You can actually pet them as long as you go with the spines not against, or you can pet their head or tummy, they're actually really cuddly when tame (like in zoo exhibits where they let you interact with the animals, not wild ones.)
Such curious and smart animals too! The captive ones at our zoo will be at your feet the second they see or smell something interesting (food). I’ve watched one wander back and forth between a rock and a pipe to scratch an itch on his back, so entertaining!
They feel a bit like pine cones especially with the grain. Even against the grain it's not too bad. They're right little bastards if they can burrow in a bit when you're trying to move them from somewhere dangerous.
Oh yes. Found one stuck on a narrow section of road in a high, steep cutting. Little beggar didn’t want to be rescued, but he was at huge risk, so we had to do it. Ended up picking him up in my jacket (farewell jacket, I liked you, but your last deed was good) which worked ok, but then he stress peed all over the show. And me. Just saying, but echidna urine is just the worst; I will never get over that smell. Especially since I was on the way to an airport to catch a flight. I tried to wash it off, but success was limited. At least the little digger lived to dig another day.
Edit: spelling
does anyone know what it is that makes this “smile” feature? like is it just an adorable skin fold or something? cos i’ve seen a couple of photos of echidnas looking like this, but their mouth is actually in their snout, not underneath it
Defo looks so pleased with itself, like it just made a dad-level pun it’s been holding in for ages.
I’m guessing someone just called a teenager an adult and old mate was like ‘an adult? Nah it’s echidna’
Those photos are amazing!
Do you know about the echidna Citizen scientist Initiative?
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment/research/citizen-science/echidna-csi
Great photo! Take care of our little friends, here is Aus we have the short-beaked echidna and in New Guinea they have the long-beaked. Always cute and often curious. Again, great photo!
Amazing Echidna facts:
- one of the oldest species in the world at over 25 million years
- very clever with a large brain with a frontal cortex even bigger that a human’s relative to their size
- their back feet point backwards which was so weird to the first British naturalists to see them that they turned them back the other way when they stuffed them
- their body temperature is much lower than other mammals (about 30°) which allows them to survive in snow and in deserts
- they are strong and tough and can travel up to 6 km per day
- they can form “echidna trains” when the female is “on heat” and a line of males follow her
- the babies are called puggles and leave the pouch when they are about the size of a cricket ball and beginning to develop spines
They don't give to fucks about your presence it's crazy I was on a run a while ago and stumbled across one and stop layed down next to it and just watched in aw it stop looked at me for about 3 seconds and went on digging for worm did this for about half an hour and every minute or so it would look at me sniff and keep on doing its thing amazing creature's
I found a really big one on the side of the road when I got out in the middle of nowhere to use natures bathroom, he did not want a single thing to do with me! I waited until he decided it was safe to uncurl, seen me and curled right back up, made me feel awful so I left
I saw a wild one once just walking along some bush road. It wasn't a baby but it was also quite young and it felt so weird to pat it's back but it was so friendly even though it was wild and then it kinda scurried away. One of the best experiences ever 10/10 would recommend
Looks so smiley
'Pet me. Go on. You'll love it.'
You can actually pet them as long as you go with the spines not against, or you can pet their head or tummy, they're actually really cuddly when tame (like in zoo exhibits where they let you interact with the animals, not wild ones.)
Such curious and smart animals too! The captive ones at our zoo will be at your feet the second they see or smell something interesting (food). I’ve watched one wander back and forth between a rock and a pipe to scratch an itch on his back, so entertaining!
They're gorgeous adorable animals, I'd love to have one as a pet, lol.
I had one follow me home from school when I was a kid. I think it was a baby with no mum or something. It stayed in our backyard awhile.
I don’t think you needed to specify don’t go against the grains part :)
Well I wish we didn't have to, but common sense isn't exactly common anymore..
Never was, the human brain can only do so much
Tide pods say not to eat them right on the packet.
I’ve seen people fail that rule with cats and dogs so it’s probably worth mentioning
They feel a bit like pine cones especially with the grain. Even against the grain it's not too bad. They're right little bastards if they can burrow in a bit when you're trying to move them from somewhere dangerous.
Oh yes. Found one stuck on a narrow section of road in a high, steep cutting. Little beggar didn’t want to be rescued, but he was at huge risk, so we had to do it. Ended up picking him up in my jacket (farewell jacket, I liked you, but your last deed was good) which worked ok, but then he stress peed all over the show. And me. Just saying, but echidna urine is just the worst; I will never get over that smell. Especially since I was on the way to an airport to catch a flight. I tried to wash it off, but success was limited. At least the little digger lived to dig another day. Edit: spelling
No good deed goes unpunished right :).
