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Hero Image Credit: nationalgeographic.com.au

Fitzroy Island is a nature lover’s paradise. Located just off the coast of Cairns (a 45-minute fast cat ride) in Far North Queensland, the island is 97% National Park. Fitzroy Island is covered in lush tropical rainforest and situated amongst the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef.

Thousands of tourists flock to Fitzroy Island every year to discover the magic of the reef and its unique inhabitants. However, the island’s rainforest is also teeming with life and is a haven for some rare and exotic wildlife of its own.

As you explore the island on one of the many walking tracks,  some of the wondrous and intriguing animals you may be lucky enough to come across include:

Yellow Spotted Monitor

One of the largest predators on the island is the 1.2m-long yellow-spotted monitor lizard. Monitor lizards have long necks, well-developed limbs and powerful tails and claws. Most monitor lizards are carnivorous, eating eggs, smaller reptiles, fish, birds and small mammals, however some also eat fruit and vegetation, depending on where they live.

Being expert predators, it’s not easy to spot a monitor lizard in its natural environment as it easily camouflages itself in tall grass and scrub, however they can sometimes be seen cruising around the resort area and down by the jetty.

Image Credit: redbubble.com (artist: ‘voir’)

Grassland Melomy

Various species of the small native rodent called melomys are also widespread across the island. The Grassland Melomys are one such species that inhabit the island, but coming across one on your stay at Fitzroy Island is quite rare as they are nocturnal and so are mainly active at night.

They are the size of a large mouse with the hind foot rarely being more than 2.6cm long. Their bodies are reddish-brown with a tail that is dark above and whitish below and feed on seeds, leaves and fruit found on the island.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

The raucous screeches of the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is a familiar sound that can be heard echoing across the island. These large white cockatoos are breathtaking with their dark grey-black bills, distinctive sulphur-yellow crests and yellow wash on the underside of their wings.

These birds are naturally curious, as well as very intelligent and can live to a ripe old age. In captivity they have be known to live up to 70 years, although they only live to about 20–40 years in the wild.

Image Credit: thespruce.com

Skinks

Skinks are one of the most common types of lizard found in the world and Fitzroy Island is home to a variety of different species of skinks. The most prevalent species you will come across while visiting Fitzroy Island is the Major Skink.

These sleek lizards can grow up to 40cm long and are bronze-brown in colour with a darker streak in the centre. Major skinks feed on insects and plants and can be found among large boulders and logs alongside the walking tracks. They are often seen by walkers along the Secret Garden Track.

Many smaller skinks can also be found on the island, such as the Closed-Litter Rainbow Skink. They are a shiny, light-brown skink with black shoulders and red sides, and are frequently seen scurrying among leaves or sunning themselves on rocks.

Spectacled Flying Fox

The Spectacled Flying Fox (also known as a ‘Fruit Bat’) is a true sign that you are in the tropics of North Queensland. Fruit bats are highly social animals that form groups known as camps. In some areas of North Queensland a single camp may contain as many as tens of thousands of bats.

Fruit bats spend very little time sleeping. Their daytime hours are typically spent in these camps, located in the upper canopy of the rainforest, then at dusk, the bats leave their camps to forage for food, often flying long distances of up to 70 kilometres per night.

It is an awesome and unforgettable sight to see hundreds of these bats as they set off at dusk across the ocean on their nightly adventures.

Image Credit: australiangeographic.com.au

Snakes

Fitzroy Island is home to several species of snakes. The first mention of this to people, especially those not from Australia, can send waves of fear surging through their bodies. However, it’s important to note that none of the species of snakes you may come across on Fitzroy Island are dangerous to humans.

The most common types of snakes found on the island are Carpet and Spotted Pythons, as well as the Brown and Northern Tree Snakes. Pythons do not produce venom and are the longest species of snake in the world, with Carpet Pythons reaching up to 3 metres in length.

Coming across a python in its natural environment as you explore the wonders of Fitzroy Island’s rainforest is an exhilarating experience and one that you will never forget.

The animals that we have introduced to you here are just a small portion of the amazing wildlife that inhabits the rainforest of Fitzroy Island. As you wander the island, be sure to always have your camera handy, because you never know what extraordinary creatures might be around the next bend.