In one week I have been visited by three echidnas, two of them at the same time.
From the orchard I saw what looked like a small dark wombat moving up the slope just outside the fence. Drawing closer, it proved to be the biggest echidna I’ve seen on my place. Its spines were darker at their bases, so less obvious, and at first I thought it had few, like a young one. But this fellow was a veteran.
As I ran to the house to get the camera, a movement within the yard, just above the orchard, caught my eye.
There was another echidna, lighter coloured and smaller! This cute one was doing the rounds of the inside of my house fence, poking its snout, or beak, into the ground as it went. A female?
And then a few days later, from the kitchen window I saw one lumbering towards my yard gate.
It wasn’t as big as the first one, but was darker than the second. As it crossed the track, because it was walking on bare dirt, I got a better look at its feet and powerful digging claws, especially the extended rear one, used for scratching their fur amongst the spines.
Then it climbed an upturned tree root and began poking about in the hard clay. Look at the bristling power and fabulous arrangement of those spines!
I am fascinated by these strange egglaying mammals, or monotremes. How lucky to be able to have them just drop by, to share their habitat.
Hi Sharyn,
I was just researching echidnas after being visited by three at once. They were rustling in the leaves under my deck and then came out and walked around the garden and resumed back in the leaves. Can’t find any info on three together, Do have any info on social behaviour of these cool animals?
Hi all you echidna lovers out there!
DWG, did you check out the link (upper right) on my site to Pelican Lagoon Research Centre, as they do a lot with echidnas?
Liz, I love ‘baloop’! My echidnas are definitely baloopers. Thanks for sharing that great word.
And Shane, it must be all the termites they eat here, for which I am very grateful.
Sharyn you sure grow those Echidnas big up there on your Mountain! Thanks for a great post and some more simply stunning pics
G’day from sunny Oyster Cove, Tas, where I spend hours being distracted from my work by watching my visiting echidna. I have decided that the correct verb for echidna movement is ‘to baloop’. Using it in a sentence, ‘I derive enormous pleasure from watching the big fat echidna balooping about my house paddock’.
These creatures were so fascinating that I just spent almost an hour doing research on them. Once I started there was no place to stop. You really just never know what is going to pop up for a visit there. This was a wonderful experience and I do appreciate so much your wonderful posts.
Enjoy and thanks for sharing!!
DWG