TWO clever echidnas at Kyabram Fauna Park are enjoying a new dining experience with puzzle feeders.
The short-beaked echidnas use their long tongues to explore and slurp up a gooey food mix, mimicking their natural behaviour in the wild. Short-beaked echidnas can be found across most of Australia and are an egg-laying mammal known as a monotreme. The platypus is also a monotreme.
Mammal keeper Jessica Lyne said that the puzzle feeders replicate conditions where echidnas forage for food in termite mounds and ant nests.
The two echidnas, ‘Eccy’ and ‘Norbert,’ display distinct behaviours, with Eccy exploring throughout the day and Norbert often resting under a log. In summer, the echidnas are more active during cooler parts of the day, while in winter, they enter a torpor-like state, sleeping for days or weeks.
While echidnas are not endangered, they face risks from dog attacks, natural disasters, and vehicles. Drivers are advised to avoid dawn and dusk to prevent encounters with wildlife. If anyone comes across injured or distressed wildlife, they can contact Wildlife Victoria’s Emergency Response Centre at wildlifevictoria.org.au to contribute to conservation efforts for these fascinating monotremes.
