171-511: Genus Tachyglossus T. aculeatus Genus Zaglossus Z. attenboroughi Z. bruijnii Z. bartoni Genus † Megalibgwilia † M. owenii † M. robusta Genus † Murrayglossus † M. hacketti Echidnas ( / ɪ ˈ k ɪ d n ə z / ), sometimes known as spiny anteaters , are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals ) belonging to
342-403: A Master's Mate —in charge of one of the watches. The mutiny , which took place on 28 April 1789 during the return voyage, was led by Christian and supported by eighteen of the crew. They had seized firearms during Christian's night watch and surprised and bound Bligh in his cabin. Despite being in the majority, none of the loyalists put up a significant struggle once they saw Bligh bound, and
513-583: A platypus -like monotreme. This ancestor was aquatic, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Echidnas are possibly named after Echidna , a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and reptiles. An alternative explanation is a confusion with Ancient Greek: ἐχῖνος , romanized: ekhînos , lit. 'hedgehog, sea urchin'. Echidnas are medium-sized, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines . The spines are modified hairs and are made of keratin ,
684-407: A 13.5 kg (30 lb) stone; a scientist also reported that a captive echidna moved a refrigerator around the room in his home. The power of the limbs is based on strong musculature, particularly around the shoulder and torso areas. The mechanical advantage of its arm is greater than that of humans, as its biceps connects the shoulder to the forearm at a point further down than for humans, and
855-541: A 47-day voyage, the only casualty being the crewman killed on Tofua. From 4 May until 29 May, when they reached the Great Barrier Reef north of Australia, the 18 men lived on 1 ⁄ 12 pound (40 grams) of bread per day. The weather was often stormy, and they were in constant fear of foundering due to the boat's heavily laden condition. On 29 May they landed on a small island off the coast of Australia, which they named Restoration Island , 29 May 1660 being
1026-530: A ball and protecting itself with its spines . It cannot sweat or deal well with heat, so it tends to avoid daytime activity in hot weather. It can swim if needed. The snout has mechanoreceptors and electroreceptors that help the echidna to detect its surroundings. During the Australian winter, it goes into deep torpor and hibernation , reducing its metabolism to save energy. As the temperature increases, it emerges to mate . Female echidnas lay one egg
1197-666: A ball similar to a hedgehog . Strong front arms allow echidnas to dig in and hold fast against a predator pulling them from the hole. Their many predators include feral cats , foxes , domestic dogs , and goannas . Snakes pose a large threat when they slither into echidna burrows and prey on the spineless young puggles. They are easily stressed and injured by handling. Some ways to help echidnas include picking up litter, causing less pollution, planting vegetation for shelter, supervising pets, reporting hurt echidnas, and leaving them undisturbed. The divergence between oviparous (egg-laying) and viviparous (offspring develop internally) mammals
1368-547: A cramped 18′ × 11′ × 5′8″ wooden cell on Pandora ' s quarterdeck. Yet, when Pandora ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, three prisoners were immediately let out of the prison cell to help at the pumps. Finally, Captain Edwards gave orders to release the other 11 prisoners, to which end Joseph Hodges, the armourer's mate, went into the cell to remove the prisoners' irons. Unfortunately, before he could finish
1539-542: A decade-long period, around one-third of echidna deaths reported to wildlife authorities in Victoria were due to motor vehicles, and the majority of wounded animals handed in were traffic accident victims. Studies have shown they often choose to traverse drainage culverts under roads, so this is seen as a viable means of reducing deaths on busy roads in rural areas or national parks where the animals are more common. Despite their spines, they are preyed on by birds of prey ,
1710-629: A favour if you will tell him I informed you he was a vicious and worthless fellow—He applied to me to render him service & wanted to be appointed Gunner of the Providence but as I had determined never to suffer an officer who was with me in the Bounty to sail with again, it was for the cause I did not apply for him. Bligh's refusal to appoint Peckover was partly due to Edward Christian 's polemic testimony against Bligh in an effort to clear his brother 's name. Christian states in his appendix: In
1881-426: A glossy liquid believed to be an aphrodisiac. During courtship—observed for the first time in 1989—males locate and pursue females. Trains of up to 10 males, often with the youngest and smallest male at the end of the queue, may follow a single female in a courtship ritual that may last for up to four weeks; the duration of the courtship period varies with location. During this time, they forage for food together, and
SECTION 10
#17327832026032052-494: A great speed. Like the other extant monotremes , the short-beaked echidna lays eggs ; the monotremes are the only living group of mammals to do so. The short-beaked echidna has extremely strong front limbs and claws, which allow it to burrow quickly with great power. As it needs to be able to survive underground, it has a significant tolerance to high levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen . It has no weapons or fighting ability but deters predators by curling into
2223-648: A journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,160 mi). On 13 August 1806, Bligh was appointed Governor of New South Wales in Australia, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps . His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion , during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which
