The Aussie icons, the rock stars, the favourites. These nine mammals are loved by many - whether you're from far flung countries around the globe or live alongside them right at home - and for good reason. So we decided to give the lesser known mammals a fighting chance and grouped the Aussie icons together in the Australian Mammal of the Year poll for 2022.
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Only two of these icons can qualify for the final; the one with the most votes over the next four weeks and the second placed mammal, as long as it polls better than the runners up in the other seven categories.
You can vote multiple times for your favourite or hedge your bets and vote for a few different ones. Who will you choose?
Our very own native dog, the dingo (Canis dingo or Canis familiaris), is a charismatic but controversial canid capable of scaling fences and a 2 metre vertical jump.
The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the only mammals in the world that lay eggs, while the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is so adaptable it can live just as happily in the roof of your urban home as it can in a remote forest tree hollow.
Numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) are true sun-loving Aussies with specialised fur that traps heat from the sun, and our largest terrestrial land mammal, the red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), is the only kangaroo truly restricted to Australia's arid interior.
Koalas, eastern grey kangaroos and bare-nosed wombats make up the toughest group in the poll. Which superstar will lead the charge into the final?
Discover other Australian Mammal of the Year categories:
Australian Mammal of the Year is a partnership between ACM and Cosmos. ACM is the publisher of this website and more than 140 other websites across Australia. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science.
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