Tag: echidna

Unraveling the secrets of the Echidna: Peggy Rismiller

Talking Australia

Talking Australia

Unraveling the secrets of the Echidna: Peggy Rismiller

00:00 / 00:30:14

Peggy Rismiller made it her calling to slowly unravel the mysteries of the world’s oldest species of mammal – the echidna. In the late 80s she joined the team at the Pelican Lagoon Research and Wildlife Centre on Kangaroo Island and since then her work has earned her international recognition. On this episode she shares some amazing facts about these fascinating animals that we still know so little about. She also talks about the effects of the raging 2019 bushfires on the island and its echidna population. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com). You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic

Science & Environment

Echidna penises: Why they’re so weird

“Have you ever seen an echidna’s penis?” You’ve probably asked your friends this in jest, but scientists are working away at unlocking the mystery of the bizarre reproductive system.

Science & Environment

An echidna moves 8 trailer-loads of soil a year, and scientists say they’re helping to tackle climate change

Echidnas are the soil engineers Australia desperately needs.

‘How many assumptions have been made?’ There’s a lot we don’t know about echidnas

Australia’s most widespread mammal is one of our least understood. Now, pioneering research is unlocking the enigma of the echidna.

Australia’s ‘echidna lady’ has studied the iconic Aussie animal for almost 30 years

Patience is one of Peggy Rismiller’s finest qualities, which is what makes her Australia’s most successful echidna expert.

See an adorable echidna puggle with its spikes only just coming through

You’ve probably seen an echidna puggle before, but have you ever seen a puggle with its spikes just coming through?

VIDEO: white echidna sighted in Tasmania

See the video of a rare albino echidna spotted in Tasmania’s Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula.

A wander in the brush

A juvenile short-beaked echidna pokes around in the scrub

Watch an echidna hatch in this vintage CSIRO clip

This 1974 echidna hatching video from the CSIRO archives proves that puggles are by far the most adorable native Australian animal.

History & Culture

The Myth of Old Man Echidna

Echidnas feature widely in Aboriginal myths and art.