Echidnas Communicating Recorded by Australian Researchers

Researchers in Western Australia have captured recordings of echidnas cooing, grunting, and making a range of other noises.

In a media release Dr Christine Cooper, from Curtin University said her team had “observed wild short-beaked echidnas at Dryandra National Park, near Narrogin, Western Australia, making cooing and grunting sounds”

These recordings were captured using hand-held microphones “as well as a camera and microphone left unattended at the entrance to a cave popular with echidnas”.

According to Cooper, there had been ongoing debate about the ability of echidnas to “vocalize as a way of communicating or if the sounds they make are simply sniffing noises related to breathing”.

“Careful analysis of those cooing and grunting sounds showed echidnas are capable of vocalizing, aligning them with most other mammals in their use of acoustic communication," she added. Credit: Curtin University via Storyful

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