Wild Australian Photos

Everyone has heard about the eclectic wildlife in Australia and the generally frightening nature of the creatures and species that live there. From diverse and unique breeds, to enormous-sized versions of things you’re already scared of back home, there’s a reason the “Land Down Under” has the reputation it does.

In this gallery we explore a wide range of close and treacherous encounters, and boy are we happy we’re not behind the camera, because most of these occurrences would have us catching the first flight back home. It’s no joke when you come into contact with these wild Australian animals!

The Grey-Headed Flying Fox is a megabat native to Australia, and just the thought of this thing casually hanging from the roof is simply scratching the surface of what you may come across in this country. Thankfully they’re pretty harmless, and this one just needed a rest.

The typical sizes of lizards in the States are smaller than your hand, but here they’ll scale the side of your house and be the size of your living room window. These giant Goanna monitor species are actually pretty rare in residential areas, but with construction they’ve become a more common sight.

The Huntsman is actually a friend to many in Australia, because not only is it not poisonous or interested in humans, but it’s a fabulous insect consumer, sure to keep your pest control on your rural property or farm under control. If you hate cockroaches, this is your best friend.

One of the great ironies in Australia is that size usually trumps species, and this is clearly on display here where we see a giant Olive Python consuming what seems to be a smaller-sized crocodile. This just goes to show how the predatory food cycle works here, because there’s almost always a larger animal group hunting you!

The enormous sizing of this pinecone that falls from the Araucaria is actually big and heavy enough to kill you, as it’s unfortunately done to some unlucky and innocent passers-by. As you can see by scale here, it’s larger than the entire chest to head of this young boy.

This jacked kangaroo was actually an internet celebrity, nicknamed “Roger Roo.” He certainly captured the attention of many based on his extremely muscular demeanor, which while not uncommon, was quite exaggerated in his case. Sadly he passed recently, but his legacy is forever.

One of the craziest and most thrilling things you can do while vacationing in Australia is take a river boat to see some of the saltwater crocodiles, who when tempted with a hunk of meat, will literally ascend from the depths like some kind of horror movie. While this is somewhat gimmicky, it’s insane to see their true size!

Like we said, everything in Australia is enlarged in size, and that includes stick bugs. Which in this case, are thankfully harmless, as is exemplified by the fact this person chose to take this picture of it on their kid, rather than abandoning them or whacking it off with a broom.

While this is something straight out of a horror movie, it’s quite commonplace in some rural parts of Australia, and notably in areas in places like parks where there’s heavy vegetation and spider habitats flourishing. Now we’re not saying you can’t stop and marvel at it, but personally, we wouldn’t stay.

Virtually everywhere you go outside is in danger of being overrun with spiders. That’s basically what we’re telling you. Here we see a normal homeowner’s energy meter, which has not only been invaded by one large spider, but is now home to the nest of thousands of its babies. Fantastic.

We’ve all heard of this happening, but to actually experience it in person would be another level of terrifying. We’re talking about finding a snake around the rim of your toilet bowl, and boy it should make you want to check no matter what before sitting down, because just thinking about hearing it before realizing has us wanting to jump out of our seats.

Animals express solidarity in Australia, and that goes for those who find themselves needing to get away in light of a situation. After tons of rain fell and a homeowner needed to flush toads out of his dam, they decided to catch a ride with a more than 10 ft. long python. Shockingly, these toads can actually be more dangerous due to their toxins.

Upon boating up to this scene, you’d probably be confused as to what you’re even looking at. However, the reality is less than desirable, because it’s actually a dead whale that’s now filled with gas, causing it to float to the surface. Inevitably, it’ll explode, and we wouldn’t want to be around when it does, that’s for sure.

Believe it or not, this incredibly rare Hot Pink Slug is so uncommon, it’s only found in a specific forest that’s isolated on the continent, at the site of an extinct volcano, making it one of the many extraordinarily unique creatures that live in the epicly diverse ecosystem that is Australia.

The predator-prey dichotomy in Aussie just looks different, as on display by this frog that is absolutely going to town on a whole snake. It may look like this is an overwhelmingly large meal for the green guy, but you can be sure it’s a daily haul considering the first key to survival is eating.

