The Australian Reptile Park is celebrating a very special milestone with the public debut of its first-ever echidna baby. Known as a puggle, this tiny arrival marks a rare and exciting success in the care and breeding of one of Australia’s most elusive native mammals.
Piggle the puggle has been growing beautifully and has recently graduated from a specialised nursery enclosure into the echidna yard, where it is settling into its new surroundings alongside mum, Jon Snow. Despite being named before keepers could confirm her sex via x-ray, Jon Snow has proven to be an attentive and capable mother, guiding Piggle every step of the way.
Now resembling a miniature version of its mum, Piggle has developed most of its spines and sports the same long snout and distinctive features. Visitors may be lucky enough to spot the pair exploring their habitat together, foraging for ants and investigating every corner of the yard. These moments offer a heartwarming and truly rare opportunity, as baby echidnas are almost never seen by the public.
“Piggle is spending every day filling up on ants with Mum and learning the ropes of being an echidna,” says Operations Manager Brandon Gifford. “Piggle the Puggle has grown really quickly and is almost ready to be independent from mum.”
In the wild, echidna puggles remain hidden for months, first tucked away safely in their mother’s pouch and later protected inside underground burrows. Their secretive lifestyle makes sightings incredibly uncommon, even for experienced wildlife professionals, making Piggle’s appearance at the Park especially significant.
Piggle’s story began with an unexpected discovery. Keepers noticed Jon Snow losing weight and refusing food, prompting a veterinary check-up at Somersby Animal Hospital. That’s when the surprise was revealed: a jellybean-sized puggle wriggling safely inside her pouch.
After spending around 90 days developing in the pouch, Piggle was gently moved by mum into a burrow, where it continued to thrive under Jon’s care and close keeper monitoring. As the puggle grew, its characteristic spines emerged and its confidence increased, leading to this exciting next chapter.
Now, Piggle is ready to explore the world a little more and delight visitors who may be witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Along the way, Piggle is also helping shine a spotlight on echidnas themselves, one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world, alongside the platypus. Native to Australia and parts of New Guinea, echidnas are shy, solitary animals with a specialised diet of ants and termites, captured using their long, sticky tongues.
For many visitors, seeing Piggle alongside mum is more than just adorable and it’s a rare glimpse into the early life of one of Australia’s most extraordinary native species.