Koalas’ habitat extends along Australia’s eastern coast, where a large number of bushfires are burning. The iconic marsupials move slowly, and their only defense against fire is climbing higher into the eucalyptus trees where they make their homes. Packed with oil, these trees detonate in spectacular explosions during extreme wildfires. Koalas are not at risk of extinction as a result of the fires because they have such a broad range. They have, nonetheless, been hit particularly hard.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkRed kangaroos, like the one pictured here, are one of four kangaroo subspecies affected by the fires. Fast and mobile, the marsupials sometimes can escape flames, but wire fencing, for example, can restrict their movement. Many that do escape are left displaced, without food or water, and injured. Veterinarians there have had to euthanize many burn victims. In Mallacoota, a town in eastern Victoria hit hard by the fires, dozens of displaced kangaroos have gathered on a golf course, unsure where to go.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkWombats live in extensive, multi-entrance underground burrows. These homes can provide refuge from smoke, flames, and heat, both for wombats and for other animals. Studies have found that other species often seek shelter in wombat burrows during extreme conditions such as fire and drought, as well as to avoid predators. Wombats that survive the wildfires may face challenges later on, such as avoiding predators and finding food in a scorched landscape.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkGrey-headed flying foxes, like this one hanging upside down, are primarily suffering as a result of the unusually hot, dry conditions that have contributed to the fires. Incapable of surviving extreme heat, the bats have died en masse this season. In one Melbourne-area park, 4,500 of them died over three days when temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkBrushtail possums, which have an extensive range across Australia, including in the fire zones, have demonstrated an ability to survive extreme wildfires in the past by finding shelter in tree hollows. In the future, however, they may not be able to rely on these cavities for protection. They’re typically found only in older trees, which are more susceptible to collapse after wildfire.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkWallabies, like the red-necked wallaby pictured here, face food shortages in the fire zones. To help feed the brush-tailed rock wallaby, endangered in New South Wales, officials have dropped thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes and carrots from the sky in a mission dubbed “Operation Rock Wallaby.”
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkYellow-bellied gliders, one of six species of gliding marsupials native to Australia, are classified as near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. They live in eucalyptus forests in the fire zones and depend on large, old trees to create their dens. The loss of habitat may exacerbate their already-vulnerable status—the species has declined by 30 percent over the past three generations.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkPotoroos, hare-size wallabies, already face dwindling numbers and may suffer catastrophic losses from the wildfires. One population of long-nosed potoroos—the species seen here—may have been wiped out entirely when wildfire decimated a key habitat in New South Wales in October. Another species, the long-footed potoroo, has a small, patchy range in wetlands that have been ravaged by bushfire.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkPeople across New South Wales and Victoria have shared photos on social media of cockatoos and parakeets found dead on the ground during heatwaves. Birds, including the sulphur-crested cockatoo, suffer hunger and thirst in extreme heat and drought. Kangaroo Island’s glossy black cockatoo population faces potential extinction after fires burned six out of eight known flock sites on the island.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkThe bushfires will likely have serious effects on Australia’s rivers, home to the duck-billed platypus, whose range extends along the country’s entire eastern coast. As fires burn trees around streams, the loss of shade may raise water temperatures to levels intolerable for platypuses—typically anything above 83 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s possible, experts say, that the platypus could become locally extinct in regions hit especially hard by fire.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkOnly 2,000 to 3,000 critically endangered mountain pygmy possums remain in the wild—all on just a few mountains in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. It’s the only mammal in Australia that lives completely in an alpine habitat, much of which has been razed by wildfire. Survivors face food shortages and predation by feral cats and foxes, which hunt effectively in burned landscapes.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkWhen echidnas feel threatened, they burrow themselves into the ground by digging their feet deep in the dirt. Their quills can help protect their skin from flames. These instincts, however, may be no match for extreme wildfire. The Kangaroo Island echidna, the species pictured here, may have suffered significant losses after an inferno blazed through half of the island in December 2019, incinerating wildlife on a massive scale.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkThe regent honeyeater is a critically endangered bird found in forests and savannas along the eastern coast of New South Wales, where wildfire and drought have been severe. As of 2010, experts estimated that just 350 to 400 of the birds remained in the wild. The birds feed on and nest near particular types of eucalyptus trees, which experts fear may have been decimated in the fires. Loss of key habitat would affect their ability to breed, nest, and eat, pushing the species closer to the brink of extinction.
Photograph by Joël Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark