Under the Hedge🦔 Did you know the Short-beaked Echidna is one of the only two mammals that lay eggs? These unique Aussie icons are active this June! See real sightings logged by our community here: https://www.underthehedge.com/explore/species/Short-beaked%20Echidna #UnderTheHedge #wildlife #Echidna #mammals
DiI've been learning about echidnas.
Echidnas are the only mammals with actual beaks. And the only ones that can dig straight down. Their back feet face backwards. Echidnas form temporary pouches for babies that go away later. They have no teats.
A baby echidna is called a "puggle".
And yet it turns out we know relatively little about these elusive critters compared to other Aussie treasures. We don't know much about their diet, habitat, reproduction, and so on. We don't really know for sure where they are and how abundant they are.
But you can help! Share every echidna sighting you can! Building a baseline on the population is the first step. And tell your local council about any echidna road incidents.
If you live in Qld, be sure to bookmark the EchidnaWatch sighting form below or download iNaturalist to join the echidna detectives project.
https://wildlife.org.au/our-work/conservation-programs/echidnawatch/
Schadenfreude
Joy
Margaret 🇦🇺
gusseting
Pepper Qi
Nikolas Kozloff
Rypel