![]() | Eastern Short-beaked Echidna Back | Eastern Short-beaked Echidna Head Profile | ![]() | |||
Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Mammals (Mammalia) | ||||
Order: | Egg Laying Mammals (Monotremata) | ||||
Family: | Echidna (Tachyglossidae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
Species: | Eastern Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus ssp aculeatus) | ||||
This Photo: | 🔍Face🔎 | ||||
Thank you Ian Castle for identifying and Jane Widness for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Adelaide Hills, the Riverland and elsewhere Covered in sharp spines. In defence will wedge themselves under bushes (in this case rocks) or, if out in the open, dig themselves down by pushing soil out the side. Their spines are dark grey and light brown. All Australian echidnas are short-beaked. The long-beaked species are in New Guinea. Thanks to Ian for id'ing these to sub-species for us and letting us know that this sub-species is the only one in Mainland SA. There is a different sub-species on Kangaroo Island. | |||||
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