Well g'day everyone, it's Robert here.
And just over there,
one of the cutest animals at Australia Zoo
is going on her afternoon walk.
Let's go join her.
Hello, Fatty.
How you going?
What are you up to?
Hello.
This, apparently, it's not an afternoon walk.
It is now an afternoon pancake session.
How you going mate?
Now Fatty the echidna is one of our beautiful resident echidnas, and she loves
nothing more than getting into the leaf litter, burrowing down
and having a nice little pancake.
Now echidnas, they are incredible burrowers, so for the most part,
if you came along a wild echidna, they wouldn't be doing that.
They wouldn't be out sprawling, enjoying the sun.
They'd be wound up in a tight little ball,
and showing you all of those big spikes.
They'd be sticking straight up out of the ground
and there'd be no way you could ever lay a glove on them.
But luckily, Fatty is an absolute sweetheart, so I can come and say g'day to you.
Hey Fat.
How are you doing?
Oh, you've picked up some leaf litter with you?
Here you go, Fatty.
Isn't she just the absolute cutest echidna
you've ever seen?
She's just gorgeous. Now echidnas,
They're a bit of an Australian icon.
In fact, they're actually my sister's very favourite animal.
They might look like they're pretty spiky,
but they are honestly one of the cuddliest animals in the world.
Echidnas are actually monotremes.
They're only found in Australia, and there's another species
you find in Papua New Guinea.
They are one of the only egg laying mammals, them and the platypus.
That's it.
See how she's waddling along.
If I was a predator,
she's got to burrow down, showing me those spikes whereas the porcupine,
if I went and grabbed a porcupine, let's say
I'm a big wolf or something trying to grab it.
They'll actually detach their spines so you get a face full of spines.
Whereas echidnas,
this is modified hair that's actually attached to them.
We're going to keep waddling around.
I've actually done a few rescues with echidnas.
Echidnas will get themselves into very compromising situations.
I actually rescued one out of a grocery store.
It managed to wedge itself underneath an industrial freezer,
and it took six hours to get it out.
They're that strong, once they wedge,
You're not getting them out.
They are so tough.
Now you look here, look at Fatty's cute little nose.
Boop. Now that nose there.
That is how they get their food.
The fact that they have a really long snout, a tiny little mouth opening there,
and a super long tongue that's 18 centimeters long.
That is how they get their food.
They actually have to find ants, termites.
they'll dig into that little termite hole.
stick their tongue in there and lap up all the little insects.
Yep.
Here she goes.
See that little hole there, there's no spines there, and there's a hole.
That's her ear. Her ears are literally just one big giant hole.
You gonna say g'day to everyone?
Look, there's YouTube.
Say hi, Fatty.
Now, notice there,
when you pick her up, she kind of curls around your hand.
It's really quite cute.
But see there,
as she walks up there, look at that foot,
you can see how she's got frontwards facing feet on the front,
but at the back they're backwards facing.
And that's what actually helps them dig and burrow down into the ground.
It's really quite amazing.
They also have a little pouch as well.
That's where the baby grows up.
OK. Well, I think I've held you up enough, Fatty.
She's on a mission.
She is a lady on a mission. She knows where she needs to get to.
So I reckon you enjoy the rest of your walk, Fatty.
Have a good one. See you later.
Say goodbye to everyone.