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Australian Zoo Announces Birth of Rare Echidna Puggle

Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, unveiled a rare short-beaked echidna puggle on Friday, May 7, born at its breeding facility around seven months ago.

Video shared by the zoo shows “keeper-cam” footage of the puggle when it was just over one month old, as well as further footage of keepers weighing a fully grown echidna.

The puggle was born to mother Gunyi and is estimated to now be about seven months old. Its sex is yet to be identified and a name has not yet been chosen, Taronga Zoo Sydney said in a news release.

Echidnas are only one of two egg-laying mammals and are hard to breed in captivity as they have complex courtship rituals with males only needed at very specific times, the zoo said.

“The little puggle is still quite shy and is spending most of its time learning natural echidna behaviors like digging and foraging,” the zoo added. Credit: Taronga Zoo Sydney via Storyful