaxias, Galaxiella pusilla
  • Murray cod, cod, goodoo, Maccullochella peelii
  • Blind gudgeon, Milyeringa veritas
  • Flinders Ranges gudgeon, Mogurnda clivicola
  • Balston's pygmy perch, Nannatherina balstoni
  • Yarra pygmy perch, Nannoperca obscura
  • Ewens pygmy perch, golden pygmy perch, variegated pygmy perch, Nannoperca variegata
  • Australian lungfish, Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri
  • Blind cave eel, Ophisternon candidum
  • Shannon paragalaxias, Paragalaxias dissimilis
  • Great Lake paragalaxias, Paragalaxias eleotroides
  • Dwarf sawfish, Queensland sawfish, Pristis clavata
  • Freshwater sawfish, largetooth sawfish, Pristis microdon
  • Green sawfish, dindagubba, narrowsnout sawfish, Pristis zijsron
  • Australian grayling, Prototroctes maraena
  • Honey blue-eye, Pseudomugil mellis
  • Whale shark, Rhincodon typus
  • Waterfall Bay handfish, Sympterichthys species [CSIRO #T1996.01]
  • Ziebell's handfish Sympterichthys species [CSIRO #T6.01]

Frogs

Reptiles

Denisonia maculata
Ornamental snake
  • Five-clawed worm-skink, long-legged worm-skink, Anomalopus mackayi
  • Pink-tailed worm-lizard, Aprasia parapulchella
  • Flinders Ranges worm-lizard, Aprasia pseudopulchella
  • Hermite Island worm-lizard, Aprasia rostrata rostrata
  • Green turtle, Chelonia mydas
  • Lord Howe Island gecko, Christinus guentheri
  • Three-toed snake-tooth skink, Coeranoscincus reticulatus
  • Yinnietharra rock dragon, Ctenophorus yinnietharra
  • Airlie Island ctenotus, Ctenotus angusticeps
  • Lancelin Island skink, Ctenotus lancelini
  • Hamelin ctenotus, Ctenotus zastictus
  • Striped legless lizard, Delma impar
  • Striped-tailed delma, Delma labialis
  • Atherton delma, legless lizard, Delma mitella
  • Collared delma, Delma torquata
  • Ornamental snake, Denisonia maculata
  • Great desert skink, tjakura, warrarna, mulyamiji, Egernia kintorei
  • Yakka skink, Egernia rugosa
  • Baudin Island spiny-tailed skink, Egernia stokesii aethiops
  • Bell's turtle, Namoi River turtle, Bell's saw-shelled turtle, Elseya belli
  • Bellinger River emydura, Emydura macquarii signata
  • Hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata
  • Dunmall's snake, Furina dunmalli
  • Broad-headed snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides
  • Christmas Island gecko, Lister's gecko, Lepidodactylus listeri
  • Mount Cooper striped lerista, Lerista vittata
  • Pilbara olive python, Liasis olivaceus barroni
  • Flatback turtle, Natator depressus
  • Pernatty knob-tail, Nephrurus deleani
  • Pedra Branca skink, red-throated skink, Niveoscincus palfreymani
  • Krefft's tiger snake (Flinders Ranges), Notechis ater ater
  • Bronzeback snake-lizard, Ophidiocephalus taeniatus
  • Brigalow scaly-foot, Paradelma orientalis
  • Lord Howe Island skink, Pseudemoia lichenigera
  • Christmas Island blind snake, Ramphotyphlops exocoeti
  • Fitzroy tortoise, Rheodytes leukops
  • Border thick-tailed gecko, Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus

Birds

  • Slender-billed thornbill (western subspecies), Acanthiza iredalei iredalei
  • Grey grasswren (Bulloo River subspecies), Amytornis barbatus barbatus
  • Thick-billed grasswren (eastern subspecies), Amytornis textilis modestus
  • Thick-billed grasswren (Gawler Ranges subspecies), Amytornis textilis myall
  • Lesser noddy (Australian subspecies), Anous tenuirostris melanops
  • Noisy scrub-bird, Atrichornis clamosus
  • Muir's corella, Cacatua pastinator pastinator
  • Baudin's black-cockatoo, long-billed black-cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus baudinii
  • Cape Barren goose (south-western subspecies), Recherche Cape Barren goose, Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea

Mammals

Conservation dependent

Four fish and one mammal are conservation dependent.

Fish

  • School shark, eastern school shark, snapper shark, tope, soupfin shark, Galeorhinus galeus
  • Orange roughy, deep-sea perch, red roughy, Hoplostethus atlanticus
  • Eastern gemfish, Rexea solandri (eastern Australian population)
  • Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii

Mammals

  • Southern bent-wing bat, Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii

Threatened species legislation

Federal threatened species legislation

Refer to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and Regulations.

State threatened species legislation

Threatened species in Australia are protected (or affected by) by four main types of legislation:

  • Protected areas legislation (e.g., National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW))
  • Threatened species legislation (e.g. Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW))
  • Native vegetation conservation laws
  • Fisheries legislation

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