Echidnas:

Why the Bad Rap?

By Evan Strauss

Why are people so mean to echidnas? The name echidna actually means “mother of monsters.” People think echidnas are ugly, but little do they know echidnas are some of the most fascinating creatures.

The most well-known fact about echidnas is that they are one of only two mammals that lay eggs, the other being the platypus. A mother echidna is pregnant for three weeks before laying a leathery, soft-shelled egg. She then places the egg in her pouch, where it hatches in ten days.

When the egg hatches, a tiny puggle crawls out and starts drinking pink milk from its mother's milk patches. The puggle is born without spines, but will grow them later—spines that are actually tough hair.

The average lifespan of an echidna in the wild is about ten years, but in captivity, it can live up to forty. Though echidnas don’t have teeth, they still manage to chew using their tongue and the bottom of their mouth. The funniest thing about them is that, on a hot day, they blow snot bubbles and do belly flops to cool off!

So now that you’ve learned all these facts about echidnas, do you still think they deserve to be called ugly—or named “mother of monsters”?

Personal Note:

We saw an echidna at the Taronga Zoo and the Moonlit Sanctuary and they are so cute. Below you will find more images of cute animals we saw while at the Taronga Zoo.