I was out about mid-morning changing SD cards in my motion sensor cameras when I saw what looked like an echidna on the other side of a dam. It was the wrong time of day for an echidna - usually late afternoon is more likely. It was also the wrong place - I have never seen one fossicking around in the mud of a dam before. But there it was. It was quite small so I suspect it was only recently out on its own. I don't like its chances of staying in the gene pool if it is going to hang out on a dam bank in broad daylight. They usually curl up in a bundle of spines at the first sign of an intruder. But this one just carried on and came so close I ran out of focus room. The eyes are very small, hidden in the dark patches near the beak. The white thing above the eye is a tick. It had quite a few ticks. The Panasonic P&S was all I had on me, but it does the job.


For an animal that just cruises around eating ants and worms and similar, they are quite amazing. Fifty per cent of their brain is devoted to problem solving (as opposed to thirty per cent of ours). I don' know what problems they apply that to on a day-to-day basis, but I once caught an echidna in a box trap that I had set for a feral cat, and it reverse engineered its way out in about 45 minutes!


Just poking around ...




Who are you?




Blowing bubbles



Getting right in close

[Unregistered User 8]

). I don' know what problems they apply that to on a day-to-day basis

Where to carry a tissue comes to mind !!! Image # 3 is an absolute corker mate. Very well timed and taken.

[PJ1]

Image # 3 is an absolute corker

Thanks, pjv.That dam is one of my favourite places - quite isolated and wild surrounds. I never know what I will find but I keep a permanent camera there, mainly to monitor wild dog activity. Once a couple of eagles flopped out in the sun with wings outstretched, the way magpies do to get the sun on their skin (I think it helps control mites). It was a surprise to find eagles doing it. And a wild dog had a go at me there last year (snarling, hackles up charge from 30 metres). But I am typing this post instead of him so you can work it out from there!
(I also had a camera in another location damaged this week - an eagle had a go at it!)

[Janse]

Great series PJ1.

[Grippy]

Excellent and lucky shots mate, well done.
I've never seen an echidna in the wild, despite being out and about alot.

[PJ1]

Thanks for the comments, gang.
.

I've never seen an echidna in the wild

- Almost all my shots are June to September. They seem to be more on the move more then.

[slowpez]

Such a strange little animal. TFS.