Echidna

Short-beaked Echidnas are fascinating creatures, covered in protective spines and coarse hair. When threatened, they curl into a ball, using their spines for defense.

Their powerful limbs and claws make them expert diggers, helping them find ants and termites using the electroreceptors in their sensitive beak. These remarkable animals can move objects twice their weight and use their long, sticky tongue to catch prey. They are great earth movers, turning large amounts of soil each year - keeping the carbon in rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.

We are home to over 20 Short-Beaked Echidnas in our Research Facility, where we work with the University of Queensland on successful breeding programs.

Found across Australia and Tasmania, Echidnas have adapted to live in diverse environments and are protected from predators like foxes and feral cats by their spines - made of keratin, the same material as human hair and fingernails.