2394-727: A kiln. This stoneware was produced by Eleanor Coade at her factory in Lambeth. The tomb is topped by an eternal flame, not a breadfruit. A plaque marks Bligh's house, half a mile (700m) east of the Garden Museum at 100 Lambeth Road, opposite the Imperial War Museum . He was related to Admiral Sir Richard Rodney Bligh and Captain George Miller Bligh , and his British and Australian descendants include Native Police Commandant John O'Connell Bligh and
2565-691: A letter in January 1810, advising him that the rebellion had been declared illegal, and that the British Foreign Office had declared it to be a mutiny. Lachlan Macquarie had been appointed to replace him as governor. At this news Bligh sailed from Hobart. He arrived in Sydney on 17 January 1810, only two weeks into Macquarie's tenure. There he would collect evidence for the coming court martial in England of Major Johnston. He departed to attend
2736-498: A letter to his wife Betsy, in which he names Heywood (a mere boy not yet 16) as "one of the ringleaders", adding: "I have now reason to curse the day I ever knew a Christian or a Heywood or indeed a Manks [ sic ] man." Bligh's later official account to the Admiralty lists Heywood with Christian, Edward Young and George Stewart as the mutiny's leaders, describing Heywood as a young man of abilities for whom he had felt
2907-754: A liking to Otaheite [Tahiti] that he also turned Pirate, so that I have been run down by my own Dogs... My misfortune I trust will be properly considered by all the World—It was a circumstance I could not foresee—I had not sufficient Officers & had they granted me Marines most likely the affair would never have happened—I had not a Spirited & brave fellow about me & the Mutineers treated them as such. My conduct has been free of blame, & I showed everyone that, tied as I was, I defied every Villain to hurt me... I know how shocked you will be at this affair but I request of you My Dear Betsy to think nothing of it all
3078-432: A makeshift Union Jack be made up and hoisted and that Fryer remain aboard the launch to guard her. Three of the men who survived this arduous voyage with him were so weak that they soon died of sickness, possibly malaria, in the pestilential Dutch East Indies port of Batavia , the present-day Indonesian capital of Jakarta, as they waited for transport to Britain. Two others died on the way to England. The reasons behind
3249-408: A mate between May and September; the precise timing of the mating season varies with geographic location. In the months before the mating season, the size of the male's testes increases by a factor of three or more before spermatogenesis occurs. Both males and females give off a strong, musky odour during the mating season, by turning their cloacas inside out and wiping them on the ground, secreting
3420-404: A metre into the ground to retrieve ants or evade predators, and can survive with low oxygen when the area is engulfed by bushfires. The echidna can also dive underwater, which can help it to survive sudden floods. During these situations, the heart rate drops to around 12 beats per minute, around one-fifth of the rate at rest. This process is believed to save oxygen for the heart and brain, which are
3591-600: A month to go west by rounding South America and Cape Horn , Bounty was finally defeated by the notoriously stormy weather and opposite winds and forced to take the longer way to the east around the southern tip of Africa ( Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas ). That delay caused a further delay in Tahiti, as Bligh had to wait five months for the breadfruit plants to mature sufficiently to be potted in soil and transported. Bounty departed Tahiti heading west in April 1789. Because
SECTION 20
#17327832026033762-478: A nursery burrow and deposits the young, returning every five days to suckle it until it is weaned at seven months. Puggles will stay within their mother's den for up to a year before leaving. Male echidnas have a four-headed penis. During mating, the heads on one side "shut down" and do not grow in size; the other two are used to release semen into the female's two-branched reproductive tract. Each time it copulates , it alternates heads in sets of two. When not in use,
3933-485: A particular regard. To the Heywood family, Bligh wrote: "His baseness is beyond all description." Peckover applied for a position as gunner on HMS Providence (the second breadfruit expedition to Tahiti) but was refused by Bligh. In a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, dated 17 July 1791 (two weeks before departure), Bligh wrote: Should Peckover my late Gunner ever trouble you to render him further services I shall esteem it
4104-493: A preference for the eggs, pupae and winged phases of the insects. Echidnas hunt most vigorously towards the end of the southern winter and early in spring, when their fat reserves have been depleted after hibernation and nursing. At this time, ants have high body fat, and the echidna targets their mounds. The animal also hunts beetles and earthworms, providing they are small enough to fit in a 5 mm (0.20 in) gap. The proportion of ants and termites in their diets depends on
4275-553: A quartermaster, was killed. Fleeing from Tofua, Bligh did not dare to stop at the next islands to the west (the Fiji islands), as he had only a pair of cutlasses for defence and expected hostile receptions. He did however keep a log entitled "Log of the Proceedings of His Majesty's Ship Bounty Lieut. Wm Bligh Commander from Otaheite towards Jamaica" which he used to record events from 5 April 1789 to 13 March 1790. He also made use of
4446-516: A reputation as a firm disciplinarian. Accordingly, he was offered the position of Governor of New South Wales on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks (President of the Royal Society and a main sponsor of the breadfruit expeditions) and appointed in March 1805, at £2,000 per annum, twice the pay of the retiring governor, Philip Gidley King . He arrived in Sydney on 6 August 1806, to become
