An echidna comes to inspect a few things

I have posted in the past about echidnas including this and also that.

I should explain that these are another animal that I had read lots about but hardly ever seen before we moved out here.  I think my first sighting was about 1983 when Ingrid got very excited at one of the Snowy dams because "I have found a porcupine!": she was about 6 years old and we had fairly recently returned from Denver!  Since coming out to Carwoola we probably see evidence of them - example below - every time we go outside the garden and get a good view several times a year.

Cutting to the chase, one arrived this morning trundling around on the paddock visible from my study window.  I suspect it was on the lookout for some unwise ants but looked all the world as though it was checking up on a few things.
Inspected the rain gauge
Assessed the wire netting round an olive tree
It then woke up to the fact that I was in the neighbourhood and hunkered down at the base of a stringybark sapling.  It went into complete freeze mode for about a minute and then spent 30 seconds sniffing the air.  My deodorant must have been working since it them ambled towards me.  I have included this image to give a good idea of its claws.
This final image shows the way it puts its claws to work on an ant mound.  The tunnel this side is quite old but fresh digging can be seen on the back of the mound.   There are still plenty of ants left for it to deal with!
On the way to the ant mound the small dog decided to include wombat to the day's list of mammals and headed for a patch of brambles under which that marsupial lives.  The presence of a small billabong between her and the brambles was not a problem for her: nor for me as the lead was attached and soon had her back where I wanted her.  The soggy doggy situation was soon resolved with a few vigorous rolls in convenient Joycea tussocks, several of which were enhanced with roo poo. 


Comments

Denis Wilson said…
You did well there, Martin, to get such a clear shot of the nose and eyes, and the huge claws.
Whenever I have been close to them, they tend to be "nose down", if not downright attached to the ground.
Cheers
Denis
4 October 2010 at 00:09:00 GMT+11
Flabmeister said…
Denis

This is the first occasion on which I have timed the duration of the 'nose down' approach. It was surprisingly short. Perhaps because it was in a fairly open environment?

Martin
4 October 2010 at 06:54:00 GMT+11
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