22 October 2007

A tiny puggle – the first echidna born at Perth Zoo and only the ninth echidna ever bred in Australia – made its first public appearance today during a brief weigh-in and inspection by Zoo keepers.

It is hoped that the Short-beaked Echidna puggle (baby), named Jilba, will help unravel some of the mysteries of echidna reproduction and provide vital information to help save its endangered cousin, the Long-beaked Echidna, which is facing extinction in the wild.

Perth Zoo’s Curator of Australian Fauna, John Lemon, said it was a very exciting time as echidnas were extremely difficult to breed in captivity. The puggle’s mother, Kiltah, had laid eggs in the past but no young had ever hatched. 

Mr Lemon said the mother incubated the single egg for 10 days before it hatched on 4 August and carried the puggle in her pouch for two months before depositing it in a burrow in early October.

The as-yet unsexed puggle (keepers won’t be able to determine the sex until it is around two years old) weighed in at 334 grams this morning and will remain hidden inside the burrow, suckling from its mother, until it is ready to emerge in around three to four months time.

Inside the burrow, Jilba will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week via a video surveillance system, providing important data on puggle development and the female care of a puggle.

Mr Lemon said not a lot was known about echidnas and it was hoped that research at Perth Zoo would provide a better understanding of echidna behaviour and reproduction.

“As part of our research into the reproductive biology of echidnas, six adult echidnas at Perth Zoo have been fitted with tiny data loggers, weighing just three grams, that record temperature and humidity,” Mr Lemon said.

“We have been recording this data since May and have also installed video surveillance systems to record echidna behaviour and activity. The data will be analysed to look for trends and comparisons between our female and male echidnas.”

Mr Lemon said the endangered Long-beaked Echidna, found only in New Guinea, had never been bred in captivity. The Short-beaked Echidna is found in Australia, New Guinea and some off-shore islands.

“It is hoped that by unravelling the secrets of the Short-beaked Echidna this knowledge can be applied to the threatened Long-beaked Echidna and assist in building up a captive ‘insurance’ or back-up population of this endangered species in case it becomes extinct in the wild,” Mr Lemon said.

Perth Zoo’s echidna exhibit is proudly sponsored by Termimesh System.

Media Contact: Deb Read 9474 0383 or 0438 950 643   

Echidna Information

• Echidnas are monotremes – the name given to mammals that lay eggs – and are one of only two mammals that lay eggs (platypus is the other).
• Echidnas are insectivores, feeding exclusively on invertebrates, predominantly termites and ants.
• Echidnas are considered to be a solitary species in the wild.
• Adult echidnas have no significant predators but dingos will occasionally eat them.
• Short-beaked Echidnas are covered with long, brown-black and golden spines. Under the spines, the echidna’s body is covered with fur. Its long tubular and toothless snout is naked. The tongue is long and sticky and is around 18cm long.
• Their spiny coat provides an excellent defence (each spine is formed from a single hair). When disturbed, echidnas curl into a spiky ball and when attacked they can dig very quickly and bury themselves in the soil.