The echidna is one of just two mammals in the world that lay eggs with the other being the platypus. Outside Australia’s borders, the echidna is also known as the spiny ant-eater. The echidna is referred to as a monotreme due to its link to both the reptilian and the mammalian animal kingdoms. The spiny ant eater is spread throughout Australia as well as in New Guinea. The echidnas have a long animal ancestry that dates back to the dinosaurs. Highly resilient, their habitat ranges from humid rainforests in the Australian Alps to the dry deserts of the country.
The echidna can be split into two types – the long beaked and the short beaked variety. The short beaked echidna is the one found in Australia, while the long beak is indigenous to New Guinea. One can confuse the echidna for a porcupine or a hedgehog due to their close physical resemblance. However they have no relation despite the spikes that cover the bodies of all three. The echidna can grow to a length of 50cm (20’’). It has small eyes, ears with no outer membrane and a sticky tongue which it uses to gather food.
Echidnas have a long, tubular and black snout that is well suited for ravaging for and eating ground based insects. The echidna’s diet mainly comprises of ants and termites. In contrast, worms are the main diet of the New Guinea echidna. They use of their sticky tongues to grab the insects before they swallow them whole since they have no teeth.
Successful immigration applicants should expect to encounter the echidna at some point especially if they do some travelling in the Australian outback. Interestingly, spiny ant eaters are not hostile even when threatened. They will roll themselves into a ball with their spikes pointing outwards so that their vulnerable underside is protected. They can also dig themselves into the sand or ground with great speed, when they sense they are in danger. They live under stones, in hollow logs and clumps of vegetation.
The echidna is mostly solitary and nocturnal. The only times male and female echidnas come together is during the winter which is their mating season. The female lays a single egg in her pouch and once it hatches she continues to carry her young until the baby echidna begins to grow spikes. The mother echidna will then dig a nursery burrow where she will place the baby as it continues to grow. An echidna can live for up to 50 years.
They are however under threat from the encroachment of humans on their habitat and natural disasters such as fires and floods. The Echidna Watch is a program that has been established to help preserve the species in Australia. Through this program, Australians volunteer information on Echidnas in their locality such as their current location and their numbers. As the echidna is a rare animal found in less than 5 countries in the world, immigration to Australia is a unique opportunity to see one up close.
Back to the Australian animals overview
References:
http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/fauna/echidna.php
http://www.Australia-travel.org.au/echidna/
