Rose is a short-beaked echidna who lives at the Taronga Conservation Society in Australia. They drink by extending their 18-centimeter tongue into the water. When it is too warm, the echidna will blow bubbles to help keep themselves cool. These crafty little animals will also use their beak like a snorkel when they swim.
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Echidnas are monotremes that live in Australia and New Guinea. Unlike other mammals, they don’t have teats but secrete milk through the pores of a female’s belly. The other significant difference is that monotremes lay eggs. There are two types of monotremes: the Echidna and the Platypus. There are four types of echidna: Eastern long-beaked, Western long-beaked, Sir David’s long-beaked, and the short-beaked echidna. Most current classifications only specify long- or short-beaked echidnas.
The duck-billed platypus is the only animal of its kind on the planet. Matilda is the newest resident at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Like many animals that call Australia home, male platypuses have a venomous spur on their hind legs just above the heel. Platypuses live in Tasmania and Australia. Baby echidnas and platypuses are “puggles.”
Watching this adorable echidna blow bubbles offers a sensory experience of relaxation. It is almost like the bubbling sound of a tabletop fountain or waterfall, gently cascading. It is an odd sound to associate with the appearance of the echidna. The little animals look like a cross between a tiny porcupine and an itty-bitty anteater.
The echidna does not grow spikes right away. They start soft and cuddly and begin developing spines shortly before weaning. Once fully mature, echidna cannot “shoot” their spikes, but use their spikes for defence. They will burrow underground, leaving their spikes exposed.
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