Feeling adventurous? Click here to book now
Want to go whale watching? Click here

Osprey

The Osprey patrols the coast, searching for prey

Osprey

Seals feed mostly at night, and rest during the day

The animals you might see…!

On each tour you are likely to experience dolphins, seals, whales at certain times of the year along with a myriad of marine and bird life. To find out more — click below or read on!

Humpback whales

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a Baleen whale. One of the larger species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms.

Humpback whales have a stocky body with a broad head and long flippers up to one third of the total body length. They have a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. The dorsal fin is small, often sitting on a 'hump' in the back. Knobby protuberances with bristle hair and often with barnacles growing on them, occur on the head, jaws and flippers.

Humpback whales frequently perform spectacular aerial leaps and 'sing' long complex 'songs' during the breeding season. Individuals can be identified from the colour pattern under the tail.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres each year. This whale season coincides with winter and spring (June to November) when the humpbacks migrate north from the Antarctic to warmer Australian waters. The northern migration follows routes around New Zealand and up the coast of Australia, in the east to the Great Barrier Reef and in the west along the coast past Rottnest and Perth to areas around and north of Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.

The humpback whales visiting Australian waters have generally spent summer (and late spring and early autumn) feeding in the Antarctic. But as the cold weather approaches, food becomes scarce and the waters have become too cold for these warm-blooded animals so they migrate to tropical or sub-tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter.

Like other large whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Due to over-hunting, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. Stocks of the species have since partially recovered; however, ocean pollution and collision with ships has claimed many. There are at least 80,000 humpback whales worldwide.

Southern Right Whales

The Southern Right Whale, (Eubalaena australis) is a large black stocky whale that has a number of features making identification relatively easy. Fully grown they reach a maximum length of 17m and weight of 80 - 90 tonnes. It is the only large whale that lacks a dorsal fin. It has short blunt paddle-shaped flippers and the broad head carries a number of white callosities (raised rough patches of skin) that form individual identifiable pattern.

This distinctive appearance combined with its slow moving behaviour make it difficult to confuse with any other species. Because of their habit of calving or resting with young calves in shallow water just beyond the surf line, they are easily observed, particularly from headlands.

The common name refers to the fact that the early whalers regarded the southern right whales as the 'right' whale to hunt. They are slow swimmers, float when dead, and yield much oil and baleen. Consequently, early whaling in Australia took large numbers of southern right whales, and now only a few hundred visit the Australian coast each year.

Southern Right Whales spend the summer months in the far Southern Ocean feeding, probably close to Antarctica. They migrate north in winter for breeding and can be seen around the coasts of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mozambique, New Zealand and South Africa. The total population is estimated to be between seven and eight thousand. Since hunting of the Southern Right Whale ceased, stocks are estimated to have grown by 7% a year.

New Zealand Fur Seals

The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) is a fin-footed carnivorous marine mammal. They are distinguished by visible external ears and hind flippers which rotate forward. This pointy-nosed seal has long pale whiskers and a body covered with two layers of fur. Their coat is dark grey-brown on the back, and lighter below; when wet they look almost black. In some animals the longer upper hairs have white tips which give the animal a silvery appearance. The bulls can weigh up to 120-180 kilograms and reach up to 2.5 metres in length. The cows are only 35 to 50 kilograms and up to one to 1.5 metres long.

They mostly feed at night, and rest during the day. Favoured food includes squid, octopus and a variety of schooling fish. They also eat seabirds such as penguins and shearwaters. Although the seals look docile, they can move surprisingly quickly and it is advisable never to approach a female with young or get between a seal and the water, cutting off its escape route to the sea.

New Zealand fur seals breed between late November and mid-January, with most pups being born in December. Bulls fight for access to females and form ‘harems’ of up to eight cows. Females produce a single black pup about 60 centimetres long. They remain with it for about ten days, then leave to feed at sea, returning regularly to suckle. Pups are weaned within a year.

New Zealand fur seals had been wiped out from most parts of Western Australia’s southern and western coasts by sealers by the 1850s. The sealers, working from small boats, made their way progressively along the southern coast, killing fur seals on the islands and rocky headlands. The thick underfur evolved by the fur seals in response the cold waters of the Southern Ocean increased their commercial value. It’s estimated that around 1.5 million fur-seals were killed between 1792 and 1948 within the Australasian region.

A population on the Flinders Islands near Augusta reappeared during the 1980s, and a few later made their way further north appearing on a small rock off the Leeuwin-Naturaliste coast. They have been increasing in number there ever since, with 30 to 40 fur seals seen on the rock in recent years. They have now made their way as far north as Rottnest Island and the Jurien Bay Marine Park.

Osprey

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimetres in length with a 1.8 metre wingspan. It is brown on the upperparts and has a predominantly whitish head and underparts, with a brownish eye patch and wings.

