Thursday, September 17, 2009

Echidnas get shy if they hear you coming



This echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) was crossing a road near Ruby. When it realised I was nearby it buried itself in some leaves by the road, leaving only its spikes visible, as you can see. No wonder they've survived so well despite the invasion of humans, foxes and feral dogs and cats into their habitats. In fact, humans seem to have benefited them in a way, because they like to search for ant nests in the partially cleared land along roadsides. Strangely enough, you rarely see one killed by a car, as opposed to the poor old wombats, who get slaughtered on our roads despite being nocturnal.

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