10 Animals to See Between Darwin and Uluru

Adventure tours Australia

The Rock Tours

Mulgas Adventures

Thorny Devil

This beautiful lizard is one of the icons of the Outback. Coming in at a tiny 20cms in size, the Thorny Devil is part of the Dragon Lizard family and lives for up to 20 years. Difficult to spot, you’re most likely to see one sunning itself by the side of the road, soaking up the sunlight they need to raise their body temperature. Look out for its erect tail and keep your eyes peeled and to the ground during any hikes.

Goanna

The Goanna is a large lizard which loves to laze around in the sun and are widespread throughout Australia, so you’ve got a good chance of spotting one while travelling through the Outback. The Goanna is actually a monitor lizard, given their distinctive name by early settlers from Europe who thought they looked like iguanas! They love to dig holes, so wherever you see holes in the ground, a Goanna is likely to be close by.

Red Kangaroo

The Big Red Kangaroo is the biggest marsupial in the world, and you’ll spot them in droves throughout the desert regions. Their hopping isn’t just cute, it’s also energy efficient and quick enabling them to travel large distances to find the small amounts of food available. When it’s hot, you’ll find them lazing around in the scrub.

Desert Dingo

Another iconic Aussie animal, the Dingo is an intelligent and gorgeous wild dog that has been around these parts for more than 3,500 years. Dingoes are omnivores meaning they eat both meat and anything else they can find, and mostly hunt at night. They have an unjustly deserved bad reputation but are graceful and shy and a top sight during any desert adventure.

Spinifex Hopping Mouse

These nocturnal mice are one of the creatures you’re most likely to see while out walking at night. They have a distinctive tufted tail and bound along at night on their long legs and giant feet. Growing up to 5 inches in height, they live in small family groups in burrows underground to protect themselves from predators. Keep your torch pointed towards the ground and keep a sharp eye out for these bouncing beauties.

Woma Python

Another nocturnal sight is the Woma Python. Growing up to 3 metres in length and with pretty striped, brown markings; they make their home in sandy burrows left behind by other animals. They are no danger to people and are not venomous. They are also critically endangered so if you do see one, count yourself very fortunate.

Camel

These are not native to Australia but have become one of the ubiquitous sights of the Outback. Tall and graceful, often with a grumpy temperament, they can travel huge distances with little to no water and move in large groups.

Bilby

Possibly the cutest of all, but also the rarest, the pretty Bilby is a small marsupial with a huge snout and large ears, in a tiny package coming in at around 30 inches long, so you’ll definitely need to keep your eyes peeled for this one. Like most desert creatures, the Bilby tends to hide away from the sun during the day, so look out for them at dawn and dusk.

Emu

These unusual birds are the second largest in the world after the ostrich. Emus are only found in Australia they cannot fly, but run fast. Rather than tweeting these large birds grunt.

Euro

See a euro which is a cross between a wallaby and a kangaroo out foraging for food. Wallaroo is any of three closely related species of moderately large macropod, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the Wallabies.

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