Wildlife In Jervis Bay
At Jervis Bay Wild, it might seem like we’re all about the whales, dolphins, and fur seals. While you are guaranteed to see at least one of these incredible species on our awesome whale cruises, we also know that this region is bursting with more animal life both in the water and on land.
As a proud local business, we celebrate all of the wildlife in and around Jervis Bay. We’re committed to protecting and conserving the natural habitats of all animals, big and small. Let’s take a look at some of the other wildlife you might be lucky enough to spot while travelling in the Jervis Bay area and surrounding NSW South Coast.
Kangaroos and Swamp Wallabies
No animal is as uniquely Australian as the kangaroo and fortunately the Jervis Bay area is home to both eastern grey kangaroos, and the smaller, solitary swamp wallaby. The eastern grey is most often seen around dawn and dusk, when they are feeding. Take extra caution when driving around these hours as well. You might also be lucky enough to spot kangaroos hopping along our famous white, sandy beaches.
Swamp wallabies, also known as black stinkers, are strange and solitary creatures. Their odd gait means they are often mistaken for other creatures, including panthers, and they are a bit of a genetic mystery. Seemingly, they also have a unique sense of adventure, with a swamp wallaby on the Sydney Harbour Bridge causing peak hour chaos, and another rescued from Sydney Harbour.
Echidnas, Lizards & Bandicoots
Booderee National Park is home to an incredible array of native wildlife including a number of threatened species. The intensive fox control program allows threatened fauna to flourish, and recently, the locally extinct southern brown bandicoot, long-nosed potoroo and eastern quoll have all been reintroduced into Booderee.
Other plants and animals in Booderee include:
- The flowering gum tree – eucalyptus summer red
- Waratah flower
- Mountain Devil shrub
- Sooty oystercatcher
- Echidna
- Black snakes
- Red belly black snake
Marine Life in Jervis Bay
As well as whales, dolphins and seals, there are many other sea creatures to be found in the crystal clear waters of the bay. This is largely due to the creation of Jervis Bay Marine Park in 1998, a 100km stretch of protected coastline supporting hundreds of species.The threatened grey nurse shark is one of the park’s highlights and is regularly seen by snorkelers and divers in Jervis Bay.
If you want to see stingrays up close (and without getting wet), head to the Woollamia boat ramp (a few minutes drive from Huskisson), where the local stingrays will be waiting to greet the fisherman as they return with their catch.
Birds in Jervis Bay
If you consider yourself a bit of an aviphile, you will be in heaven in Jervis Bay. Booderee National Park even has its own bird app with images, bird calls and detailed descriptions to help you find and identify birds. Just some of the birds you can see in the Jervis Bay area include
- Yellow-tailed black cockatoo
- Boobook Owl
- Gang-gang cockatoo
- Glossy black cockatoo
- King parrot
- Little penguin
Remember, in almost all circumstances, it is NOT ok to feed native birds and animals. Foods that are not a normal part of their diet can make them sick and lead to aggressive behaviour as they learn to expect to be fed by people. Eventually, birds and animals may lose the ability to forage for their own food.