Reproductive strategies of the short-beaked echidna – a review with new data from a long-term study on the Tasmanian subspecies (Tachyglossus aculeatus setosus)
Gemma Morrow A , Niels A. Andersen B and Stewart C. Nicol A CA School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas. 7000, Australia.
B Discipline of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas. 7000, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: s.c.nicol@utas.edu.au
Australian Journal of Zoology 57(4) 275-282 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO09037
Submitted: 6 April 2009 Accepted: 23 July 2009 Published: 26 October 2009
Abstract
The short-beaked echidna is the most widely distributed endemic Australian mammal, and echidnas from different geographic areas differ so much in appearance that they have been assigned to several subspecies. In this paper, we present data obtained from free-ranging echidnas in southern Tasmania, and compare this with studies from other parts of Australia. In Tasmania mating occurs between early June and mid-September, and throughout Australia the normal breeding season lies within these limits. In echidnas from the more easterly parts of Australia reproduction closely follows hibernation, with Tasmanian echidnas showing a significant overlap between hibernation and reproduction. There is intense competition between males, and female echidnas from Tasmania show multiple matings. There are significant differences between echidnas from different areas of Australia in the use of nursery burrows and maternal care. One of the most dramatic differences is in duration of lactation: echidnas from Kangaroo Island wean the young at 204–210 days, but in Tasmania weaning occurs at 139–152 days, even though the masses of the young at weaning are comparable.
Acknowledgements
We thank all those people who have assisted us in the field over the course of this study, particularly David Lovell, Anna Reye, Megan Richards, Uwe Rosebrock, Jutta Schmid, Jenny Sprent, Cécile Vanpe, Christina Vedel-Smith and Ros Wallace, and are grateful to the McShane family for allowing us continued access to their property. Thanks to Peggy Rismiller and Arthur Ferguson for providing unpublished data. This work was carried out under permit from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water & Environment, and the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee, and complies with the Tasmanian and the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (2004). We are grateful for financial support from the Australian Research Council, the University of Tasmania Institutional Research Grants Scheme, the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration, and the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment.
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