What is Australia's national animal?
Australia does not have an official national animal, but the kangaroo is widely regarded as the country's national symbol. Along with the emu, it appears on the Australian coat of arms.
The kangaroo is unique to Australia and is recognized worldwide as a symbol of the country. It appears on coins, sporting uniforms, tourism campaigns and the logo of the airline Qantas.
There are four large kangaroo species: the red kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the western grey kangaroo and the antilopine kangaroo. The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world.
Other national emblems
While there is no official national animal, Australia does have official national symbols, including the golden wattle as the floral emblem and opal as the national gemstone.
The koala and the emu are also seen as national symbols. The emu appears with the kangaroo on the coat of arms.
Each state and territory has its own animal emblems. For example, the koala is the emblem of Queensland, the platypus of New South Wales and the numbat of Western Australia.