Australians know kangaroos and wombats are native, but recognition falls dramatically for quolls and bandicoots, new research has revealed.
Polling by DemosAU found almost all people surveyed recognised kangaroos and wombats as native. But shockingly, across the east coast states of Queensland, NSW and Victoria, around one in three people did not recognise quolls as native Australian animals, while one in six thought foxes were native.
The Invasive Species Council says the findings reveal a growing disconnect between Australians and our native wildlife, as populations continue to decline from threats like invasive species and habitat destruction – erasing them from not just our landscapes, but our collective memory.
‘There is something deeply concerning about almost every Australian polled knowing a kangaroo belongs here, while around one in three people surveyed across the east coast did not recognise a quoll as native,’ Invasive Species Council Rewilding Manager Rob Brewster said.
‘Unfortunately that’s because our four species of quolls, like many of our other iconic species found nowhere else on Earth, are becoming increasingly sparse in our landscapes due to threats like invasive species driving populations to critically low numbers or even extinction.
‘The less Australians encounter an animal, whether that be a quoll, bandicoot or bettong, the quicker they fade from public knowledge and eventually generations will not recognise them all – unless we do something about it.
Concerningly, we’re seeing introduced animals like foxes, cats and deer becoming an increasingly familiar part of our suburbs, farms and bushland. Across the east coast, around one in six people surveyed thought foxes were native to Australia – that should alarm all of us.
‘That is how extinction can begin long before the last animal dies. A species disappears from your backyard, then your neighbourhood, then your region. A generation grows up without seeing it, and eventually its absence starts to feel normal.
‘Australia already has one of the worst animal extinction records on Earth, and invasive species are a leading driver of those losses.
‘But this isn’t just a story about what Australia has lost. We know that when invasive species are removed or controlled, native wildlife can be brought back.
‘We should not accept an Australia where introduced animals become more familiar while the native animals that belong here fade from our landscapes and our memory.
‘The Labor Government has committed to no new extinctions, but this commitment is not being backed by investment to deal with threats like invasive species. It is the responsibility of not just federal Environment Minister Murray Watt, but governments across Australia to protect the native animals that belong here and ensure they don’t disappear from our landscapes – or from the memory of future generations.’
Media inquiries: (02) 8006 5004
Background:
- The Invasive Species Council commissioned DemosAU to survey more than 5,000 people across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia during August and early September 2026.
Polling results
| Q. Of the animals below, please indicate which you recognise as native to Australia and which you recognise as not native. If you aren’t sure, please select don’t know. | |||
| Victoria | Native | Don’t Know | Not Native |
| Bandicoot | 68% | 23% | 9% |
| Cane Toad | 21% | 23% | 56% |
| Cat | 9% | 16% | 75% |
| Deer | 9% | 16% | 75% |
| Fox | 17% | 15% | 68% |
| Kangaroo | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Quoll | 65% | 28% | 7% |
| Wombat | 95% | 4% | 1% |
| NSW | Native | Don’t Know | Not Native |
| Bandicoot | 68% | 23% | 9% |
| Cane Toad | 24% | 18% | 58% |
| Cat | 10% | 20% | 70% |
| Deer | 10% | 17% | 73% |
| Fox | 19% | 17% | 64% |
| Kangaroo | 98% | 1% | 1% |
| Quoll | 69% | 25% | 6% |
| Wombat | 96% | 3% | 1% |
| SA | Native | Don’t Know | Not Native |
| Bandicoot | 71% | 19% | 10% |
| Cane Toad | 19% | 19% | 62% |
| Cat | 11% | 12% | 77% |
| Deer | 5% | 14% | 81% |
| Fox | 16% | 15% | 69% |
| Kangaroo | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Quoll | 69% | 24% | 7% |
| Wombat | 95% | 4% | 1% |
| WA | Native | Don’t Know | Not Native |
| Bandicoot | 81% | 13% | 6% |
| Cane Toad | 19% | 16% | 65% |
| Cat | 10% | 13% | 77% |
| Deer | 7% | 10% | 83% |
| Fox | 13% | 18% | 69% |
| Kangaroo | 98% | 1% | 1% |
| Quoll | 75% | 21% | 4% |
| Wombat | 96% | 3% | 1% |
| Qld | Native | Don’t Know | Not Native |
| Bandicoot | 73% | 19% | 8% |
| Cane Toad | 21% | 12% | 67% |
| Cat | 14% | 17% | 69% |
| Deer | 7% | 15% | 78% |
| Fox | 14% | 17% | 69% |
| Kangaroo | 98% | 1% | 1% |
| Quoll | 64% | 27% | 9% |
| Wombat | 95% | 4% | 1% |
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