Monday 20 May 2013

An Australian Australian.

One of the things that has been most remarkable things about migrating to a new country, is coming to terms with the newness of the wildlife.  I have never had a time when I did not watch birds, look and flowers and generally pay attention - so coming to Australia was like entering a whole new world.

In many ways that is actually true.  So, here is a picture from my world - if you see one of these in the wild you are in Australia - or very close to it.  This is an echidna - or as I was taught as a kid in biology a spiny anteater.    If you dont know, this is a mammal that lays eggs and has hip bones like a reptile.  But it has fur, feeds the young that hatch from the eggs on milk and is "warm blooded".  There are only two other species of animals in the world remotely like it - the platypus and a much larger species of echidna.

So for your view of my world I give you that most Australian of Australians - Tachglossus aculeatus!




You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

You can find more of my thoughts on things Australian at my other blog.

40 comments:

  1. Great close up pics of the echidna Stewart. I was lucky enough to spot one in the wild a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately the zoom on my camera is nowhere as good as yours.

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  2. Wow! What photos! Excellent ~ enjoy ^_^

    Thanks for visiting. and telling me about G+ ~ will check it out .

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  3. That is an awesome shot and what an interesting animal. I like seeing everyone's part of the world.

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  4. That is one strange critter. Are those spines on its back like a porcupine?

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  5. What a series of contradictions this animal possesses. So cute though, and well captured by you.

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  6. I absolutely love our echidnas, their sweet faces, their shyness and the surprising size of them. On Kangaroo Island they are much smaller than in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.
    Beautiful shots Stewart, it must have felt quite comfortable around you since it did not ball up.

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  7. wow, that is so cool! thanks for sharing this remarkable creature!

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  8. Great photos of an amazing animal. I guess things like this happen when species are left to evolve on their own.

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  9. I love these little creatures!

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  10. Great shots Stewart, your echidna resembles something our dog uncovered in our garage a few years back, no idea how it got there.

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  11. Exellent photos Stewart!Great captures!!So cute little animal!Please,i would like to see a picture of a platypus!!If you can of course!Have a lovely day!
    Dimi..

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  12. Stewart, great photos of your Anteater. It is cool to see these critters in the wild. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. This is cute, but I don't know if I'd want to run into a much larger version!

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  14. Great photos!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  15. Even with the pointy spines, echidnas are so cute!
    My Aussie grandkids grow up with stuffed toy echidnas in their crib.

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  16. Well captured Stewart - I was delighted to discover my first "in the wild" Echidna only a couple of months ago during a visit to the Mornington Peninsula. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. oh you got such good up close photos too Stewart

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  18. Yes, nice shots, Stewart. One night, years ago when I lived in the hills outside Mullumbimby, I came across an echidna crossing a narrow bitumen road. I stopped. It stopped. I waited for it to move on, but it didn't. Unable to drive around it, unwilling to risk trying to pass over it, and knowing that the road was used fairly frequently, I got out of the car to try to get it to the other side of the road, but I was wearing sandals, so all I could do was place the sole of one sandal against its rump and try to shove it with my heel. The problem was that it dug its claws into the bitumen and wasn't going anywhere. Rightly or wrongly, I kept shoving and eventually got it off the road, but with the incredible grip it had, it was a real struggle.

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  19. Excellent close ups. I did see one when I was in Aus but that was in a zoo. Very interesting creature as you say a real aussie.

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  20. Great photos of an interesting animal.

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  21. He is so darn cute! I guess I wouldn't want to cuddle with it.

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  22. Very very interesting. Lays eggs and has fur too. Like the Platypus--did it get mixed up somewhere???
    fascinating. MB

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  23. Brilliant photos Stewart, what a fascinating little animal. Great shots!

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  24. Oh my goodness - amazing captures of this sweet creature.

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  25. Fabulous photos! How wonderful for you to have emigrated to echidna country!
    K

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  26. Amazing photos! I thought it was a hedgehog, but I have never heard of this cute little echidna! Thanks for sharing this!

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  27. Wow! those pictures are fantastic! That animal looks like a porcupine!

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  28. Very cute! I'd never seen that animal before.

    Happy Tuesday. ☺

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  29. They are adorable (sorry, that's my girlie response) and very interesting, indeed. At first glance I thought I was looking at a porcupine ... are those needles in the coat or just something to make it look dangerous so the predators will leave it alone. You think this animal speaks to evolution or is he just unique in a world of his own? Great post, Stewart. It is fun to come see you on off WBW days :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  30. I guess that amazing wild-life like this more than makes up for anything from UK that you might be missing.

    Great post - lovely pictures!

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  31. So cute, Steward!
    Thanks for sharing it...
    Warm greetings from a wet Holland,
    Anna :))

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  32. Australian wildlife is endlessly fascinating and this little chap looks kind of cute - in a spiky way!

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  33. I never knew of this animal until I learned of it in blogs from your part of the world.
    Outstanding creature, and this is the most outstanding I've seen it photographed!

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  34. Awe, and I just happened to see this entry when scrolling down...how adorable a little creature!

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  35. Cool pictures! I don't think I'd want to pet him though.

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