No, Mr. Snake. You are not permitted in this store, and if you’re not buying, you need to get out. But let’s be clear – these shopkeepers are absolutely fearless to be willing to pick up this huge python and escort it out on their own. Must be a right of passage for Australians, sadly.

Insects are probably the most despised subgroup in the creature world, and this lengthy line of hairy caterpillars are just another example of why. Even seeing this line dozens of feet long, knowing they’re practically harmless, you just come to realize that these crawlers are just like the rest, having to band together to survive.

What’s found on the surface are not the only things you should know about, especially once you set your eyes on this unfathomably large earthworm that is clearly about half the size of a human being when stretched out fully. Move over Texas, everything is much bigger here.

The worst part of an unwanted animal encounter is when they are hidden or blend in with your surroundings, or worse – both. Take for example this snake, which decided to warm itself up and make a home inside these gas pump hoses, which more than likely spooked the heck out of whoever grabbed these pictures.

When we say things that exist in Australia are built differently and don’t exist anywhere else, this is a case in point. The anemone is nothing like normal ones, as it’s actually armored with deadly spikes that could inflict lethal damage to those who come into contact with it. While it looks beautiful washed up on the beach, it’s certainly not something you ever want to run into.

Not only do you need to watch out for the literal creatures themselves when taking a stroll in the open lands, but you should also be aware of the literal location you’re in. This poor hiker only learned upon return that they’d actually been walking in Tiger Snake breeding grounds the whole time. They were alright, but let it be a warning to all – read!

Crocodiles are often thought of as the kings of the waters around Australia, mostly due to their enormous size, pack hunting mentality, and fearlessly sneaky attack methods. This is on display here, where we see a massive saltwater croc carrying an entire shark onto land so that he can feast on it for his midday snack. Now that’s absolutely mental.

If you’re deciding to visit Australia, may we recommend always checking your shoes before putting them on. Now you can’t blame a snake for finding comfort inside a Croc, after all they share the same rubbery texture, plus it’s water resistant. Just wouldn’t be fun to slide your toes into.

This small snake is actually the second most venomous in the world, and it’s called the Coastal Taipan. A mom found this guy hiding in the crevices of her child’s lunch box, which I’m sure was an unnerving experience for a multitude of reasons. Luckily they both got away unscathed, along with this pic to document the experience.

One thing about nature is that when you’re busy thinking about one threat, another might be all around you. Take this gigantic hail for example, which for scale, is bigger than entire billiard balls. Now that will leave a dent, and likely would be catastrophic with contact to the human head. Look out!

For some reason, it seems the construction in Australia is not snake proof, because they get into just about anything despite seeming too large to fit. Take this snake here, who decided it was best to come in through the ceiling fan, and revealed himself once the owner decided to figure out why his fan was rattling so loud. How about that discovery?

Somehow opening the toilet bowl and seeing a snake and not having to worry about being surprised is less and more terrifying at the same time. However, this goes to show how such large breeds are able to still fit up your pipes to warm up in your bathroom. Pretty horrifying!

Perhaps one of the most foolish and dangerous things one can do is pick up one of these Blue-Ringed Octopus, because their toxins are so deadly, they can make you lose all your vital signs even before you’ve actually passed. And when you can see the rings, that means it’s agitated, which means this guy’s lucky to be alive!

The stick bugs in Australia are on another level of large, because when you see something like that is scaling half of the fence, you’d swear it was a vine or a plant before it’d process that it was actually a stick bug. This Goliath Stick is luckily harmless, and wouldn’t you know, some people actually keep them as pets.

This Badge Huntsman spider was identified on a new homeowner’s back door, and we can’t imagine that’d be the most welcoming feeling. As we noted earlier though, these are typically helpful around the house taking on pests and monitoring your yard, but it would probably make the owner feel better if they stayed out.

Snakes and snacks, often autocorrect, are not often thought of as two species who interact, let alone eat one another. But somehow this python got its teeth on a large bat, and had to have been happy to secure a meal that will likely last him a few days.

If the idea of a massive termite mound isn’t scary enough to send shivers down your spine, wait until you learn termites build the largest natural structures of any creature on Earth by scale. For reference, humans would have to build something 6.2 miles high to equate with the ratio of this tower to the size of the actual termite.