4617-565: A second time with [Bligh] (using a term of abuse) who has been the cause of all our losses." Popular fiction often confuses Bligh with Edward Edwards of HMS Pandora , who was sent on the Royal Navy's expedition to the South Pacific to find the mutineers and bring them to trial. Edwards is often made out to be the cruel man that Hollywood has portrayed. The 14 men from Bounty who were captured by Edwards's men were confined in
4788-461: A small clade with two extant genera and four species . The genus Zaglossus includes three extant and two fossil species, with only one extant species from the genus Tachyglossus . The three living Zaglossus species are endemic to New Guinea . They are rare and are hunted for food. They forage in leaf litter on the forest floor , eating earthworms and insects . The species are The short-beaked echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus )
4959-481: A small notebook to sketch a rough map of his discoveries. Bligh had confidence in his navigational skills, which he had perfected under the instruction of Captain James Cook . His first responsibility was to bring his men to safety. Thus, he undertook the seemingly impossible 3,618-nautical-mile (6,701 km; 4,164 mi) voyage to Timor, the nearest European settlement. Bligh succeeded in reaching Timor after
5130-538: A small number of echidnas on Kangaroo Island concluded that goannas and cats were the main predators, although foxes—absent in Kangaroo Island—would be expected to be a major threat. They were eaten by indigenous Australians and the early European settlers of Australia. Hunting and eating of the echidna in New Guinea has increased over time and caused a decline in the population and distribution areas; it
5301-593: A voyage of more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 kilometres; 4,000 miles) to the west in the launch to reach safety north of Australia in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) and began the process of bringing the mutineers to justice. In 1787, Lieutenant Bligh, as he then was, took command of HMAV Bounty. In order to win a premium offered by the Royal Society , he first sailed to Tahiti to obtain breadfruit trees, then set course east across
Echidna - Misplaced Pages Continue
5472-500: A year and the mating period is the only time the otherwise solitary animals meet one another; the male has no further contact with the female or his offspring after mating. A newborn echidna is the size of a grape but grows rapidly on its mother's milk, which is very rich in nutrients. By seven weeks baby echidnas grow too large and spiky to stay in the pouch and are expelled into the mother's burrow. At around six months they leave and have no more contact with their mothers. The species
5643-945: A zoo in Philadelphia . In contrast to other mammals, echidna rates of reproduction and metabolism are lower, and they live longer, as though in slow motion, something caused, at least in part, by their low body temperature, which rarely exceeds 33 °C (91 °F), even when they are not hibernating. Like its fellow monotreme the platypus, the short-beaked echidna has a system of multiple sex chromosomes , in which males have four Y chromosomes and five X chromosomes . Males appear to be X 1 Y 1 X 2 Y 2 X 3 Y 3 X 4 Y 4 X 5 , while females are X 1 X 1 X 2 X 2 X 3 X 3 X 4 X 4 X 5 X 5 . Weak identity between chromosomes results in meiotic pairing that yields only two possible genotypes of sperm, X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 or Y 1 Y 2 Y 3 Y 4 , thus preserving this complex system. The short-beaked echidna
5814-686: Is tjilkamata or tjirili , from the word tjiri for spike of porcupine grass ( Triodia irritans ). The word can also mean 'slowpoke'. In the Wiradjuri language of Central NSW, it is called wandhayala . In the central Cape York Peninsula , it is called (minha) kekoywa in Pakanh , where minha is a qualifier meaning 'meat' or 'animal', (inh-)ekorak in Uw Oykangand and (inh-)egorag in Uw Olkola , where inh-
5985-429: Is Australia's earliest surviving political cartoon and like all political cartoons it makes use of caricature and exaggeration to convey its message. The New South Wales Corps' officers regarded themselves as gentlemen, and in depicting Bligh as a coward, the cartoon declares that Bligh was not a gentleman and therefore not fit to govern. Of interest, however, was Bligh's concern for the more recently arrived settlers in
6156-554: Is a qualifier meaning 'meat' or 'animal'. In the highland regions of southwestern New Guinea , it is known as the mungwe in the Daribi and Chimbu languages. The short-beaked echidna is called miɣu in the Motu language of Papua New Guinea . Short-beaked echidnas are typically 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 in) in length, with 75 mm (3 in) of snout, and weigh between 2 and 7 kg (4.4 and 15.4 lb). However,
6327-447: Is about 1.4 centimetres (0.55 in) long. While hatching , the baby echidna opens the leather shell with a reptile-like egg tooth . Hatching takes place after 10 days of gestation ; the young echidna, called a puggle, born larval and fetus-like, then sucks milk from the pores of the two milk patches (monotremes have no nipples ) and remains in the pouch for 45 to 55 days, at which time it starts to develop spines. The mother digs
6498-781: Is active. Metabolism can drop to one-eighth of the normal rate. Echidnas begin to prepare for hibernation between February and April, when they reduce their consumption and enter brief periods of torpor. Males begin hibernating first, while females that have reproduced start later. During periods of hibernation, the animals average 13 separate bouts of torpor, which are broken up by periods of arousal lasting 1.2 days on average. These interruptions tend to coincide with warmer periods. Males end their hibernation period in mid-June, while reproductive females return to full activity in July and August; nonreproductive females and immature echidnas may not end hibernation until two months later. During euthermia ,
