Kangaroo Island Tours - About Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island - ONE OF THE BEST DESTINATIONS IN AUSTRALIA - Wildlife, Wildlife, Wildlife

Kangaroo Island is often referred to as Australia's Galapagos Island.  It has been voted as number 1 island in Asia Pacific Region.

Kangaroo Island is approximately a 2 hour drive South of Adelaide to the town of Cape Jervis, then a 14km (45minute) ferry/boat ride across Backstairs Passage to Penneshaw.  It is a must see and do destination in Australia and South Australia.  There is no other place in the world with the calibre of beaches, wildlife viewing opportunities and natural landscapes and beautiful scenery.

Kangaroo Island is 155km long by 55km wide and is the 3rd largest island in Australia.  Kangaroo Island has in excess of 500km of coastline including Vivonne Bay, recently voted as Australia's Best Beach.

Kangaroo Island has no rabbits or foxes, so all of the small cuddly and cute animals are still on Kangaroo Island in abundance.  You can expect to see Kangaroo's. Wallabies, Australian Sea Lions, New Zealand Fur Seals, Koalas, Penguins, Possums, bird life and possibly see an echidna, goanna, platypus, bandicoots, whales (in season), dolphins plus more.

Kangaroo Island housed the first settlement in South Australia at the main town of Kangaroo Island called Kingscote.  There are also 2 other town ships of Penneshaw and Parndana.  Kangaroo Island has 5 Australian Rules Football Teams and it's own Kangaroo Island Football League.  There are approximately 4,000 residents and 17,000 koalas!

Kangaroo Island is an amazing Island home to numerous species of wildlife and these are listed below along with scientific names.

KANGAROO ISLAND WILDLIFE

The Wildlife is a part of what makes Kangaroo Island so special and our tour guides are hand picked
and passionate about wildlife and the environment and will do their best to show you as much
wildlife on Kangaroo Island as they can.

Surf & Sun are an Advanced Eco Accredited Company
and on Kangaroo Island you can expect to see Australian Sea Lions, Australian and New Zealand
Fur Seals, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Possums, Bird Life, Penguins and possibly Echidnas, Goanna,
Bandicoots and Dolphins and sometimes Whales when in season as well as the elusive Platypus!

Below are some of the scientific names of some Kangaroo Island Wildlife.

 Marsupials    

Cercartetus concinnus Western Pigmy Possum

Cercartetus lepidus Little Pigmy Possum

Sminthopsis aitkeni Sooty Dunnart

Macropus eugenii Tammar Wallaby

Macropus fuliginosus fulinginosus Kangaroo Island Kangaroo

Isoodon obesulus Southern Brown Bandicoot

Pseudocheirus peregrinus Common Ringtail Possum

Trichosurus vulpecula Common Brushtail Possum

Phascolarctos cinereus Koala

 Monotremes    

Tachyglossus aculeatus Short-beaked Echidna

Ornithorhinchus anatinus Platypu

 Rodents 

Mus domesticus House Mous

Rattus fuscipes Bush Rat

Rattus lutreolus Swamp Rat L Rattus norvegicus Brown Rat

Rattus rattus Black Rat

 Bats    

Saccolaimus flaviventris Yellow-bellied Sheathtailed Bat (R)

Mormopterus planiceps Little Mastiff Bat (C)

Tadarida australis White Striped Mastiff Bat (C)

Chalinolobus morio Chocolate Wattled Bat (C

Chalinolobus gouldii Gould's Wattled Bat (C)

Eptesicus darlington Large Forest Eptesicus (R)

Eptesicus regulus King River Eptesicus (C)

Nyctophilus geoffroyi Lesser Long-eared Bat (C)

 Whales and Dolphins    

Balaena glacialis australis Southern Right Whale (E)

Caperea marginata Pygmy Right Whale (R)

Balaenoptera edeni Bryde's Whale (R)

Balaenoptera physalus Fin Whale (R)

Delphinus delphis Common Dolphin (C)

Orcinus orca Killer Whale (R) XL Globicephala melaena Pilot Whale (R)

Tursiops truncatus Bottled-nosed Dolphin (C)

Kogia breviceps Pygmy Sperm Whale (R)

Kogia simus Dwarf Sperm Whale (R)

Physeter macrocephalus Sperm Whale (R)

Hyperoodon planifrons Southern Bottled-nosed Whale (R)

Mesoplodon grayi Gray's Beaked Whale (R)

Ziphius cavirostris Curvier's Beaked Whale (R)

Mesoplodon layardii Strap-toothed Whale (R)

 Pinnipeds     Arctocephalus forsteri New Zealand Fur Seal (R)

Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus Australian Fur Seal (R)

Neophoca cinera Australian Sea-lion (R)

 Feral mammals     Felis Catus Cat* (C)

Capra hircus Goat (C)

Sus scrofa Pig (U)

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS    

 Sea Turtles    

Caretta caretta Loggerhead Turtle

Chelonia mydas Green Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea Leathery (Luth) Turtle

 Dragon Lizards    

Ctenophorus decresii Tawny Dragon

Pogona barbatus Bearded Dragon

 Geckos   

Phyllodactullus marmoratus Marbled Gecko

Underwoodisaurus milli Thick-tailed Gecko

 Legless Lizards    

Aprasia striolata Lined-wormed Lizard

 Skinks    

Egernia multiscutata Russett Skink

Egernia whitei White's Skink

Hemiergis decresiensis Three-toed Skink

Lampropholis guichenoti Four-toed Skink

Lerista bougainvilli Garden Skink

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides Common Blue Tongue

 Goannas   

Varanus rosenbergii Rosenberg's Sand Goanna

 Snakes    

Austrelaps superbus Pygmy Copperhead Snake

Notechis ater niger Black Tiger Snake

 Frogs

Litoria wingi Brown Tree Frog

Limnodynastes dumerili Bull Frog

Limnodynastes tasmaniensis Marble Frog

Neobatrachus pictus Painted Frog

Pseudophryne bibroni Brown Toadlet

Ranidella signifera Brown Froglet

KANGAROO ISLAND ROCKS