Queensland is the most biodiverse state of Australia, with 70% of Australia’s mammal species, 80% of Australia’s birds, and 50% of Australia’s reptiles and frogs. How incredible is that!

Our Wild State exhibition celebrates Queensland’s unique animals and their habitats, and highlights their remarkable adaptations. Here’s five Queensland animals you can see on display at Wild State:

Albert’s Lyrebird, Menura alberti

This is the lesser known of Australia’s two species of lyrebird. It is confined to rainforests in a very small area of south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales.

Endangered: Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii

These wombats shelter in burrows during the day, and are impacted by predation from dingoes, wildfires and drought. The ‘Brigalow’ and ‘Gidgee’ (Acacia cambagei) woodland habitats they live in are also shrinking rapidly, and the species suffers low genetic variability.

Blue-blubber Jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus

These jellyfish often swarm together close to shore and often get washed up on beaches. They are the most common jellyfish on our east coast and an important food source for sea turtles.

Have you seen one washed ashore before?

Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius

Cassowaries swallow fallen rainforest fruits whole. They are the biggest native animals in the Wet Tropics and the only ones that spread seeds of trees with large fruits. Normally shy, their huge droppings are seen more often than they are. Gross.

White-winged Fairy-wren, Malurus leucopterus

This bird species is a permanent resident in arid areas. It gains moisture from the insects it catches, mainly beetles, and will occasionally eat fruit and seeds. The brightly coloured breeding male lives in a small family group.

Visit Wild State on Level 4 of Queensland Museum

Visit our Wild State exhibition today and see if you can spot all of the Queensland animals listed in this blog. Share your visit with us on social media by tagging #WildStateQM #myqldmuseum and tell us what animal you found the most interesting.

Free entry. Queensland Museum is open daily from 9:30am – 4pm.