Tracking echidna poo unearths largest ever sightings of elusive species across Australia
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Loading... - Lucy Richard
- 08 Feb 2022
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Citizen scientists have helped researchers track Australia’s widespread but elusive echidna population – and their poo – to discover the spiny mammal is more the man about town than realised.
Never before considered an “urban” native like common ringtail possums or brush turkeys, their apparent prolificacy in metropolitan areas suggest echidnas should be taken into consideration when establishing biodiversity policies in cities, researchers say.
Despite their distinctive appearance, the iconic short-beaked monotremes are not that easy to study as they inhabit myriad environments – from bushland, to snow, to desert and tropical regions.
Which is why researchers from the University of Adelaide adopted a citizen science approach – asking members of the public to report sightings of the thorny creature and their scat in a bid to gain a better understanding of their species.
As a result, the largest ever number of echidna sightings across Australia has been recorded – 12,000 since 2017 – making up a quarter of all such reports in the past 100 years.
About 11,000 participants downloaded the Echidna Conservation Science Initiative (EchidnaCSI) app and submitted photos and information of Australia-wide sightings.
They were also taught how to identify echidna faeces, with more than 400 scats from around the country collected for molecular analysis of diet, gut and reproductive health, and potential stressors.
The study found echidnas were active in every state and territory, with many sightings reported in densely populated areas, city fringes and even within major cities.
“Although we expected most sightings to occur close to populated areas, we did not anticipate as many echidna sightings within or immediately surrounding all major cities in Australia,” said Dr Tahlia Perry who is overseeing the initiative.
“This raises a number of concerns as there is very little appropriate habitat or food sources available for echidnas in these environments. It also increases the risk of echidnas being struck by vehicles.” Read More…
