Short-beaked Echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), sometimes called Spiny Anteaters, are bizarre, primitive, egg-laying monotreme mammals found throughout Australia. They are covered in sharp spines with fur beneath, and their strong front limbs allow them to burrow rapidly when threatened and to break into termite mounds and ant nests to catch their preferred prey. They also take worms and scarab beetle larvae, catching food items with their long sticky tongues. Echidnas have excellent hearing and freeze when disturbed by a sound. This large male Echidna was seen crossing the road in Walyunga National Park in south-western Australia. It entered a steep-sided road drain and froze when it heard my approach. I left the area for a while, and on my return found that it had moved halfway up the far bank of the drain. I waited patiently, and it finally climbed out of the drain and disappeared into the bush beyond.