Echidna: Defense

Summary: Echidnas don’t have a lot of natural predators but they do have some great defense strategies. Join Kiersten as talks defense in echidnas.

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean

 

Show Notes: 

Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeates) Fact Sheet: Behavior and Ecology, San Diego Wildlife Alliance Library. https://iecl.libguides.com

Eastern long-beaked echidna, Animalia, https://animlia.bio

Music written and performed by Katherine Camp

 

Transcript 

(Piano music plays)

Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

(Piano music stops)

Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

This episode continues echidnas and the fifth thing I like about this monotreme is how they defend themselves.

Echidnas don’t have many natural predators but they do have to worry about feral dogs trying to take a bite out of them. So, if something like this happens an echidna has four options.

Option one is to run. Let’s do a little comparison of anatomy quickly. Many breeds of dogs have legs that are made for running. Of course, there are those that have gotten the short end of the genetic stick and have the short legs that don’t take them very far very fast, but most breeds can run fast. 

I wouldn’t say that echidnas legs are shot but they are not as long as most dogs, and their bodies are a bit wobbly and round. They certainly don’t have the fastest gait and they will not be out running a feral dog. So option number one, may not be the best choice. 

The second option is to dig. Now digging would certainly not be my first choice to protect myself from a predator, but I don’t have large claws made for digging. Remember from the habitat episode that we found out echidnas favor environments that have softer, looser soil. This allows them to find food but it also allows them to dig quickly down into the soil. 

So, option number two is to dig quickly down into the soil deep enough to cover their vulnerable underside and then pop up their spines. Hopefully, the dog will get a snout full of ouchy spines and decide to pursue another meal. 

Option three is hide. If they can find cover quickly they may be able to wedge themselves into a rock crevice or hollow long. They’ll squeeze in far enough to cover their face, legs and belly leaving their spines sticking out. This makes it pretty difficult for a predator to get a good grip and pull them out. 

The fourth option is similar to the last two but without all the digging. That statement probably gives it away, so listener, you’ve probably figured out that their spines are their fourth option. If they cannot dig or run, they will simply curl up into a ball and pop their spines out. 

The short-beaked echidna is one of Australia’s most abundant mammals, so these options must be working out for them. 

  That’s all for this episode on defense. Thanks for listening because this is my fifth favorite thing about echidnas.

 

If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 

 

Join me next week for another episode about echidnas.    

 

(Piano Music plays) 

This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.