# weird looking ground possum



## Mick666 (Aug 28, 2019)

just happened to cross paths with this little guy today.


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## dragonlover1 (Aug 28, 2019)

Many years ago I was bow-hunting near Wyangala Dam and spotted 1 of these guys , I forgot about hunting and followed him for an hour


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## scobro (Aug 28, 2019)

Isn't that a hedgehog?


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## Sdaji (Aug 29, 2019)

scobro said:


> Isn't that a hedgehog?



Perhaps there's some superficial resemblance, but they're not at all related, it's not even a placental mammal. This is an Australian echidna (the OP was joking about it being a possum, although it's much more closely related to a possum than a hedgehog). These are quite amazing animals, they lay eggs and have a pouch in which their babies spend the first part of their lives after hatching. Their quills are much larger than a hedgehog's and the whole animal is larger.


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## scobro (Aug 29, 2019)

Sdaji said:


> Perhaps there's some superficial resemblance, but they're not at all related, it's not even a placental mammal. This is an Australian echidna (the OP was joking about it being a possum, although it's much more closely related to a possum than a hedgehog).


Awesome. Thanks. I thought maybe hedgehogs were called possums over there or something. Looking into the echidna, they're also called anteaters and I thought it looked like one of them too. Sorry I didn't catch the sarcasm.


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## Mick666 (Aug 29, 2019)

Sorry, I keep forgetting we have members from overseas on here. I probably should have mentioned what it actually was.


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## Ella C (Aug 30, 2019)

scobro said:


> Awesome. Thanks. I thought maybe hedgehogs were called possums over there or something. Looking into the echidna, they're also called anteaters and I thought it looked like one of them too. Sorry I didn't catch the sarcasm.


haha, anteaters are actually a completely separate animal. These guys are only found in Aus


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## nuttylizardguy (Aug 30, 2019)

Mobile ant hoover.

I found one in roaming about once when I was kid, we were camping near Mudgee .

Perfectly harmless unless you are a termite or an ant. Dad opened it's "pouch" and we saw two of the ugliest naked but somehow cutest little babies there.

We let it go and it soon unrolled and was waddling away into the undergrowth , none the worse for the encounter and I'd learnt something .


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## Rob (Aug 31, 2019)

Ella C said:


> haha, anteaters are actually a completely separate animal. These guys are only found in Aus



https://www.encyclopedia.com/litera...atin-american-art-biographies/spiny-anteaters


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## dragonlover1 (Aug 31, 2019)

That's amazing, what a weird creature.It's not a mammal but it is warm blooded, it lays eggs but keeps the baby in a pouch, it doesn't have nipples but feeds the baby with milk from it's hair. Talk about contradiction .


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## Herpetology (Aug 31, 2019)

They’re also immune to ticks


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## Sdaji (Aug 31, 2019)

dragonlover1 said:


> That's amazing, what a weird creature.It's not a mammal but it is warm blooded, it lays eggs but keeps the baby in a pouch, it doesn't have nipples but feeds the baby with milk from it's hair. Talk about contradiction .



They are mammals, but not placental mammals. There are three groups of mammals; placentals (most mammals, including humans), marsupials (very rare outside Australia, but most native Australian mammals are marsupials) and monotremes (only three species).

What's the contradiction?


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Aug 31, 2019)

My eldest daughter with a young echidna named Spike.


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## nuttylizardguy (Aug 31, 2019)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> My eldest daughter with a young echidna named Spike.
> View attachment 327626



I would have named it Fluffy.... but then that's just my twisted sense of humor.


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## Ella C (Aug 31, 2019)

Rob said:


> https://www.encyclopedia.com/litera...atin-american-art-biographies/spiny-anteaters


huh, the more you know.

However, echidna's are not related to anteaters, despite being named so. Echidna's are monotremes, whereas anteaters are 'regular' mammals. 
In fact, echidna's closest relative is a platypus!


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## Ryan-James (Jul 4, 2020)

dragonlover1 said:


> Many years ago I was bow-hunting near Wyangala Dam and spotted 1 of these guys , I forgot about hunting and followed him for an hour


That's like the best way to spend some time out bush, still bowhunt?
Send me a message if you ever want to hunt SE Qld


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## dragonlover1 (Jul 4, 2020)

Ryan-James said:


> That's like the best way to spend some time out bush, still bowhunt?
> Send me a message if you ever want to hunt SE Qld


Thanks for the offer but I'm on the wrong side of 60 and full of arthritis, haven't pulled a bow in 20 years. I used to have a 50-70lb compound bow, fletched my own shafts and notched all my broadheads. Because I also did leatherwork I made my own glove,wristguard and quiver


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## murrindindi (Jul 4, 2020)

Herptology said:


> They’re also immune to ticks




Hi, "immune" to ticks in what sense, I`ve found them literally covered in them?


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## Herpetology (Jul 5, 2020)

murrindindi said:


> Hi, "immune" to ticks in what sense, I`ve found them literally covered in them?


In that they don’t affect them in any way

- I should specify immune to paralysis ticks


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