A baby echidna has been born in a university for the first time
Echidnas are a difficult animal to breed in captivity, but scientists in Sydney have now managed it, which could improve our understanding of the evolution of pregnancy in mammals
A baby echidna, known as a puggle, has been born and reared in a university for the first time in Australia. The short-beaked echidna, also called the spiny anteater, is one of only five known species of monotremes, egg-laying mammals. Oliver Griffith, a scientist at Macquarie University in Sydney, and his team successfully brought the puggle into the world by removing it from its mother's pouch for weighing.
This puggle is believed to be the first echidna to be born at a university. The researchers hope studying the puggle and other echidnas will help them understand fundamental questions about the evolution of pregnancy in mammals. The puggle weighed 36 grams and had begun to resemble an echidna, with identifiable features like a beak and feet.
The university's echidnas are part of a long-term research program and are unlikely to be released into the wild.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