The Osprey feeds mainly on medium-sized live fish, which it does not swallow whole, but rips apart to eat. The Osprey patrols the coast, searching for prey. It folds its wings, and then drops headlong, with its feet forward to snatch a fish with its talons. It may go right under the water or snatch a fish from the surface, before lifting off again, with strong wing strokes.

Ospreys are sedentary, though they will range more freely in non-breeding periods. They are frequently faithful to a nest site, using the nest for many years. The nest is made from sticks and driftwood and may be huge after many years. It is usually placed on a cliff, a dead tree or even a radio mast. Both birds bring sticks, but the female usually places the sticks in the nest. The nest is lined with grass, seaweed or bark. The female does most of the incubation, while the male brings food to the nest.

The two to four pairs of osprey resident on Rottnest Island breed there every year, returning to their nests which are among the most durable structures in the world - one located at Salmon Point is estimated to be approximately 70 years old. The osprey nests are located at the highest point of a stack or headland, giving the birds a great vantage point.

Pelicans

The Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea. They are medium-sized by pelican standards: 1.6 to 1.8 m long with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.5 m and weighing 4 to 10 kg.

Predominantly white they have black feathers along the primaries of the wings. Their pale, pinkish bill is enormous, and is the largest bill in the avian world. The record-sized bill was 49 cm long.

Pelicans mainly eat fish, but they are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of aquatic animals including crustaceans, tadpoles and turtles. They readily accept 'handouts' from humans, and a number of unusual items have been recorded in their diet. During periods of starvation, pelicans have been reported capturing and eating seagulls and ducklings.

The bill and pouch of pelicans play an important role in feeding. The bill is sensitive and this helps locate fish in murky water. It also has a hook at the end of the upper mandible, probably for gripping slippery food items. When food is caught, the pelican manipulates it in its bill until the prey typically has its head pointing down the pelican's throat. Then with a jerk of the head the pelican swallows the prey.

Bottlenose Dolphin

The Bottlenose Dolphin is one of the most common and well-known dolphins inhabiting warm and temperate seas worldwide. It is gray, varying from dark gray at the top near the dorsal fin to very light gray and almost white at the underside.

Its elongated upper and lower jaws form what is called a rostrum, or beak-like snout, which gives the animal its common name, the Bottlenose Dolphin. The real, functional nose is the blowhole on top of its head; in fact the nasal septum is visible when the blowhole is open.

Adults range in length from 2 to 4 meters and in weight from 150 to 650 kilograms with males being on average slightly longer and considerably heavier than females.

Dolphins consume 6 – 15 kg of food per day. They feed on a variety of fish, cephalopods (such as squid and octopus), and other sea life. They use echolocation (bouncing sound off of objects to determine their location) to hunt and use a series of high-pitched clicks to stun prey.

The Bottlenose Dolphin normally lives in small groups, usually containing up to 12 animals. Bottlenose dolphins are social animals well known for their playful and carefree nature. They sometimes hunt in groups and herd schools of fish toward shore for feeding.

Males reach sexual maturity at about 10 years. Females reach sexual maturity at about 5-10 years. The gestation period is 12 months. Calving can take place all year-round with peaks in some areas during spring and fall. Females produce one offspring every two to three years after a gestation period of 12 months. Young stay with their mothers for one year. Sometimes, the mother will get help from another female (referred to as an “auntie”) in caring for offspring.

Sting rays

The Smooth Stingray is the largest of all Australian stingrays (Family Dasyatidae). It grows to 4.3 m in length, 2 m disc width and a weight of 350 kg.

This species looks very similar to the Black Stingray. They are both dark above, pale below and have a whip-like tail. The Smooth Stingray usually has irregular rows of small white spots on the upper surface beside the head and no thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc. The Black Stingray lacks white spots but does have thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc.

The Smooth Stingray is not aggressive and is easily observed by divers. It usually has one venomous spine (the sting) halfway along the tail which is capable of inflicting severe or potentially fatal wounds. This species is sometimes observed raising its tail above its back like a scorpion.

The Smooth Stingray is a bottom-dwelling species which is recorded from temperate waters of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In Australia it occurs from southern Queensland, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia. It lives in coastal waters and estuaries from shallow water down to about 170 m.

Marine Life

The waters around Rottnest support more than 360 species of fish including the West Australian Jewfish, Baldchin Groper, Harlequin Fish, Cobbler, Flathead, Leatherjacket, Samson Fish, Tailor, Butterfly Fish, Moon Wrasse, Blue Devil and migratory fish such as Marlin and Tuna. At last count there is around 135 species of tropical fish found in the waters around Rottnest Island, compared with only around 11 in the mainland coastal waters. These tropical fish are able to survive here due to the Leeuwin Current, which brings warm waters from the north. Reproduction of tropical animals is generally successful due to recruitment of larvae from northern waters.

