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Echidna

from The Dik Diks by The Dik Diks

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about

Echidnas:
Echidnas are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae.The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata.

The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg 22 days after mating, and deposits it directly into her pouch. An egg weighs 1.5 to 2 grams and is about 1.4 centimetres long. While hatching, the baby echidna opens the leather shell with a reptile-like egg tooth. Hatching takes place after 10 days of gestation; the young echidna, (called a puggle), born larval and fetus-like, then sucks milk from the pores of the two milk patches (monotremes have no nipples) and remains in the pouch for 45 to 55 days, at which time it starts to develop spines. The mother digs a nursery burrow and deposits the young, returning every five days to suckle it until it is weaned at seven months. Puggles will stay within their mother's den for up to a year before leaving.

Penis Details:
Male echidnas have a four-headed penis. During mating, the heads on one side "shut down" and do not grow in size; the other two are used to release semen into the female's two-branched reproductive tract. Each time it copulates, it alternates heads in sets of two. When not in use, the penis is retracted inside a preputial sac in the cloaca. The male echidna's penis is 7 centimetres (2.8 in) long when erect, and its shaft is covered with penile spines.These may be used to induce ovulation in the female. It is a challenge to study the echidna in its natural habitat and they show no interest in mating while in captivity. Prior to 2007, no one had ever seen an echidna ejaculate. There have been attempts to force the echidna to ejaculate through electric stimulation but these have only resulted in the penis swelling.

Mating Trains:
Breeding season begins in late June and extends through September. Males will form lines up to ten individuals long, the youngest echidna trailing last, that follow the female and attempt to mate. During a mating season an echidna may switch between lines. This is known as the "train".

The three living Zaglossus species are endemic to New Guinea.
They are rare and are hunted for food. They forage in leaf litter on the forest floor, eating earthworms and insects.

Echidna pic by Scott Marshall

lyrics

Echidna!
First there were some.
Then there was one.
Soon there’ll be none.
Echidna!

credits

from The Dik Diks, released April 19, 2024

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The Dik Diks San Francisco, California

Natural Music made by :

Kirk Lombard • Vocals, 2-string diddley-bat, harmonica
Cary Kirk • Guitar
Josh Lindenfelzer • Drums
Wiley Evans • Tuba

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