Native Animals History and Science
Echidnas of Victoria: Earth Diggers and Keepers of the Sacred Ground
The Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is one of Australia’s most ancient and symbolic animals — a creature of paradox and resilience. With its spiny coat, elongated snout, and egg-laying habits, the echidna confounded early European scientists who first encountered it in the late 18th century.
For Indigenous peoples of Victoria, the echidna is far more than a biological curiosity — it is a guardian of the soil, a teacher of patience, and a reminder that strength can come through quiet persistence (Howitt 1904; Clarke 2008). Its digging reshapes the land, aerating soil, spreading seeds, and maintaining ecological balance — acts that mirror cultural teachings of care for Country.
From the volcanic plains of Wadawurrung Country to the alpine forests of the Great Dividing Range, the echidna continues to embody the spirit of endurance, adaptation, and deep connection between people and land.
Origins and Deep Time
Echidnas, like the platypus, belong to the ancient order Monotremata — the egg-laying mammals that evolved before marsupials and placental mammals. Fossil records show that monotremes have existed for more than 120 million years, surviving from the age of dinosaurs (Musser 2003; Flannery 1989).
The ancestors of modern echidnas were once aquatic, closely related to ancient platypus species such as Obdurodon dicksoni. Around 25 million years ago, echidnas adapted to a terrestrial life, evolving long tongues, powerful digging claws, and electroreceptors in their snouts to detect underground prey (Phillips et al. 2009).
These evolutionary adaptations allowed echidnas to thrive in diverse environments — from the deserts of central Australia to the cool temperate forests and volcanic soils of Victoria — earning them a role as earth’s quiet engineers.
Deep-Time and Cultural Timeline
The echidna’s evolutionary journey begins in the Cretaceous period (120–100 million years ago), when the earliest monotremes emerged — ancient egg-laying mammals that gave rise to both echidnas and platypuses (Archer et al. 2002). By the Miocene epoch (23–10 million years ago), echidnas had evolved from semi-aquatic ancestors into fully terrestrial insectivores, perfectly adapted for foraging among Australia’s forests and grasslands (Phillips et al. 2009). During the Pleistocene (2.6 million–10,000 years ago), modern echidnas adapted to the continent’s alternating glacial and dry periods, becoming widespread across southern landscapes, including Victoria’s volcanic plains and woodlands. For over 40,000 years, they have featured in Indigenous food systems, spiritual stories, and totemic life, often seen as soil keepers and quiet guardians of the land. Before 1788, echidnas were understood within Indigenous law as beings of balance — their digging and feeding symbolising renewal and fertility. Through the colonial era (1798–1900), they were collected as scientific specimens and sometimes hunted for food or novelty. From the 1900s to the present, echidnas have become a protected species, celebrated both for their ecological importance in maintaining soil health and for their enduring presence in Victoria’s cultural and natural heritage.
Ecology and Behaviour
Habitat: Echidnas inhabit forests, woodlands, grasslands, and coastal heathlands throughout Victoria.
Diet: Feed primarily on ants, termites, and beetle larvae, using long sticky tongues to extract prey.
Behaviour: Solitary and slow-moving, but capable of digging rapidly to escape predators or regulate body temperature.
Reproduction: Females lay a single leathery egg into a pouch; the young, known as a puggle, hatches after 10 days and remains in the pouch for several weeks.
Lifespan: 30–50 years in the wild.
Adaptations: Spines for defence, low metabolic rate, and the ability to enter torpor during cold or drought periods.
Echidnas are ecosystem engineers, turning over tonnes of soil annually — improving aeration, water infiltration, and nutrient cycling (Eldridge & Mensinga 2007).
Language and Names
The echidna is deeply embedded in Indigenous languages across Victoria:
Wadawurrung: Nyingarn — a name meaning “spiny one” or “earth burrower” (Clark 1990).
Woiwurrung / Taungurung: Terms connected to patience, protection, and careful movement across Country.
Gunaikurnai: Associated with stories of transformation and rebirth from the earth.
Dja Dja Wurrung: Words linked to fire, as echidnas often emerge after cultural burns to feed on exposed insects.
Palawa (Tasmania): Nayri — meaning “one who digs the sacred ground” (Ryan 2012).
Language revival initiatives through VACL (2022) continue to incorporate echidna knowledge into education and storytelling across Victoria.
Echidnas in Indigenous Culture
Story and Creation
In Victorian Indigenous traditions, the echidna often appears as a transformed ancestor — a being who grew spines after being struck with spears or punished for greed. In one Wadawurrung story, an echidna spirit guarded the volcanic stones and taught people to harvest food without taking more than needed (Clark 1990).
Totem and Spiritual Role
Echidnas serve as totem animals symbolising endurance, patience, and humility. Their slow pace teaches respect for timing and observation. For many communities, they are seen as keepers of the soil, representing the sacred link between life above and below ground (Clarke 2008).
Food and Resource
Echidnas were occasionally hunted for their rich, fatty meat and roasted in their shells during ceremonial gatherings. However, they were often protected due to their spiritual significance.
Wadawurrung Country
Across Wadawurrung Country, which spans Geelong, Ballarat, and the Surf Coast, echidnas inhabit stony rises and grassy woodlands formed by volcanic activity. Their tracks and burrows are signs of healthy Country, and Elders continue to recognise them as messengers of balance and soil renewal (Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Colonial History and Interaction
When European colonists first encountered the echidna, they were fascinated and bewildered. Early specimens sent to Europe were dismissed as hoaxes — much like the platypus.
