The Enigmatic Echidna: Secrets of the World's Most Curious Creature

Discover the captivating world of the echidna There are few animals more unusual than the echidna - a spiky, egg-laying mammal that eats ants. But some of the most striking things about echidnas are things most of us don't know. That they use their snout like a snorkel when they swim, that they can sense electromagnetic fields, that they have intriguingly complex brains, startling physical strength and 'backwards' back feet. That they go into torpor when conditions are poor and can survive fires by sheltering underground. And that during the mating season, male echidnas will line up behind a female, making cooing noises and forming an orderly echidna train, waiting for their chance to impress her with some very strange reproductive equipment! In The Enigmatic Echidna, biologist and award-winning author Danielle Clode follows the echidna on its eclectic path through the Australian landscape. Equal parts surprising, amusing and enlightening, it is an irresistible journey into their unique and beautiful world. 'A new book from Danielle Clode is always a treat, and The Enigmatic Echidna is no exception. I learnt so much when reading this book, including the fact that echidnas' intelligence, like everything else about them, is unique. Clode's stories about echidnas seem to amble out of the datasets, archives, history books and Country straight onto the page. Most moving of all is the way Clode conveys the fact that even to spy one of these remarkable animals in the wild is a blessing.' -Sophie Cunningham 'The Enigmatic Echidna asks us to look past the assumption that its subject is no more than an evolutionary curio to reveal an animal rich in cultural and scientific significance. Written with rigour and expansive curiosity, it contains multitudes.' -James Bradley 'A book rich with intriguing facts and delightfully poetic turns of phrase' -Books+Publishing

About the Author :
Danielle Clode is a biologist and natural history author. Her books include Koala, winner of the 2023 Whitley Award for Popular Ecology; Killers in Eden, which was made into an award-winning ABC TV documentary; Voyage to the South Seas, winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Non-fiction; In Search of the Woman Who Sailed the World; and The Wasp and the Orchid, which was shortlisted for National Biography Award.

Review :

'A new book from Danielle Clode is always a treat, and The Enigmatic Echidna is no exception. I learnt so much when reading this book, including the fact that echidnas' intelligence, like everything else about them, is unique. Clode's stories about echidnas seem to amble out of the datasets, archives, history books and Country straight onto the page. Most moving of all is the way Clode conveys the fact that even to spy one of these remarkable animals in the wild is a blessing.' -Sophie Cunningham, author of City of Trees

'The Enigmatic Echidna asks us to look past the assumption that its subject is no more than an evolutionary curio to reveal an animal rich in cultural and scientific significance. Written with rigour and expansive curiosity, it contains multitudes.' -James Bradley, author of Deep Water: The World in the Ocean

'Fascinating, endearing and beautifully written. Clode's unique combination of scientific expertise, lived experience and storytelling ability allows us to burrow deep into the lives of one of our most intriguing animals.' -Inga Simpson, author of Understory: A Life with Trees