Native Wildlife in Monash

Native animals are animals that are indigenous to a given region or ecosystem.

The City of Monash is home to many native wildlife species that all play an important role in biodiversity.

Biodiversity is important as it sustains natural systems and keeps our local environment healthy and vibrant. Having diverse plant and animal species also helps our ecosystems become more resilient to survive changing processes such as development and climate change.

Many species have been affected by changes to our natural environments that have lead to a loss of habitat and biodiversity. Meaning wildlife in Monash may face greater challenges finding shelter, food and water sources.

Find out more about how you can protect wildlife through habitat gardening or creating habitat structures at your home, school or workplace, through our Gardens for Wildlife program.

If you find injured wildlife like possums or birds, please contact Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300 or visit Wildlife Victoria - Australian Wildlife website for more information.

Identify and record wildlife observations

There are many great apps that make identifying wildlife really easy.

You can see what you can find in your own garden or when you are out in the local area during your exercise break. Have a go with these ones, you’ll be an expert before you know it!

• Melbourne Water frog census: Record a frog call and add it to data collection for frog research. It has frog call recordings for easy identification.
• Birdlife Australia Aussie Birdcount: Walks you through how to identify every bird you see.
• iNaturalist: Take a photo of any plant or animal and the program and other experts make suggestions on what species they think it is.
• Museums Victoria Fauna App: Combines animal descriptions with photos, as well as animal calls, distribution maps, conservation status, butterfly flight times, frog calling times and depth information for marine species.
• FungID App: A free and open phone application that helps to predict and identify mushroom and fungus observations you make. Find fungus names, where they have been locally observed and other information about species.

Wildlife of Monash

The most common mammals visiting Monash gardens include possums, bats and sometimes even echidnas.

Bats play a role in pollination, seed dispersal and insect population control.

Flying foxes or fruit bats can fly for many kilometres each night searching for available fruit and usually only stop over for short visits each year.

Insectivorous bats or microbats are also very active at night, and we have over 11 species of microbats in Monash. You may not be able to find or see these little bats as they can be as tiny as a fingernail and make sounds outside of our hearing range!

Possums can be seen on a regular basis as they can live in highly suburban areas. They are protected from harm or capture under the Wildlife Act (1975).

Possums eat a variety of leaves, flowers and fruits from a wide range of plants. The Common Brushtail Possum may also eat grass, fungi, bird eggs and baby birds.