“It was raining raining and dull all morning, when at last the sun came out to brighten their day. A group of rainbow lorikeets starting courting, dancing and preening. This couple were preening their wet feather and happened to rub their heads along their feathers in a synchronised motion,” says Sandy Carroll

The rainbow lorikeet is an unmistakable native bird that mainly lives in coastal northern and eastern Australia.

“Experimenting with my new camera lens, I discovered an entire new world of insects taking residence in my garden… looking forward to discovering more new inhabitants in my garden next weekend,” says Cathy Barrett.

Arthropods, an umbrella group that includes insects, arachnids, crustaceans and myriapods, make up about 75% of the world’s animals.

“We found this gorgeous olive python out hunting on a brisk night in eastern Kimberley, WA. The sky was completely dark and the Milky Way was sitting perfectly, stunningly bright. I couldn’t help but take a photo of the scene; one that I feel reflects the landscape and wildlife of the Kimberley. This photo is a composite of two exposures, one for the olive python and one for the Milky Way. The camera was on a tripod and the photos taken one after another,” says Jasmine Vink.

The olive python is Australia’s second largest snake-species. Adults can reach over 4m long.

“A fly, that’s right a fly. Imagine what your perception of a fly is, what do you think they look like? Now looking at this photo, has that perception changed? The complexity of reality is among the most humbling of all things. This photo is of a Dipteran found in Brisbane, it was put together as a focus stack of perhaps nine photos,” says photographer James Dorey

“Journey’s end: a 16-year-old female fin whale, unfortunately washed up ashore near Warrnambool, Victoria.  I journeyed out with a friend and captured this image of the whale on the beach at night.  I wanted to capture this scene, and in some way do justice to a majestic creature that lost its way,” says Aaron Toulmin.

The fin whale is the second largest mamal after the blue whale. It is now considered an endangered species due to heavy hunting in the twentieth century. 

“In loving hands they grow. A friend has been fundraising to help with the costs of raising orphaned and injured wildlife by Jean-E-Us Wildlife Shelter in Boolarra, Victoria. I was fortunate enough to meet Jean and some of her lucky little wombat charges, and love this image for the love and gentleness she shows to these adorable little Australians,” says Sharon Slocum.

Ms Quick who runs Jean-E-Us Wildlife Shelter is a pensioner with a passion for Australia’s native wildlife. She runs the shelter on generous donations, government grants and her own funds.

“Sneaky snake. This is what I woke up 2 this morning…one very LUCKY birdy….bloody hell, snake grabbed the rainbow from the eaves…what a racket…the whole time it was biting the snake….fighting for its life. Then the snake drops to the ground…unravels a bit…and the bird flies FREE….then all these birds come from nowhere…squawking their little heads off…like they were telling the snake off. One very lucky bird is all I can say,” says Jan Aukett.

“This is a land mullet (Gernia major) and one of the largest skinks in Australia. I took this photo near the summit of Mt Barney in Scenic Rim, Queensland. These lizards are not afraid of humans. In fact, they tend to pop out of their hiding places to get a bit of sun while humans keep the eagles at bay,” says Aden Gutman.

The skink gets its name from the fish that it superficially resembles, albeit with legs. Its blunt head and scales are reminiscent of the mullet.

“Down the hatch! A rainbow bee-eater spending summer at Herdsman Lake, WA,” Jenny Knox.

The rainbow bee-eater is the only species of bee-eater in Australia. They are fairly common in Australia, excluding Tasmania. In the winter they tend to migrate north, within Australia and towards New Guinea and Indonesia.

Young leopard seals are vagrant visitors to the Australian coastline.  This seal ‘hauled out’ for a rest at ‘The spit’ in Sydney where he was for three days, before returning to the sea. These true seals breed on the Antarctic ice, and appear to becoming more frequent visitors to our shores, perhaps because their environment is changing,” says Kimberley Kliska.

The leopard seal is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic region. Leopard seals can pose a threat to humans and those who spot them are recommended not to stand too close.

The turtles of Lady Musgrave island. Lady Musgrave island is a 14 hectare coral cay on Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef. The island is part of a recognised important bird area on the reef and is home to an abundance of bird life.

“Tawny Frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) show off the art of camouflage,” says photographer Troy Jennings.

Despite their nocturnal behaviour and appearance, the tawny frogmouth is not a type of owl. During the day they camouflage with trees to protect themselves from predators.

“Saw this thorny devil beside the track at Uluru on a recent trip. He appeared to be waiting patiently for some lunch to wander by,” says Tony Smith.

Uluru Kata Tjuta NP is home to 21 species of native mammals, 178 species of birds, 73 species of reptiles and thousands of invertebrates.

“This photo was taken in Lane Cove National Park. I often go to visit these beautiful powerful owls and watch then look at me with indifference. The are truly magnificent animals, this one had a freshly caught ring-tail possum in its talons,” says Martin Cook.

The powerful owl eats possums as well as other tree-dwelling animals such as birds. Their populations are considered vulnerable, despite their hunting prowess, due to a declining number of habitats in Australia.

