Echidna's Mating Season

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Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Sat 30 Jun, 2012 5:04 pm

From todays Examiner,

http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/n ... 08563.aspx

What a great animal, It is very rare to see a baby echidna, as I see adults on my walks, where are the young ones?
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Graham51 » Sat 30 Jun, 2012 5:21 pm

There is a similar article in today's Mercury.

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/20 ... -news.html

I have seen some smallish echidnas but certainly not babies. Don't they get hidden away till they're big enough to look after themselves?
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Thu 17 Mar, 2016 4:48 pm

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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby MickyB » Thu 17 Mar, 2016 5:35 pm

Overlandman wrote:It is very rare to see a baby echidna, as I see adults on my walks, where are the young ones?


The baby lives in it's mothers pouch until it starts to grow spines. The mother then leaves the puggle in a burrow and then returns to feed it every couple of days. The baby leaves the burrow after about 6 months.
Sometimes, I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby walkerchris77 » Thu 17 Mar, 2016 8:30 pm

Ouch!
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Fri 05 Aug, 2016 9:29 am

Another interesting story from ABC, from Queensland

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-05/e ... up/7692156

A rare echidna breeding behaviour not usually seen in Queensland is causing a stir throughout the state
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Paul » Fri 05 Aug, 2016 9:13 pm

I have been lucky enough to witness the "mating procession" - the female meandering through the bush, followed closely in line by 6 eager males. When she stopped to feed, all 7 rummaged around in the bush, when she continued on her way the 6 males took up thier alloted position in the line again - i.e. no male tried to gain a more forward position in the line !

It was amazing to watch, I feel so priveliged to have witnesses it.

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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Tue 06 Sep, 2016 11:57 am

Interesting Story from ABC

Regards OLM

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-06/t ... rt/7816848
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Fri 09 Sep, 2016 12:37 pm

Well I have an echidna or two at my place but all I see is their diggings.
Where I looked thinking "why did it dig there?" I see now ants coming out from.
Clever sods.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Mon 16 Oct, 2017 5:11 pm

From the Mercury

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasma ... ec6130d64e

A RARE albino echidna has been found in the wild at Coles Bay on the East Coast.

The Freycinet National Park offers visitors a range of wonderful opportunities to enjoy spectacular scenery and now the possibility of sighting the albino echidna.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby north-north-west » Tue 24 Oct, 2017 6:32 am

Franco wrote:Well I have an echidna or two at my place but all I see is their diggings.
Where I looked thinking "why did it dig there?" I see now ants coming out from.
Clever sods.


d3832c.jpg

d38328c.jpg

d38329c.jpg


I need to harness their digging power to turn over those bits of ground that need it, rather than making a mess of my garden. Just wish they'd go after the big black and orange ants as well as the tiny black ones. Or get the buggers who keep trying to set up colonies in the house . . . :x
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Nov, 2017 7:36 am

Edna-looking.jpg

This is my echidna.
Called Edna but I think it's a male
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby north-north-west » Wed 01 Nov, 2017 7:49 am

How do you tell?

I have developed an even greater respect for magpies. When Fluffy goes a-wandering around the yard they all - even the youngest - give him/her a very wide berth. They'll argue with any other creature that moves out there (except me) but the echidna has an absolute right of way.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby taswegian » Wed 01 Nov, 2017 8:41 am

Echidnas fascinate me.
Always wanted to see them and a Blue-tongue or 2 in my garden.
Closest I got was once we found an Echidna rammed into the door jam at the back door.
Looked odd. Left it to its own devices and when looked later it was gone. Never seen since.

I imagine they'd be like our bandicoots that invade the lawn with regards to the mess they make.

I always thought they'd be pretty invincible until a couple of years ago I came across an obviously not so invincible one spread out across a log like a napkin, spikes down. Poor thing.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Nov, 2017 10:55 am

How do I tell ?
A guess based on the size.
This one is about 33cm wide (and longer than that) so probably too big to be a female.
They have a rather long oddly shaped penis but I haven't had a look.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Echidna not » Fri 03 Nov, 2017 6:54 pm

CF4E5A7A-89CA-40F4-B568-030FA338E0F1.jpeg


Was lucky enough to see two of these amazing little creatures within 20meters of each other , I managed to get some decent video footage of this guy or girl .
If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life. Oscar W.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Sat 04 Nov, 2017 7:36 am

Edna's size.
My hand is resting on top of the quills :
echidna-2.jpg
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby CasualNerd » Sat 04 Nov, 2017 9:34 am

I found a 4 Echidna train a month ago

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXzNP13Bd_x/

They followed each other in circles through the undergrowth, always staying in line, doing loops until they realised I was there.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Sat 04 Nov, 2017 10:21 am

From what I read the males follow the female in a particular order. When the female stops to eat, so do the males and then resume their spot in the queue when the female starts walking again.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Mark F » Sun 05 Nov, 2017 11:08 am

Franco - if Edna turns out to be male you could always rename her/him Aden or Dean.
"Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove".
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Sun 12 Nov, 2017 4:06 pm

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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Thu 31 May, 2018 9:33 pm

From ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-31/e ... ge/9821212

Forget snapper and flathead — an echidna has claimed the title of catch of the day after it was plucked from the waters halfway between mainland Queensland and Bribie Island.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Overlandman » Thu 07 Jun, 2018 9:19 pm

From the Advocate

https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/54 ... =7#slide=5

How echidnas are dealing with the drought in NSW

Regards OLM
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Fri 08 Jun, 2018 10:09 am

Mark F wrote:Franco - if Edna turns out to be male you could always rename her/him Aden or Dean.

Sorry I missed that one. I used to do anagrams in Italian but not so much in English.
Thanks for the tip...

Do you guys see echidnas in winter ?
I think mine has been active in the last week but can never see it.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby north-north-west » Sat 09 Jun, 2018 10:37 am

Franco wrote:Do you guys see echidnas in winter ?
I think mine has been active in the last week but can never see it.

Just saw Fluffy while hanging out the tent to dry. Seems a bit more sluggish than usual. Or maybe she hasn't had her morning coffee yet . . .
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Sat 09 Jun, 2018 7:21 pm

taking a clue from Fluffy, my wife suggested we re-name ours Cuddles.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby north-north-west » Sat 09 Jun, 2018 8:06 pm

I approve.
Although there is biological justification for 'Fluffy', as Tasmanian echidnas - like many other local representatives of nationwide species - have a much thicker coat than mainlanders.
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Neo » Sat 09 Jun, 2018 10:07 pm

I read the title as Edna's mating season and thought it was one of Franco's pet names for wildlife!
Must be bedtime for me :)
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Tue 28 Aug, 2018 10:15 am

The neighbour's dog was sniffing around one of my wood piles yesterday. We went to cut a few trees and tydy one area up a bit and then on the way back the dog went back to the same wood pile. so I went to have a look and found 4 echidnas resting.
This morning they were gone.
My trail camera failed to capture their departure.
Echidna-3-2708.jpg
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Re: Echidna's Mating Season

Postby Franco » Thu 30 Aug, 2018 12:33 pm

The day after one came inside the workshop so i had to put it out because it was trying to hide inside there.
possibly the same one that was moving around under that building the night before because once I put it down it did go straight under there again.
Workshop-echidna-s.jpg

WARNING !!!
Please keep in mind that they are heavier than they look and do wiggle about and because of that they can be easily dropped.
If you drop one most likely it will die from a broken snout.
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