6669-475: Is also a possibility. Bligh's mother, Jane Pearce (née Balsam; 1713–1768), was a widow who married Francis at the age of 40. Bligh was signed for the Royal Navy at age seven, at a time when it was common to sign on a "young gentleman" simply to gain, or at least record, the experience at sea required for a commission. In 1770, at age 16, he joined HMS Hunter as an able seaman , the term used because there
6840-416: Is believed to be crucial in restricting this loss to sustainable levels, through a bony labyrinth that has a refrigerator effect and helps to condense water vapour in the breath. The echidna does not have highly concentrated urine, and around half of the estimated daily water loss of 120 g (4.2 oz) occurs in this manner, while most of the rest is through the skin and respiratory system. Most of this
7011-539: Is believed to date to the Triassic period. Most findings from genetics studies (especially of nuclear genes) are in agreement with the paleontological dating, but some other evidence, like mitochondrial DNA, give slightly different dates. Molecular clock data suggest echidnas split from platypuses between 19 and 48 million years ago, so that platypus-like fossils dating back to over 112.5 million years ago represent basal forms, rather than close relatives of
Echidna - Misplaced Pages Continue
7182-401: Is carried attached to the wrist like a thick bangle. Tachyglossus The short-beaked echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ), also called the short-nosed echidna , is one of four living species of echidna , and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus . It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout and a specialised tongue , which it uses to catch its insect prey at
7353-518: Is common throughout most of temperate Australia and lowland New Guinea, and is not listed as endangered. In Australia, it remains widespread across a wide range of habitats, including urban outskirts, coastal forests and dry inland areas, and is especially widespread in Tasmania and on Kangaroo Island . The most common threats to the animal in Australia are motor vehicles and habitat destruction, which have led to localised extinctions. In Australia,
7524-399: Is detected. It is likely that echidnas are keystone species in the ecosystem health in Australia, due to their contribution through bioturbation , the reworking of soils through their digging activity. This is based on the estimation that a single echidna will move up to 204 m (7,200 cu ft) of soil a year, that it is the most widespread of any terrestrial Australian species,
7695-542: Is estimated to be 30 to 40. Longitudinal waves are believed to be picked up and transmitted through the rods, acting as mechanical sensors, to allow prey detection. A well-developed olfactory system may be used to detect mates and prey. A highly sensitive optic nerve has been shown to have visual discrimination and spatial memory comparable to those of a rat . The brain and central nervous system have been extensively studied for evolutionary comparison with placental mammals , particularly with its fellow monotreme,
7866-516: Is found in southern, southeast and northeast New Guinea , and also occurs in almost all Australian environments, from the snow-clad Australian Alps to the deep deserts of the Outback , essentially anywhere ants and termites are available. It is smaller than the Zaglossus species, and it has longer hair. Despite the similar dietary habits and methods of consumption to those of an anteater, there
8037-453: Is found throughout Australia, where it is the most widespread native mammal , and in coastal and highland regions of eastern New Guinea , where it is known as the mungwe in the Daribi and Chimbu languages. It is not threatened with extinction, but human activities, such as hunting, habitat destruction , and the introduction of foreign predatory species and parasites, have reduced its abundance in Australia. The short-beaked echidna
8208-478: Is half neocortex , compared to 80% of a human brain. Contrary to previous research, the echidna does enter REM sleep, but only in a comfortable temperature around 25 °C (77 °F). At lower or higher temperatures of 15 °C (59 °F) and 28 °C (82 °F), REM sleep is suppressed. The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg 22 days after mating, and deposits it directly into her pouch. An egg weighs 1.5 to 2 grams (0.05 to 0.07 oz) and
8379-443: Is known only from fossils: The genus Murrayglossus is known only from fossils: The Kunwinjku people of Western Arnhem Land (Australia) call the echidna ngarrbek , and regard it as a prized food and "good medicine". The echidna is hunted at night, gutted, and filled with hot stones and mandak ( Persoonia falcata ) leaves. According to Larrakia elders Una Thompson and Stephanie Thompson Nganjmirra, once captured, an echidna
8550-454: Is no contact between the mother and young after this point. The composition of the milk secreted by the mother changes over time. At the moment of birth, the solution is dilute and contains 1.25% fat, 7.85% protein, and 2.85% carbohydrates and minerals. Mature milk has much more concentrated nutrients, with 31.0, 12.4 and 2.8% of the aforementioned nutrients, respectively. Near weaning, the protein level continues to increase; this may be due to
8721-556: Is no evidence supporting the idea that echidna-like monotremes have been myrmecophagic (ant or termite-eating) since the Cretaceous . The fossil evidence of invertebrate-feeding bandicoots and rat-kangaroos, from around the time of the platypus–echidna divergence and pre-dating Tachyglossus , show evidence that echidnas expanded into new ecospace despite competition from marsupials. Additionally, extinct echidnas continue to be described by taxonomists ; The genus Megalibgwilia
