Australia's Most Underrated Native Animal?
ABC Wants You to Decide This Science Week
As part of National Science Week 2025, ABC Radio National is calling on audiences to vote for Australia's Most Underrated Native Animal. These aren't the usual cuddly crowd-pleasers, but the ugly, the annoying, and the lesser-known creatures that are often overlooked, under-conserved, and underappreciated.
With input from wildlife experts, conservation organisations, and social media, ABC Radio National has curated a list of ten incredible native animals that deserve more love and attention.
The ten animals vying for the title of Australia's Most Underrated Native Animal are:
- Dugong
- Ghost bat
- Giant cuttlefish
- Great desert skink
- Marsupial mole
- Palm cockatoo
- Rakali (water rat)
- Short-finned eel
- Turtle frog
- Velvet worm
These species may not be household names, but they play vital roles in Australia's ecosystems and face unique conservation challenges.
Dr Ann Jones from Radio National podcast What the Duck?! says: "We are trying to do the impossible here and rate what may be unrateable, vote on what may be un-findable, but most of all, find out as much as we can about animals which live their entire lives outside the spotlight of popular consciousness.
"Australia is full of incredibly weird and wonderful creatures, far beyond the koalas and kangaroos and quokkas. It's high time that we all know about the plasma shooting velvet worm, roller-coaster swimming eels and the skinks that have bathrooms built into their homes."
