The Echidna

  • The Echidna is a monotreme - one of only two in Australia
  • Echidnas are most active at dusk and dawn
  • They primarily feed on ants and termites which they expose by tearing apart nests with their powerful digging claws
  • When disturbed, an echidna will either roll up into a ball or half bury itself so that nothing but its spines are exposed
  • The echidna has a complex mouth with jawbones fused into a 'beak'
  • The echidna lays eggs which are incubated for about 10 days
  • The young echidna is suckled
  • The baby echidna is called a 'puggle'
  • Echidnas are relatively slow moving
  • Most echidnas come into care as the result of motor vehicle collisions, which often result in serious damage to their beaks