SECTION 50
#17327832026038892-440: Is not a crucial factor in the animal's ability to survive, as blind echidnas are able to live healthily. Its ears are sensitive to low- frequency sound, which may be ideal for detecting sounds emitted by termites and ants underground. The pinnae are obscured and covered by hair, predators therefore cannot grab them in an attack, and prey or foreign material cannot enter, although ticks are known to reside there. The macula of
9063-407: Is now believed to have disappeared from highland areas. The killing of echidnas was a taboo in traditional culture, but since the tribespeople have become increasingly Westernised, hunting has increased, and the animals have been more easily tracked down due to the use of dogs. William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh FRS (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a British officer in
9234-413: Is now past & we will again looked forward to future happyness. Nothing but true consciousness as an Officer that I have done well could support me....Give my blessings to my Dear Harriet, my Dear Mary, my Dear Betsy & to my Dear little stranger & tell them I shall soon be home...To You my Love I give all that an affectionate Husband can give – Love, Respect & all that is or ever will be in
9405-615: Is ovoid, leathery, soft, and cream-coloured. Between laying and hatching, some females continue to forage for food, while others dig burrows and rest there until hatching. Ten days after it is laid, the egg hatches within the pouch. The embryo develops an egg tooth during incubation, which it uses to tear open the egg; the tooth disappears soon after hatching. Hatchlings are about 1.5 centimetres (0.6 in) long and weigh between 0.3 and 0.4 grams (0.011 and 0.014 oz). After hatching, young echidnas are known as "puggles". Although newborns are still semitranslucent and still surrounded by
9576-417: Is protruded by contracting circular muscles that change the shape of the tongue and force it forwards and contracting two genioglossal muscles attached to the caudal end of the tongue and to the mandible . The protruded tongue is stiffened by a rapid flow of blood, which allows it to penetrate wood and soil. Retraction requires the contraction of two internal longitudinal muscles, known as the sternoglossi. When
9747-420: Is quite different from other mammals. It is devoid of secretory glands and has a cornified stratified epithelium, which resembles horny skin. Unlike other mammals, which typically have highly acidic stomachs, the echidna has low levels of acidity, almost neutral, with pH in the 6.2–7.4 range. The stomach is elastic, and gastric peristalsis grinds soil particulates and shredded insects together. Digestion occurs in
9918-486: Is relatively common, and that other bioturbators have been heavily impacted by human settlement. In Australia, they are most common in forested areas with abundant, termite-filled, fallen logs. In agricultural areas, they are most likely to be found in uncleared scrub; they may be found in grassland, arid areas, and in the outer suburbs of the capital cities. Little is known about their distribution in New Guinea. They have been found in southern New Guinea between Merauke in
10089-490: Is replenished by its substantial eating of termites—one laboratory study reported ingestion of around 147 g (5.2 oz) a day, most of which was water. This can be supplemented by drinking water, if available, or licking morning dew from flora. In the Australian autumn and winter, the echidna enters periods of torpor or deep hibernation . Because of its low body temperature, it becomes sluggish in very hot and very cold weather. Like all monotremes, it has one orifice,
10260-401: Is similar to that of a cat or a rat. The echidna shows rapid eye movement during sleep , usually around its thermoneutral temperature of 25 °C (77 °F), and this effect is suppressed at other temperatures. Its brain has been shown to contain a claustrum similar to that of placental mammals, linking this structure to their common ancestor . No systematic study of the ecology of
10431-483: Is similar to the platypus , which has 40,000 electroreceptors on its bill, but the long-beaked echidna has only 2,000, while the short-beaked echidna, which lives in a drier environment, has no more than 400 at the tip of its snout. Echidnas have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. Their hind claws are elongated and curved backwards to aid in digging. Echidnas have tiny mouths and toothless jaws, and feed by tearing open soft logs, anthills and
SECTION 60
#173278320260310602-469: Is successful. Fertilisation occurs in the oviduct . Gestation takes between 21 and 28 days after copulation, during which time the female constructs a nursery burrow. Following the gestation period, a single, rubbery-skinned egg between 13 and 17 mm (0.5 and 0.7 in) in diameter and 1.5 and 2.0 g (0.053 and 0.071 oz) in weight is laid from her cloaca directly into a small, backward-facing pouch that has developed on her abdomen. The egg
10773-412: Is used alternately, with the other half being shut down between ejaculations. Sperm bundles of around 100 each appear to confer increased sperm motility, which may provide the potential for sperm competition between males. This process takes between a half and three hours. Each mating results in the production of a single egg, and females are known to mate only once during the breeding season; each mating
10944-491: Is very flexible, particularly at the end, allowing it to bend in U-turns and catch insects attempting to flee in their labyrinthine nests or mounds. The tongue also has an ability to avoid picking up splinters while foraging in logs; the factors behind this ability are unknown. It can eat quickly; a specimen of around 3 kg (6.6 lb) can ingest 200 g (7.1 oz) of termites in 10 minutes. The echidna's stomach
