The secret life of echidnas reveals a world-class digger vital to our ecosystems

By Christine Cooper and Christofer Clemente
Updated October 21 2016 - 12:24pm, first published 10:57am
University of the Sunshine Coast researcher Dr Christofer Clemente and echidnas tracked in the study Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
University of the Sunshine Coast researcher Dr Christofer Clemente and echidnas tracked in the study Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
Echidna fitted with an accelerometer and GPS unit, and a radio-tracking transmitte Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
Echidna fitted with an accelerometer and GPS unit, and a radio-tracking transmitte Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
Removing the accelerometer and GPS from an echidna to download the data and re-charge the batteries.  Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
Removing the accelerometer and GPS from an echidna to download the data and re-charge the batteries. Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
One of the echidnas tracked in the study Photo: Dr Christine Cooper
One of the echidnas tracked in the study Photo: Dr Christine Cooper

Echidnas may not seem the most active of animals. Waddling around, they spend much of their time dozing and hiding. But in research published today in the Journal of Experimental Biology, we show that echidnas dig huge amounts of soil, and play a crucial role in Australia’s ecosystems.

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