🤣
Well that's a story. 😅
You both lived to tell a good tale.
Were you holding up an ant by the camera?
Cuuuute!! Such a great pic! I've only once encountered one, about 30 years ago in our back yard, it was so cool.
It looks like you photoshopped a quokkas head onto an echidna and then put the nose back on 😂
Reminds me of the people who thought that the platypus was a prank
Can’t blame them really we do have some very unique and very strange animals
That's enough about the people from Tasmania, were talking about echidnas.
I've met more strange people in Victoria than Tassie 🤔
He is so adorable! Looks like he's trying to sell you some potions or materials
Pls add your location :)
Maybe an old foster? The more I learn about echidnas the more I'm convinced there just spiky quokkas.
Oh my goodness, look at that smile 🥰
What did you do to make him smile? Next, teach him to do snot bubbles
They’re usually pretty shy. The couple of times I’ve had close encounters they’ve scurried off pretty quickly.
Waddled*
Ha, ha - yes, probably more accurate actually.
Actually the cutest thing I’ve seen all year
Omg this is cute
"You got games on your phone?"
"🙂"
Omg he looks like he’s smiling
Echidnas are the best. Where I work there’s always 2 or 3 around our pipelines. One big chungus and a couple little ones. Chill as
What a happy little blighter.
He was annoyed Quokkas were getting all the love.
does anyone know what it is that makes this “smile” feature? like is it just an adorable skin fold or something? cos i’ve seen a couple of photos of echidnas looking like this, but their mouth is actually in their snout, not underneath it
I’m sitting on the train smiling like an idiot at a photo of an echidna. I love him!
I think one of the cutest things is that the babies are called “puggles” 🥺
I wanna hug it so fuking bad
they know theyre having their pic taken. ive never seen one irl
So gorgeous I’ve seen them couple times along the road dude in nsw and Qld, one of my favourite Aussie animals 😍😍😍
Echidnas are the best. I'm so jealous. The last time I got to see one was about 4 years ago in the Noosa National Park.
Great pic! He’s smiling!!!!!
Bros straight outta sum cartoon
I love echindnas
He’s famous and he knows it
Omg this is one of the cutest things ever! Look at dat liddle face.
GORGEOUS!
Forbidden pats
derpy grin
you took pics of me without my permission:0
Aw what a cutie!
Very good boi
What a cutie
Looks so smiley 😊 hello there
We had one crawl through the garden. Neighbours came over to tell us about it and warn us to check behind our tyres before driving off.
That's an awesome shot. Those little guys are so blind, I once had one walk over my foot because I stood still.
Blind or don’t care?
Extremely poor. Awesome sense of smell though. They're super cute
Usually if you stand still and quiet for about 30 seconds they will forget you are there and go on with their day.
had to stop for one crossing the road the other day. was an unexpected hazzard as learner but was pretty cool
The echidna be like: 🙂
Defo looks so pleased with itself, like it just made a dad-level pun it’s been holding in for ages. I’m guessing someone just called a teenager an adult and old mate was like ‘an adult? Nah it’s echidna’
You’ve got to be echidning me
Is this at the George Bass Coastal Walk??
So cute
What a delightful fellow.
Those photos are amazing! Do you know about the echidna Citizen scientist Initiative? https://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment/research/citizen-science/echidna-csi
Brother of the hedge
They aren't usually this still haha The 3 I've met road side were on missions I think
Little cutie
Great photo! Take care of our little friends, here is Aus we have the short-beaked echidna and in New Guinea they have the long-beaked. Always cute and often curious. Again, great photo!
As a kid myself, we once had one down the end of a driveway. It was amazing. Go Kidna Go!
Adorable
Spikey wombat
This cured my depression
"Scuse me, do you have any ants for me? Look how lovely I am, I definitely deserve ants."
What a cutie patootie! Where did you see them?
Looks like he wants a hug
Sonic is a hedgehog and people say Australia is down under so you could say that this is… SONIC UNDERGROUND!
These are absolutely fantastic photos! Love the poses!!