11115-592: The Battle of Camperdown on 11 October, Bligh engaged three Dutch vessels: Haarlem , Alkmaar and Vrijheid . While the Dutch suffered serious casualties, only seven seamen were wounded on Director . Director captured Vrijheid and the Dutch commander, Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter . For his actions during the battle, Bligh was awarded the Naval Gold Medal . Bligh went on to serve under Admiral Nelson at
11286-408: The Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801, in command of Glatton , a 56-gun ship of the line , which was experimentally fitted exclusively with carronades . After the battle, Nelson personally praised Bligh for his contribution to the victory. He sailed Glatton safely between the banks while three other vessels ran aground. When Nelson pretended not to notice Admiral Parker 's signal "43" (stop
11457-530: The Battle of Dogger Bank under Admiral Parker , which won him his commission as a lieutenant . For the next 18 months, he was a lieutenant on various ships. He also fought with Lord Howe at Gibraltar in 1782. Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the Merchant Service . Like many lieutenants, he would have found full-pay employment in the Navy; however, commissions were hard to obtain with
11628-488: The Royal Marines without compensation. (This was a comparatively mild punishment that enabled Johnston to return a free man to New South Wales, where he could continue to enjoy the benefits of his accumulated private wealth.) Bligh was court martialled twice again during his career, being acquitted both times. Soon after Johnston's trial had concluded, Bligh received a backdated promotion to rear admiral . In 1814, he
11799-415: The Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. He is best known for the mutiny on HMS Bounty , which occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command. The reasons behind the mutiny continue to be debated. After being set adrift in Bounty ' s launch by the mutineers, Bligh and those loyal to him stopped for supplies on Tofua , losing a man to natives. Bligh and his men reached Timor alive, after
11970-500: The Spithead and Nore mutinies . The mutinies were not triggered by any specific actions by Bligh; the mutinies "were widespread, [and] involved a fair number of English ships". Whilst Director' s role was relatively minor in this episode, she was the last to raise the white flag at its cessation. It was at this time that he learned "that his common nickname among men in the fleet was 'that Bounty bastard'." As captain of Director at
12141-498: The Tasmanian devil , dingoes , snakes , lizards, goannas , cats , and red foxes , although almost all victims are young. Goannas are known for their digging abilities and strong sense of smell, and are believed to have been the main predators of the echidna before the introduction of eutherian mammals. Dingoes are known to kill echidnas by rolling them over onto their backs and attacking their underbellies. A tracking study of
12312-468: The cloaca , for the passage of faeces, urine and reproductive products. The male has internal testes, no external scrotum and a highly unusual penis with four knobs on the tip, which is nearly a quarter of his body length when erect. The gestating female develops a pouch on her underside, where she raises her young. The musculature of the short-beaked echidna has a number of unusual aspects. The panniculus carnosus , an enormous muscle just beneath
12483-638: The family Tachyglossidae / t æ k i ˈ ɡ l ɒ s ɪ d iː / , living in Australia and New Guinea . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the American true anteaters or to hedgehogs . Their young are called puggles . Echidnas evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, descending from
12654-441: The " Jack Tar 's" life of an ordinary seaman. This view holds that most of the men supported Christian's prideful personal vendetta against Bligh out of a misguided hope that their new captain would return them to Tahiti to live their lives "hedonistically" and in peace, free from Bligh's acid tongue and strict discipline. The mutiny is made more mysterious by the friendship of Christian and Bligh, which dates back to Bligh's days in
12825-757: The British Foreign Office later declared to be illegal. He died in London on 7 December 1817. Bligh was born on 9 September 1754, but it is not clear where. It is likely that he was born in Plymouth , Devon , as he was baptised at St Andrew's Church on Royal Parade in Plymouth on 4 October 1754, where Bligh's father, Francis (1721–1780), was serving as a customs officer. Bligh's ancestral home of Tinten Manor in St Tudy , near Bodmin , Cornwall ,
12996-466: The New England study, 37% of the food intake consisted of beetle larvae, although the echidna had to squash the prey in its snout as it ingested it, due to size. Echidnas are powerful diggers, using their clawed front paws to dig out prey and create burrows for shelter. They may rapidly dig themselves into the ground if they cannot find cover when in danger. They bend their belly together to shield
13167-582: The South Pacific for South America and the Cape Horn and eventually to the Caribbean Sea , where breadfruit was wanted for experiments to see whether it would be a successful food crop for enslaved Africans on British colonial plantations in the West Indies islands. According to one modern researcher, the notion that breadfruit had to be collected from Tahiti was intentionally misleading. Tahiti
13338-757: The Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, In the Ship's Boat, from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies. Of the 10 surviving prisoners eventually brought home in spite of Pandora' s loss, four were acquitted, owing to Bligh's testimony that they were non-mutineers that Bligh was obliged to leave on Bounty because of lack of space in the launch. Two others were convicted because, while not participating in