Scientific Confusion: The echidna’s mix of reptilian and mammalian traits challenged 19th-century scientific classification (Archer et al. 2002).
Hunting and Display: Collected for zoos and museums; occasionally eaten by settlers or displayed as curiosities.
Cultural Disregard: Indigenous understandings of echidnas as soil caretakers were overlooked in favour of European taxonomy and novelty.
Habitat Change: Clearing of woodlands and introduction of predators (dogs, foxes) disrupted populations.
Despite these pressures, echidnas survived colonisation better than many native species due to their adaptability and low dependence on specific food plants.
Recovery and Modern Conservation
Today, echidnas are protected under Victorian law and widely distributed across the state:
Status: Listed as Protected Wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1975 (Vic).
Threats: Road mortality, habitat loss, fire, and climate change.
Ecological Role: Recognised as key contributors to soil turnover and health (Eldridge & Mensinga 2007).
Conservation Actions: Habitat corridors and wildlife underpasses reduce road impacts; Indigenous ranger programs monitor populations and integrate cultural perspectives.
Citizen Science: Projects like Atlas of Living Australia record sightings, helping to map echidna movements.
Echidnas are now symbols of resilience and ecological harmony, bridging Indigenous wisdom and modern environmental care.
Modern Science and Ecology
Contemporary research has deepened understanding of echidna biology and its ecological significance:
Thermoregulation: Echidnas maintain low body temperatures (32°C) and enter hibernation or torpor to survive extreme weather (Grigg et al. 2004).
Electroreception: Like platypuses, echidnas use electroreceptors in their snouts to detect underground prey (Nicol et al. 2009).
Soil Engineering: Each echidna turns over up to 200 cubic metres of soil annually, promoting microbial health and reducing fire risk by burying leaf litter (Eldridge & Mensinga 2007).
Climate Resilience: Echidnas adapt to varied climates, from alpine snowfields to arid plains, making them crucial bioindicators of ecosystem stability (Rismiller & McKelvey 2003).
Cultural Ecology: Indigenous ecological knowledge aligns echidna activity with seasonal changes — especially after controlled burns, when their digging renews soil fertility (Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Together, these insights reveal the echidna as both a biological engineer and a spiritual custodian of the land.
Global and Cross-Cultural Parallels
In many global traditions, animals that dig or move between surface and earth — like the mole in Europe or the armadillo in the Americas — symbolise transformation, persistence, and grounded knowledge.
In Victoria, the echidna mirrors these meanings while also standing as a unique monotreme — connecting ancient evolution with living cultural memory. It bridges the physical and the spiritual, reminding us that the health of the soil reflects the health of all beings.
Cultural Continuity and Land Renewal
Across Victoria, Indigenous organisations and conservationists are working together to honour the echidna’s role:
Cultural land management programs integrate traditional fire and soil knowledge.
Wildlife monitoring guided by Indigenous ranger groups tracks echidna activity post-burn.
Educational projects teach students about echidna Dreaming stories and their ecological importance.
Community art and storytelling celebrate the echidna as a symbol of strength and connection to Country.
These collaborations show how ancient cultural teachings continue to guide modern science, ensuring that the land — like the echidna — remains strong, balanced, and alive.
Conclusion
The echidna is one of Victoria’s most enduring and sacred animals — a being that connects past and present through the earth itself. For Indigenous peoples, it is both teacher and guardian, reminding all to move gently, observe deeply, and care for the soil beneath our feet.
From the volcanic plains to the mountain forests, the echidna’s slow and steady digging keeps Country alive — a quiet act of renewal that sustains both life and story. Protecting the echidna is protecting the heartbeat of the land itself.
References
Archer, M, Jenkins, FA, Hand, SJ, Murray, P & Godthelp, H 2002, ‘Palaeontology and evolution of monotremes’, Australian Mammalogy, 24(1), pp. 3–18.
Clark, ID 1990, Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900, Monash Publications in Geography, Melbourne.
Clarke, PA 2008, Aboriginal Healing Practices: Smoke, Fire and Plant Use in South-Eastern Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.
Eldridge, DJ & Mensinga, A 2007, ‘Ecosystem engineering by ants and echidnas in arid Australia’, Journal of Arid Environments, 69(2), pp. 285–298.
Flannery, TF 1989, ‘Origins and adaptations of the Macropodoidea’, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 111(1), pp. 1–24.
Grigg, GC, Beard, LA & Augee, ML 2004, ‘The echidna: Thermal biology and climate adaptation’, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A, 137(4), pp. 731–739.
Howitt, AW 1904, The Native Tribes of South-East Australia, Macmillan, London.
Musser, AM 2003, ‘Review of monotreme evolution’, Australian Mammalogy, 25(1), pp. 3–17.
Nicol, SC, Andersen, NA & Morrow, G 2009, ‘Reproductive biology and temperature regulation in echidnas’, Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 21(6), pp. 931–940.
Phillips, MJ, Bennett, TH & Lee, MSY 2009, ‘Molecular phylogeny and divergence dates for monotremes’, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 26(9), pp. 2189–2199.
Rismiller, PD & McKelvey, M 2003, ‘Echidna population dynamics in changing climates’, Wildlife Research, 30(2), pp. 121–132.
Ryan, L 2012, Tasmanian Aborigines: A History Since 1803, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
VACL (Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages) 2022, Language Revival and Naming Project Reports, Melbourne.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (TOAC) 2023, Cultural Knowledge and Country Resources, Geelong.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.