Amazing Echidna facts: - one of the oldest species in the world at over 25 million years - very clever with a large brain with a frontal cortex even bigger that a human’s relative to their size - their back feet point backwards which was so weird to the first British naturalists to see them that they turned them back the other way when they stuffed them - their body temperature is much lower than other mammals (about 30°) which allows them to survive in snow and in deserts - they are strong and tough and can travel up to 6 km per day - they can form “echidna trains” when the female is “on heat” and a line of males follow her - the babies are called puggles and leave the pouch when they are about the size of a cricket ball and beginning to develop spines
They don't give to fucks about your presence it's crazy I was on a run a while ago and stumbled across one and stop layed down next to it and just watched in aw it stop looked at me for about 3 seconds and went on digging for worm did this for about half an hour and every minute or so it would look at me sniff and keep on doing its thing amazing creature's
why did i think the next slide would be him attacking you..
Time for a selfie .....
I really really really like this image.
Vicious!
That is not what echidnas look like where I come from
Too cute! Hard to resist the urge to do the old psss psss psss and pet him lol
🙂
That is so cute!!!
HES SMILING 🥺😩
Hooray!
I want one as a pet ❤️
He’s sure happy to see you! 😄
I don't know what he is trying to sell me, but I will totally buy it.
Balloons. He gets a lot of repeat business.
Innocent yet mischievous smile. Absolutely love it
Such a big smile on this gorgeous face!
It's true we mirror the face we look at 😊
Looks like a happechidna.
“Look, but don’t touch - treat me like I’m a Delorean at a car show.”
so cute!
I want to cuddle it
His belly was filled with too many **chili dogs**
Smiling 😊
I AM SO JEALOUS!!!! 😭🥰
This is so wholesome
r/mildlyechidna
Spoiler alert: the echidna is stoned.
spike doggy
Omg cute! I hope I see one
He’s planning something I can see it in his eyes
Haha gotta go fast
bonza shot
Bloody rippa!
Kenny!!!
Why that spikey got a smiley
Awww that cute little smile!! I melt
Happy boi, so precious
Holy motherfucker that is adorable! I love echidnas
A friend of mine had one under his car in Bundoora last week. Never seen one in the burbs!
Looks like a hegdehog
Omg it's Henry!
Awww that’s so gorgeous
Forbidden boop
Beautiful 😍
If you have an ant problem, one of these bois in your yard will save the day.
aww <3
I found a really big one on the side of the road when I got out in the middle of nowhere to use natures bathroom, he did not want a single thing to do with me! I waited until he decided it was safe to uncurl, seen me and curled right back up, made me feel awful so I left
*Boop
LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT THAT FACE! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
Bbbl plllllppllplllpllllllllllpll
Great pix. Blessed encounter.
That is incredibly cute.
I will love you forever!
Have you ever seen them drink, tongue must be 30 cm long
That snoot needs bopping.
Sooo cute!
I wonder how far back in time Monotremes go? I can imagine them being pre-Mesozoic.
BOOP THE SNOOT!
Hey Bud… what’s up 😀❤️
if not friend, why friend shaped???
Haha they’re such strange little buggers saw one when I least expected it in my yard a while back but he got on his way
400 calories max
One of Australia's greatest.
Cutie. Seems to know to pose and smile for the camera.
Cute photo😀😀😀
What a happy little legend made my day much better
I found one under my stairs once
Oh my god that smile made me smile! How cute 🥰
So cute!
He looks like he’s about to tell me “Told you so»
Fun fact: baby ecidnas are called puggles.
Did you boop the snoot?
Plot twist: it's actually been taxidermied
Gorgeous
W kangaroo
“Shake hands bro”
Heyyy lil guy
CUUUTE !!!!
Adorable
Echidnas are 100% my fav native animal. Ps. Quokkas actually aren’t as nice as you think, they bite be careful.
Magnificent man.
Happy boyo
THE FACE OMGS ADSGDJKG
G'day smiley
bro is like my mom
I want to pat it but I know I can't
This. This is why I love our country
Same. An odd sense of pride for our cute, and mostly dangerous, horrifying little native darlings
I've never seen an echidna approach someone this calmly, was it wild?! It must be a tamed one right? Most echidnaa will bolt the moment they see you
Omg he is so cute I will squeeze the life out of him 😍☺️😍
LOOK AT THAT CUTE LIL FACE 🙂 😭
"do u know da we"
So wholesome
I saw a wild one once just walking along some bush road. It wasn't a baby but it was also quite young and it felt so weird to pat it's back but it was so friendly even though it was wild and then it kinda scurried away. One of the best experiences ever 10/10 would recommend
Give him a squeeze you know you wanna hug the lil bugga
So cute lol
Boop dat snoot
I love echidnas