Stopping For An Echidna......

Stopping for an echidna crossing the road happens rarely, yesterday I was blessed to see one scurrying across the road.

 I love to see these amazing animals, and I am sure the bushlands I visit are full of them, yet they are rarely seen. Apart from being so adorable they are unique in other ways. They lay eggs instead of birthing live babies. The female lays one egg at a time, she will then place the egg in her pouch where it incubates. They build burrows for their young which are called puggles. The young spend around five months in the burrows safely out of harm's' way. 

 They also don't have teeth, they instead have a long sticky tongue. for eating insects their long claws used for digging up their dinner. They eat a diet of worms, larvae, termites and ants.
Their defence system is their spiny quills and they can dig a hole quickly and lay in it so only their spines are showing therefore making it damn near impossible for predators to harm them.

Truly extraordinary beings........