A spiky marsupial with a passion for ants.
Meet Eric the forgetful, unorganised and highly excitable echidna. He is easily distracted and constantly flummoxed but very sociable and happy in his heart.
Forgetfulness leads to adventures.
Eric enjoys hosting afternoon tea parties for which he famous. A great little baker, his cakes are legendary and no one declines and invitation to one of his events. Cakes are fun but Eric’s great love is ants. His desire to eat them is a primal drive that he is loathe to overcome.
Eric Power Chart
Learn About Echidnas
Video courtesy of Healesville Sanctuary
The Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
The Echidna has a slender snout and long, flicking tongue, ideal for catching insects. The Echidna also has distinctive sharp spines (quills) along its back and sides for protection against predators. When threatened, the Echidna will curl inwards, leaving only their sharp spines exposed.
Habitat: Found throughout Australia, the Echidna is a highly adaptable creature and can be found in coastal forests, alpine meadows and interior deserts. The Echidna has the widest distribution of any native Australian mammal.
The echidna is protected by law in Australia. There are no real predators but occasionally dingoes and large goannas may eat juveniles or young adults. Aborigines also used to collect them as food.
Diet: Echidnas have no teeth! They live on a very specific diet of termites, ants and other soil invertebrates, especially beetle larvae. They have very strong claws in which to break open rotting logs to collect termites.
For more information, please visit: Australia Zoo