SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Reuters) — Sydney’s iconic Taronga Zoo unveiled three healthy baby echidnas, known as puggles, on Thursday (November 17), the first to be born there in nearly 30 years.
Hatched between the 16th-30th of August this year, the puggles, who have recently opened their eyes, weighed in between 250 and 500 grams, the Zoo confirmed in a statement.
Echidnas are a rare Australian mammal that lays eggs, hatching after 10 days and carried in their mothers pouches for a period that can be up to two months, said the Zoo.
The last echidna born at Taronga in 1987, Pitpa, gave birth to the youngest puggle.
Zoo keepers told local media they have yet to name the puggles or determine their sexes.
Each year, about 1.4 million people visit Taronga Zoo and it is now home to more than 4,000 animals.
