egorag (inh -)
(20 KB .wav)
kekoywa (minha -)
in Uw Olkola
in Pakanh
(Photo: PH)
The short-beaked echidna, spiny anteater or "porcupine", Tachyglossus aculeatus (family Tachyglossidae) eats ants and termites, which are plentiful on the Peninsula. It tears apart termite mounds and digs into ant beds with its strong claws, and extracts its prey with its long, thin, sticky tongue.
The echidna is important in material culture because its spines or quills are used as barbs when making certain spears, notably the porcupine spear and the bunched porcupine spear.