4 November 2009

Perth Zoo has had another successful year of echidna breeding with the birth of two puggles (echidna babies) in August.

The puggles made their first public appearance today during a brief weigh-in and inspection by keepers.

The newest additions, Moa (which means “three”) and Kain (which means “one”), can’t be sexed until they are around three years old.

Perth Zoo Australian Fauna supervisor Arthur Ferguson said both puggles were developing very well under the care of their mothers in the nursery burrows.

Today Moa weighed 456 grams and Kain weighed 264 grams. They will continue to grow over the next two years until they reach their adult weight of about 4 kg.

The two puggles will remain inside the burrows, until they are ready to emerge in around three to four months time.

Echidnas are very difficult to breed in captivity. Perth Zoo started studying their secretive breeding habits and reproductive biology three years ago which resulted in the Zoo’s first successful breeding of an echidna in 2007.

This success was followed by two births in 2008 and the two this year, with Kain’s mother, Elyan, breeding for the first time in 2009.

Only 13 echidnas have been born in captivity in Australia and Perth Zoo is proud to have produced five of them.

“Having bred echidnas three years in a row we are now getting closer to perfecting what they need in order to breed successfully in captivity,” Perth Zoo Chief Executive Officer Susan Hunt said.

“The research indicates that temperature plays a very important role in many stages in the echidna’s breeding cycle from producing the egg and incubating it, to keeping the puggle safe in a burrow and developing well.

“There is more to learn about these cryptic animals but it is very rewarding work.”

The work undertaken with Short-beaked Echidnas may also help in conserving its endangered cousin, the Long-beaked Echidna, which is facing extinction in the wild.

Mr Ferguson said the Zoo’s research provides a solid foundation for a captive breeding program to be established for Long-beaked Echidnas if required.

The Long-beaked Echidna, found only in New Guinea, has never been bred in captivity. The Short-beaked Echidna is found in Australia, New Guinea and some off-shore islands.

Perth Zoo’s Short-beaked Echidna exhibit is proudly sponsored by Termimesh System.

Background Information

• Moa’s parents are Kiltah (mother) and Wilgi (father) who are also the parents of 26-month-old Jilba – the first echidna bred at Perth Zoo in 2007, with 16 month old Chindi being their second puggle born in 2008. 
• Kain’s parents are Elyan (mother) and Wilki (father).
• Males are not involved in the care of the young and leave the female to incubate the egg and raise the puggle on their own after mating. 
• A mother echidna incubates a single egg for about 11 days before it hatches. The puggle weighs less than one gram when it hatches. The puggle is then carried around in its mother’s pouch for two months before being deposited in the nursery burrows.
• Once deposited in the burrow, the puggle is left alone. The mother backfills the burrow and blocks up the entrance to stop the puggle crawling out. The mother returns every two-to-five days to feed it.
• 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. 
• 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.