Days of sustained rain has led to concerns for ground-dwelling animals, such as wombats and echidnas, which can become trapped in their habitat by flood waters.

Coastal swells have also caused marine species to be swept off course, with baby sea turtles found washed ashore in places including Sydney’s Bronte beach.

Sustained rain and floods can be devastating for wildlife but the extent to which the disaster in New South Wales has affected native species won’t become clear until the weather eases and water begins to recede.