Amber Day wrote:
I have been concerned about our echidnas and how they have fared in the catastrophic fires and then this popped up…
Echidnas don’t try to escape a fire, instead they bury themselves as deep as they can into a cool, protective soil, take a nap, and wait for the flames to all blow over.
Although this is no ordinary nap. It’s similar to hibernation, but a shorter and shallower state called torpor. It allows echidnas to lower their body temperature and their metabolic rate, so that they can conserve energy while out-waiting danger.
Tom: I was wondering about this technique last week when thinking of what to do if I were caught in those horrific circumstances.