13509-485: The Tachyglossidae are egg-laying mammals; together with the related family Ornithorhynchidae , they are the only extant monotremes in the world. The five subspecies of the short-beaked echidna are each found in different geographical locations. The subspecies also differ from one another in their hairiness, spine length and width, and the size of the grooming claws on their hind feet. The earliest fossils of
13680-464: The Tasmanian subspecies, T. a. setosus , is smaller than its Australian mainland counterparts. Because the neck is not externally visible, the head and body appear to merge. The earholes are on either side of the head, with no external pinnae . The eyes are small, about 9 mm (0.4 in) in diameter and at the base of the wedge-shaped snout. The nostrils and the mouth are at the distal end of
13851-459: The animals there covered an area between 9–192 ha (22–474 acres). Overall, the mean range areas across the various regions of Australia were 40–60 ha (99–148 acres). There was no correlation between sex and range area, but a weak one with size. Echidnas can share home ranges without incident, and sometimes share shelter sites if not enough are available for each animal to have one individually. Short-beaked echidnas are typically active in
14022-522: The arrest by an unknown artist was exhibited in Sydney at perhaps Australia's first public art exhibition. The watercolour depicts a soldier dragging Bligh from underneath one of the servants' beds in Government House, with two other figures standing by. The two soldiers in the watercolour are most likely John Sutherland and Michael Marlborough and the other figure on the far right is believed to represent Lieutenant William Minchin . This cartoon
14193-578: The assumption that monotremes are frozen in morphological and molecular evolution . It has been suggested that echidnas originally evolved in New Guinea when it was isolated from Australia and from marsupials. This would explain their rarity in the fossil record, their abundance in present times in New Guinea, and their original adaptation to terrestrial niches, presumably without competition from marsupials. Tachyglossus aculeatus Z. bartoni Z. attenboroughi Z. bruijnii Echidnas are
14364-463: The availability of prey, and termites make up a larger part in drier areas where they are more plentiful. However, termites are preferred, if available, as their bodies contain a smaller proportion of indigestible exoskeleton. Termites from the Rhinotermitidae family are avoided due to their chemical defences. Scarab beetle larvae are also a large part of the diet when and where available. In
14535-452: The battle) and kept the signal "16" hoisted to continue the engagement, Bligh was the only captain in the squadron who could see that the two signals were in conflict. By choosing to fly Nelson's signal, he ensured that all the vessels behind him kept fighting. Bligh was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May 1801 for distinguished services in navigation, botany, etc. Bligh had gained
14706-656: The boat as in the ship." Over the next week or more they island-hopped north along the Great Barrier reef—while Bligh, cartographer as always, sketched maps of the coast. Early in June they passed through the Endeavour Strait and sailed again on the open sea until they reached Coupang , a settlement on Timor, on 14 June 1789. Despite the hardships he and his men had endured, upon reaching Kupang Bligh maintained his stubborn adherence to Navy protocol, insisting that
14877-420: The body temperature can vary by 4 °C per day. The metabolic rate is around 30% of that of placental mammals, making it the lowest energy-consuming mammal. This figure is similar to that of other animals that eat ants and termites; burrowing animals also tend to have low metabolism generally. Echidnas hibernate even though it is seemingly unnecessary for survival; they begin their hibernation period while
15048-568: The bottoms of their mouths and their tongues. Echidnas' faeces are 7 cm (3 in) long and are cylindrical in shape; they are usually broken and unrounded, and composed largely of dirt and ant-hill material. Like all mammals, echidnas feed their young on milk, which contains various factors to sustain their growth and development. Echidnas do not tolerate extreme temperatures; they shelter from harsh weather in caves and rock crevices. Echidnas are found in forests and woodlands, hiding under vegetation, roots or piles of debris. They sometimes use
15219-438: The brain cells are larger and more densely packed and organised in the echidna than the platypus, suggesting evolutionary divergence must have occurred long ago. Almost half of the sensory area in the brain is devoted to the snout and tongue, and the part devoted to smell is relatively large compared to other animals. The short-beaked echidna has the largest prefrontal cortex relative to body size of any mammal, taking up 50% of
15390-429: The burrows (both abandoned and in use) of animals such as rabbits and wombats . Individual echidnas have large, mutually overlapping territories. Echidnas and platypuses are the only egg-laying mammals, the monotremes . The average lifespan of an echidna in the wild is estimated at 14–16 years. Fully grown females can weigh about 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb), the males 33% larger, at about 6 kilograms (13 lb). Though
15561-457: The case of such a violent act, & severely degraded for his Villainy but he could only answer—"not a word sir or you are Dead." I dared him to the act & endeavoured to rally some one to a sense of their duty but to no effect.... The Secrisy of this Mutiny is beyond all conception so that I can not discover that any who are with me had the least knowledge of it. It is unbeknown to me why I must beguile such force. Even Mr. Tom Ellison took such