“Regent bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) male preparing for his display at first light. In the background, waits a lone female in the bower. Leaves are removed from the front of the bower each morning before escorting females down from the canopy. Low ambient light gave me no option other than to open my aperture wide open during this display. This image was taken over six days in the hide,” says Trevor Andersen.

“Spring has arrived! This was captured whilst a busy bee bustled from flower to flower collecting pollen.  The warm weather and the buzz of bees signalled the start of spring in Melbourne,” Angus Costopoulos.

Australia has over 1,500 species of native bees, as well as several species of feral bees.

“Melyrid beetle (Yellow soft-winged flower beetle/Carphurus sp.). The Melyrids in subfamily Malachiinae are bi-colours with bright colours in orange-red, yellow, blue or black. Some of them have short wing-covers that could be confused with rove beetles, however rove beetles are seldom in bright colours,” Rundstedt Rovillos.

“This very small jumping spider had made one of my roses its home,” Theresa Clark.

The jumping spider family contains around 5,000 known species. They are easily recognisable as belonging to this family thanks to their four eyes, one pair- the anterior median- is larger than the other.

Motorbike frog captured at in Stoneville, Western Australia, at photographer Vanessa Clark’s home. The frog is common in southwest Australia, its colloquial name coming from the sound of its mating call like a motorbike changing gears. The frog can change its colours quite easily to camouflage with its surroundings.  

“A pair of banded knob-tailed geckos (Nephruros wheeleri) in our backyard in Paynes Find. We came upon then while gardening and they were quite happy to sit while I took several photos. They have the most amazing eyes!” says David Rocke

Paynes Find is a former gold rush settlement in Western Australia, known for its wildlfowers. Banded knob-tailed geckos are native to Western Australia.

Spotting beautiful Humpbacks in Hervey Bay. Humpback whales inhabit all major oceans and are often spotted off the coast of Australia. These whales are targets of the whaling industry, despite the moratorium placed on hunting them. Their numbers are slowly rising once more, but illegal hunting remains a threat to their existence.

“This is a photo of a male jumping peacock spider taken along the coast in the northern suburbs of Perth WA.  The spiders are approximately 3-5mm in length. I was hoping to find some Ospreys (to no avail) and I happened to look at a plant with some insect activity. I noticed a brown jumping spider (the female) and then spotted the tiny colourful male.  It was only when I was taking photographs that I realised he was displaying. Soon after the photograph was taken, he disappeared back into the depths of the bush,” says Ian McCamley.

“On the shore of the Peel Harvey Estuary, an osprey gulps down the last piece of its prey, the tail. The ospreys take a variety of fish from the waters, mainly mullet, whiting and black bream. This photo was taken in August 2014.  I have been following the activities of the local ospreys for several months,” Cherilyn Corker.

The osprey can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Its diet consists almost entirely of fish, hence its colloquial names such as sea hawk, river hawk, or fish eagles.

An azure damselfly at the Goose Ponds in Mackay, QLD. This species of damselfly usually only reaches 50mm long and the male damselfly is more brightly coloured than the female.

“Glossy ibis starting to get territorial over nesting and roosting spots at Leschenault, Australind, WA,”says Lee Raper

The glossy ibis is dissimilar in looks to other species of ibis which tend to be larger. They frequent many inland water areas of Australia, particularly in the north. They also visit Tasmania and Western Australia, though they do not breed there.

Got my eye on you. Australia is home to around 140 species of land snakes and records suggest 32 species of sea snakes. The vast majority of Australian snakes (100 species) are venomous, though most of those snakes do not pose a risk to human life.

Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) Byron Bay, NSW, Australia. This species of frog is very common on the east coast of Australia, though there have also been confirmed sightings in Victoria. The frog can be kept as a pet in Australia, with the appropriate permits.

“This photo was taken in Lane Cove National Park where I go to take photos regularly. The bird life there is very active. I caught this cheeky sulphur-crested cockatoo showing off in front of some friends,” says Martin Cook.

The Lane Cove NP is part of the traditional lands of the Guringai people. It protects a number of ancient Aborigine sites, but also a vast range of Australian wildlife.

“This tawny frog mouth was sitting in a tree quite low to the ground, and I didn’t notice it there until I was too close! He spun around and glared at me with his mouth open, showing me who is boss. Luckily I managed a couple of shots before he took off to find a new perch where he wouldn’t be disturbed,” Brodie James

Whilst tawny frog mouths are often mistaken for owls due to their nocturnal habits, they are more closely related in species to the nightjar.

A platypus in Mary River, Queensland. The platypus is endemic to eastern Australia (inclusive of Tasmania). The platypus’ unusual  appearance confounded European naturalists when they first encountered it.

The photographer took this picture whilst wandering through Melbourne Botanical Gardens and Zoo. The Royal Botanical Gardens are a keystone organisation in the conservation of plants and animals in Australia. 

The male superb fairy-wren is brightly coloured in order to attract females of the species to mate. The females are known as ‘jenny wrens’ and are brown in colour. Male fairy-wrens are also brown before they attain their breeding plumage.

Pelican overlooking the Murray River in Mannum. The Murray River is the third longest, navigable river in the world and home to an abundance of birdlife.