Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Echidna!






















I wasn't going to post to my blog whilst i was away as I wasn't sure I could connect to the phone. However yesterday when we went for a long walk along the back beach at Blairgowrie we came across this little fella and i just had to share it. It is an echidna also known as a spiny anteater and a monotreme- it lays eggs but suckles its young. This one was quite mobile and on his way to somewhere. I was absolutely stoked to get such a clear shot of his face as usually if they feel threatened or a human closeby they will tuck their face and paws into their spine and become like a a spiky ball. They have poisonous spurs on their hind legs.

The other photos are a collage of the colourings and rugged coastline in this part of the world where wind and sea create weathered outcrops of weird shapes. A bit like the Cadaques coast which inspired Dali. Yesterday the sea was both a gorgeous colour and rough as the southerly wind was blowing straight from the southern ocean.
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8 comments:

Claire said...

Your photo of the echidna is fantastic. I've never been able to get a good shot of them. Ususally just an arse shot as they disapear into the bush LOL.
Cheers
Claire

Lime Soda said...

That is one cute little critter, wish we had animals like that in the States.

Deb R said...

Whoa! VERY cool pics Dijanne!

smarcoux said...

Fantastic Dijanne
I am going to start putting money away to come for a visit, and they are right your very lucky to get to see these lovely sites and animals.

Sandy

Digitalgran said...

My brother had a book of strange animals when I was a child and I can see it now. It just said Ant Eater, now I know it's an echidna!
He looks a larger version of our little hedgehog.

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

What a great picture! My son loved it, and is now wondering if echidna are related to the platypus since they have poisonous spurs also. A good google research project for us today.

Felicity Grace said...

He's great and I love the colours in the photos too! The collages you are doing are beautiful and fascinating!

Claire said...

Julie... in case you read these comments again, I had to jump in here and say YES the platypus and the Echidna are the only two monotreme species in the world. Egg laying mammals. Platypus look very different from the echidna though and are, of course, an aquatic animal. They are a shy animal and it was a very special treat to see one when I was a child.
Cheers
Claire