Get up close and personal with the NT’s unique wildlife habitats, and see prehistoric crocs, marsupials, dingos and hugely diverse bird species.
Discover the thousands of bird species and other native wildlife that flourish in the Northern Territory. The region’s animals include birds, insects, reptiles, marsupials and mammals. Spot them in the wild, at wildlife parks, and on wildlife tours and cruises.
Teeming with wildlife
The Territory is home to 400 species of birds, 150 mammals, 300 reptiles, 50 frogs, 60 species of freshwater fish and several hundred species of marine fish.
Most local species of birds and mammals have been comprehensively recorded, but new species of fish, frogs, reptiles, invertebrates and plants continue to be discovered.
Get up close
In some areas of the NT you’ll see unusually rich numbers of species and concentrations of threatened species. These include the stone country of western Arnhem Land and Palm Valley as well as the floodplains of the Top End, home to vast numbers of waterbirds, fish, crocodiles, and many other species.
The Territory’s prolific bird life provides some of its most spectacular wildlife experiences. Witness the massive aggregations of magpie geese and dancing brolgas in the billabongs and floodplains of the north. See the noisy flocks of budgerigars and parrots in central Australia, and even spy the threatened Gouldian finch.
Crocs
Crocodiles, the most famous of the Territory’s creatures, can be seen in most rivers and billabongs in the Top End or at the wildlife parks around Darwin. There is almost a one-to-one ratio of crocs to humans in the north, so you’re sure to come across them in the local waterways.
Wildlife cruises
A great way to see the wildlife of rivers and wetlands in the NT is on a guided cruise. Yellow Water is a land-locked billabong in Kakadu National Park where you’ll see submerged crocodiles, wild horses, buffalo and other wildlife. During the wet season it floods and attracts millions of migratory birds.
Wildlife parks
Wildlife parks are a great way to get close to local animals in their natural habitat. At The Alice Springs Reptile Centre you’ll find a large number of reptiles, including huge perentie goannas, thorny devils and some of the world’s most venomous snakes.
Visit the Territory Wildlife Park, near Darwin, and walk through the nocturnal house, into a monsoon forest, or under the aquarium inhabited by saltwater crocodiles.
Crocodylus Park is home to Australian and exotic animals, including wombats, dingoes, lions, tigers, monkeys, and more. Join a guided tour, feed a five metre jumping croc, or hold a baby crocodile.