Spiders find their way around, through, and onto everything in Australia, but they seemingly love appliances or basically anything that is shiny or contains metal and electricity. However, if you were hoping to heat up something real quick, you’ll probably be better of just not doing that until you deal with this guy first.

The most ironic part about a long time spent down under is that once you get used to seeing these guys outside your door on a regular basis, you don’t seem to mind them anymore. This thing may be huge, but it’s just minding its own, handing out outside waiting for some bugs to fly by. Only scary for so long.

While it’s pretty crazy to try and process the scale of this frog and wonder how he fits that whole snake into its body, what’s crazier is the fact that this is just the kind of thing you casually see on your everyday journey out the front door. Wonder if it ever gets old.

This Ogre Faced Spider, also known as the Net Casting Spider, actually weaves a web that it uses to cast out at their prey below as they hang from various areas. While it may not be big enough to target humans or even harm them really, it just goes to show you how savage nature is.

Some Australians actually claim that the fly problem around the country is much worse than the spiders, and they’ll die on that hill. They’ve been known to travel in swarms and devastate crops and pester whole cities, and they are virtually uncontrollable once they take over any area.

The Tropical Orb spider is a cousin to other native spiders in North America, but as is always the case with Australia, theirs are the largest. While this photo may be a bit of a lighting illusion, make no mistake that this giant spider is about the size of a whole dinner plate on average. Not very appetizing.

In the winter time, these slimy bugs known as Black Portuguese Millipedes multiply during their mating season and become a nuisance to the people of south-western Australia. Not only do they smell and reproduce quickly, but they can literally overwhelm infrastructure at times.

This is another fantastic representation of how large a stick bug is compared to a grown man’s leg. As you can see, it reaches from nearly ankle up to the knee, which means it’s over a foot long. At this point you probably have to avoid them because they seem to just want to go wherever they please.

This Rainbow Wrasse is a brilliant color of blue, turquoise, red, green and even some purples! So you can say it certainly lives up to its name. The waters around Australia are extremely diverse, and a lot of exotic fish such as these can be found in the seemingly endless coastline.

There’s always some kind of creature you have to be on the lookout for while camping no matter where you are, but only in Australia are you going to have yourself a parrot problem. These pesky invaders seem to have stumbled on a nice loot, and one is even questioning the person taking the picture if it’s in fact their tent. The gaul!

This cameraman doesn’t look too familiar, which is probably a good thing considering he’s a bit short to see the video screen. Jokes aside, it’s incredible to see how diverse and unique some of the species on the continent are, and it’s a wonder they’re able to share their knowledge of these creatures with the rest of the world.

Not all nature has to be scary or dangerous after all, and this pink lake known as Spencer Lake makes the case for a beautiful natural body of water that’s actually that color due to a particular strain of algae – the same one that turns flamingos pink.

Pests in Australia can be a lot bigger than your average problem, and these chaotic possums are an example of why you should cover your chimney. Typically if they’re hanging around your house, they want food, whether it be in the trash or inside. They’re certainly not shy, but they probably wouldn’t harm a human anyway.

If you told me that when I go to Australia I’d see a cockatoo drinking straight out of a can on the power line, I probably would have believed you because that sounds exactly like something that you would specifically see there. Hopefully it was good, but I’m sure he caused a ruckus back home.

In the dead summer of Australia, you would think birds would be drawn to the bath in your yard considering how hot the weather gets. But alas, of course the reason they’re not there is because a snake is already inside it. If you couldn’t have guessed that by now, you’re probably not a native Australian.

The amount of photos that come pouring out of this continent that show a kangaroo breaking and entering into some kind of establishment is pretty astounding considering by this point you’d think they would be prepared for it. This guy seems to want to run the front desk overnight, and they may as well let him, just to see if he’s a good fit.

Every creature far and wide desires to take a bath at one point or another, and capturing the moment a kangaroo is just chilling in the river and cleaning himself up offers a unique look as to what these animals do when away from their pack. Looks refreshing and secluded, which is ideal for these high-strung species.

Just casually strolling into a small, remote Australian town’s airport here is an emu, who seems more than convinced this will be the only way he can fly since his wings aren’t so capable. In all fairness though, this is just as commonplace as seeing any other creature in a human space, because after all, the wildlife out here isn’t shy, nor do they understand the concept of small towns in such a vastly open nation.