DEPI Home > Plants & Animals > Native Plants and Animals > Our Wildlife > Mammals

Victorian mammals come in all shapes and sizes from the smallest native mouse to the largest animal on earth - the majestic blue whale. Most live solely on land, but some live in our seas (e.g. dolphins, seals and whales) and in our rivers and creeks (e.g. platypus). We even have some that have learnt to fly (e.g. bats) and some that have developed the ability to glide through tree tops (e.g. gliders).

Mammals are generally characterised by hair or fur on their bodies and almost all suckle their young on milk which provides a rich source of fat and proteins to help young mammals grow. Most bear live young although the platypus and echidna lay eggs.

There are some 139 mammal species in Victoria, including some of our most iconic and internationally renowned species such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, wombats, platypus and echidnas.

Did you know?

• Some kangaroos can hop at speeds of up to 65 kph and bound up to 6 meters in one hop.

• Wombats can dig burrows up to 30 meters long.

• The duck-like bill of the platypus is flexible and soft and helps it to search for food by picking up electrical currents from its prey.

• The heart of a Blue Whale is about the size of a small car.

• A Feather Tail glider can glide up to 25 meters in one leap.

• Baby echidnas are called puggles and each spine on their coat is formed from a single hair.

• Koalas spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping and resting as their eucalyptus leaf diet is not very nutritious, so this is how they conserve energy.

Download the following fact sheets for interesting facts and information on some of Victoria's mammals:

Chocolate Wattled Bat [PDF File - 234.9 KB]
Chocolate Wattled Bat (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 294.0 KB]

Common Brushtail Possum [PDF File - 265.6 KB]
Common Brushtail Possum (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 465.0 KB]

Common Ringtail Possum [PDF File - 271.2 KB]
Common Ringtail Possum (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 378.5 KB]

Eastern Grey Kangaroo [PDF File - 243.4 KB]
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 389.5 KB]

Echidna [PDF File - 282.0 KB]
Echidna (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 393.0 KB]

Southern Right Whale [PDF File - 239.9 KB]
Southern Right Whale (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 143.0 KB]

Blue Whale [PDF File - 213.7 KB]
Blue Whale (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 141.5 KB]

Humpback Whale [PDF File - 252.5 KB]
Humpback Whale (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 139.5 KB]

Bottlenose Dolphin [PDF File - 213.3 KB]
Bottlenose Dolphin (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 136.5 KB]