Another Aussie Icon

These aren't so very rare - but they are shy and secretive; the short-beaked echidna or spiny ant-eater (Tachyglossus aculeatus).  We rarely see them, so when we do it's a real treat.

They are an egg-laying mammals, or monotremes.  The 4 species of echidna and the platypus are the only examples of egg laying mammals in the world.

There's a ton of information about them in Wikipedia, if you are interested.

Totally harmless, although I wouldn't fancy being spiked by one of those spines.  If I was silly enough to threaten it, it would simply roll itself into a ball, or desperately try and dig its way out of trouble.  But who would try and harm one of these iconic Australian animals?  Not me that's for sure.

There's a slightly different view in extras.