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Wildlife of Sydney

Learn about the more commonly encountered animals in Sydney and find images of them too. Choose from the groupings found in this section or use the quick lists page below.

Habitats of Sydney

The Sydney region has a wide range of habitats for wildlife. Even the most urban areas can provide habitat for some species.

Crustaceans

Sydney has many crustaceans including prawns, crabs, lobsters, barnacles, shrimps, yabbies, garden slaters and pillbugs. They live deep in the ocean, high on the rocky shore and some species are found in fresh water while a few have adapted to live on land.

Lace corals and sea mats

Bryozoans are minute colonial animals, known as lace corals or sea mats. There are around 5,000 species of bryozoans worldwide with about 210 species known to occur in Sydney Harbour.

Jellyfish, anemones and corals

Anemones, corals, jellyfishes and hydroids are collectively known as cnidarians. About 130 species have been recorded in Sydney Harbour.

Frogs

Australia has around 200 species of native amphibians, all of which are frogs. About 37 of these are found in Sydney.

Insects

The insect group is one of the most diverse groups of animals, with an enormous number of known species. Insects are found in almost every habitat in Sydney

Reptiles

About 40 species of reptiles are found in the Sydney region including turtles, lizards and snakes.

Birds

Birds are a familiar sight in Sydney's bush, backyards, parks and gardens. A diverse group, birds exhibit a range of adaptations for all environments.

Spiders

You can see spiders by day and night in just about any habitat. The forests, woodlands and heathlands of Sydney's national parks are good places to see many species, but most gardens and parks will have a spider population.

Centipedes and millipedes

The diversity of centipedes and millipedes in Sydney is greatest in forest areas. Leaf litter, soil and the underside of logs are their preferred habitats.

Sea squirts and cunjevoi

Sydney has over 80 species of ascidians. Ascidians belong to the subphylum Urochordata. Their common name of sea squirt arises from their ability to squirt water.

Sea stars, sea urchins and other echinoderms

Sydney is home to about 120 species of echinoderms and, because of their size and unusual shapes, they are one of the easiest groups to find on the rocky shore.

Image gallery

Wildlife of Sydney photos

Wildlife of Sydney photos

Wildlife of Sydney photos

Mammals

Sydney is home to a range of mammal species, both native and introduced.Some species have adapted extremely well to sharing their environment with humans. Others have not fared so well.

Freshwater fish

There are around 265 species of freshwater fish in Australia, including those that also occur in seawater at some point in their life cycle, with many potentially new species still to be scientifically described. Twenty four species occur in the Sydney area.

Sharks and rays

Sydney Harbour and the surrounding coastal waters are home to a rich diversity of sharks and rays. These include small, slower-moving bottom dwelling rays as well as large, powerful predators. Over 60 species have been recorded, with about half of these occurring commonly in the harbour.

Marine fishes

About 85 per cent of all fishes belong to the class Osteichthyes - the bony fish. Sydney Harbour and the surrounding coastal waters are home to a rich diversity of bony fish.

Molluscs

Snails, slugs, clams, mussels, squids and octopuses are all very different-looking animals. However, they are all molluscs and they are all found in Sydney. They live almost everywhere - on the rocky shore, in freshwater habitats and in your garden.

Sponges

Sponges are simple colonial animals. There are around 10,000 species of sponges worldwide, with about 160 species found in the Sydney region.

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