This Leeuwin Current also enables around 25 species of hard coral to live around the Island. The most commonly seen coral is Pocillopora, which forms a reef and is highly visible on the south side of the Island.

The waters around Rottnest are reserved exclusively for recreational fishing. Spearguns, gidgies, spear fishing and net fishing are prohibited within 800m of the Island. All reef animals (except abalone, squid, cuttlefish and octopus) are protected in waters near the Island.

The crustaceans around Rottnest include several species of crab, including the blue Manna (a favourite summer food for Western Australians). However, the best know crustacean of Rottnest is the Western Rock Lobster which occurs only in continental shelf waters of the Australian west coast between the North West Cape and Cape Leeuwin. It forms the basis of a lucrative export industry particularly to the United States and Japan.

A wide variety of shrimps, prawns, barnacles and hermit crabs also inhabit the waters around the Island.

There is an enormous variety of shells on and around Rottnest. They are protected and should not be collected. They vary from bivalve mussels to the large Baler shell. Various species of Cowry, Cone shells, Clams, Abalone and Turban shells abound.

Extensive seagrass meadows occur around Rottnest, providing an essential habitat for juvenile (young) crayfish, fish and other marine species (there are about 40 times more animals found in seagrass than adjacent bare sand). There are 9 different species of seagrass found in Rottnest waters. The Island has the second largest diversity of seagrass in the world (second only to Shark Bay).

Bird Life

Coastal birds around Rottnest include the Pied Cormorant, Osprey, Pied Oystercatcher, Silver Gulls, Crested Tern, Fairy Tern, Bridled Tern, Rock Parrot and Reef Heron.

About 10% of the eastern end of Rottnest Island comprises hypersaline lakes, containing brine shrimp which supports a large number of birds such as the Red-necked Avocet, Banded Stilts, Ruddy Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Red-capped Dotterel, Australian Mountain Duck, Red-necked Stint, Gray Plover, White-fronted Chat, Caspian Terns and Crested Terns.

The Red-necked Stint (which weighs a mere 30g) — as well as the Gray Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Gentile Tattler and Curlew Sandpiper — is a transequitoral migrant which breeds in the Arctic Circle and flies to the southern hemisphere during the non-breeding season.

There are many sea birds around Rottnest including the Yellow-nosed Albatross, the Cape Petrel, Wilson's Storm Petrel, Australian Gannet, Great Skua and Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Of these only the Wedge-tailed Shearwater lands on the Island to breed in colonies of burrows (at Cape Vlamingh and Radar Reef).

The birds of the Melaleuca and Acacia woodlands (comprising about 7% of Rottnest) include the Tree Martin, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye, Spotted Turtledove, Laughing Turtledove, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Red-capped Robin, Golden Whistler, Western Warbler, Singing Honey Eater and Australian Raven.

Birds commonly found around the settlement area include the Silver Gull, Australian Raven, Sacred Kingfisher and Banded Plover (or Lapwing). Peafowl, an introduced species released onto the Island in about 1915, can also be seen around the Settlement.

The Heath on Rottnest is favoured by the Osprey, Nakeen Kestrel and Ring-necked Pheasant. The brackish swamps are favoured by the Black Duck and Gray Teal Duck.

Reptiles & Amphibians

The variety of reptiles and amphibians on Rottnest Island is relatively low when compared to the adjacent mainland. Only 22 species of frogs and reptiles have been recorded on the Island, whereas over ninety species are found in the Perth region. At least one of these recorded species is thought to be extinct on the Island. A further seven species of marine reptiles have been found on the shores of Rottnest, although they do not normally occur in the Island's marine reserve. All frogs and reptiles are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.

Since separation from the mainland about 7,000 years ago, the flora and fauna on the Island have been isolated, as well as experiencing changes in environmental conditions. This has led to changes in the appearance of a number of species from their mainland ancestors. These changes are significant enough for these animals to be described as separate sub-species. The Dugite snake and the Bobtail lizard are two examples of this genetic divergence.

Three species of frogs are found on Rottnest; the Moaning frog, Western Green Tree frog and the Sandplain froglet. The Tree frog is quite restricted in its distribution, whilst the Moaning Frog (a burrowing frog) and the froglet are usually associated with low-lying areas, freshwater swamps and seeps.

Of the seventeen species of lizards that have been recorded on the Island one species, the South-western Crevice skink, is probably extinct and three other species are very rare. There are two types of geckos, two types of legless lizards and thirteen types of skinks. Commonly seen lizards include the Bobtail, King's skink, Marbled gecko and Burton's legless lizard.

There are two species of snakes present on the Island, the Southern Blind snake and the Dugite. The blind snake is a non-venomous burrowing snake, whilst the Dugite is a slender, dark brown, venomous snake. Dugites are frequently seen during the summer months. Dugites are timid and non-aggressive, but they should always be treated with respect and caution as they are dangerous.