15732-591: The chunky humerus allows more muscle to form. The claws on the hind feet are elongated and curved backward to enable cleaning and grooming between the spines. Like the platypus, the echidna has a low body temperature —between 30–32 °C (86–90 °F)—but, unlike the platypus, which shows no evidence of torpor or hibernation , the body temperature of the echidna may fall as low as 5 °C (41 °F). The echidna does not pant or sweat and normally seeks shelter in hot conditions. Despite their inability to sweat, echidnas still lose water as they exhale. The snout
15903-676: The colony, who did not have the wealth and influence of Macarthur and Jamison. From the tombstones in Ebenezer and Richmond cemeteries, (areas being settled west of Sydney during Bligh's tenure as governor), can be seen the number of boys born around 1807 to 1811 who received "William Bligh" as a given name , e.g. William Bligh Turnbull b. 8 June 1809 at Windsor, ancestor of former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull ; and James Bligh Johnston, b. 1809 at Ebenezer, son of Andrew Johnston, who designed Ebenezer Chapel, Australia's oldest extant church and oldest extant school. Bligh received
16074-452: The command of Captain James Cook. Bligh received praise from Cook during what would be the latter's final voyage. Bligh served on three of the same ships on which Fletcher Christian also served simultaneously in his naval career. In the early 1780s, while in the merchant service, Bligh became acquainted with a young man named Fletcher Christian (1764–1793), who was eager to learn navigation from him. Bligh took Christian under his wing, and
16245-521: The date of the restoration of the English monarchy after the English Civil War . Strains were showing within the party; following a heated disagreement with Purcell, Bligh grabbed a cutlass and challenged the carpenter to fight. Fryer told Cole to arrest their captain but backed down after Bligh threatened to kill him if he interfered. Fryer later said Bligh "was as tyrannical in his temper in
16416-512: The days after Bligh's overthrow. A rebel government was subsequently installed and Bligh, now deposed, made for Hobart in Tasmania aboard HMS Porpoise . Bligh failed to gain support from the authorities in Hobart to retake control of New South Wales, and remained effectively imprisoned on the Porpoise from 1808 until January 1810. Shortly after Bligh's arrest, a watercolour illustrating
16587-429: The daytime, though they are ill-equipped to deal with heat because they have no sweat glands and do not pant. Therefore, in warm weather, they change their patterns of activity, becoming crepuscular or nocturnal . Body temperatures above 34 °C (93 °F) are believed to be fatal, and in addition to avoiding heat, the animal adjusts its circulation to maintain a sustainable temperature by moving blood to and from
16758-411: The ear is very large compared to other animals, and is used as a gravity sensor to orient the echidna. The large size may be important for burrowing downwards. The leathery snout is keratinised and covered in mechano- and thermoreceptors, which provide information about the surrounding environment. These nerves protrude through microscopic holes at the end of the snout, which also has mucous glands on
16929-493: The echidna does not have a ciliary muscle to distort the geometry of the lens and thereby change the focal length and allow objects at different distances to be viewed clearly; the whole eye is believed to distort, so the distance between the lens and retina instead changes to allow focusing. The visual ability of an echidna is not great, and it is not known whether it can perceive colour; however, it can distinguish between black and white, and horizontal and vertical stripes. Eyesight
17100-492: The echidna to ejaculate through the use of electrically stimulated ejaculation in order to obtain semen samples but this has only resulted in the penis swelling. Breeding season begins in late June and extends through September. During mating season, a female may be followed by a line or "train" of up to 10 males, the youngest trailing last, and some males switching between lines. Echidnas are very timid. When frightened, they attempt to partially bury themselves and curl into
17271-428: The end that act as electroreceptors. Echidnas can detect electric fields of 1.8 mV/cm—1000 times more sensitive than humans—and dig up buried batteries. A series of push rods protrude from the snout. These are columns of flattened, spinous cells, with roughly an average diameter of 50 micrometres (0.0020 in) and a length of 300 micrometres (0.012 in). The number of push rods per square millimetre of skin
17442-464: The entrenched colonists culminated in another mutiny, the Rum Rebellion , when, on 26 January 1808, 400 soldiers of the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston marched on Government House in Sydney to arrest Bligh. A petition written by John Macarthur and addressed to George Johnston was written on the day of the arrest but most of the 151 signatures were gathered in
17613-544: The evidence of Mr. Peckover and Mr. Fryer , it is proved that Mr. Nelson the botanist said, upon hearing the commencement of the mutiny, "We know whose fault this is, or who is to blame, Mr. Fryer, what have we brought upon ourselves?" In addition to this, it ought to be known that Mr. Nelson, in conversation afterwards with an officer (Peckover) at Timor, who was speaking of returning with Captain Bligh if he got another ship, observed, "I am surprized that you should think of going
17784-641: The fleet largely demobilised at the end of the War with France when that country was allied with the North American rebelling colonies in the War of American Independence (1775–1783). In 1787, Bligh was selected as commander of His Majesty's Armed Transport Bounty . He rose eventually to the rank of vice admiral in the Royal Navy. William Bligh's naval career involved various appointments and assignments. He first rose to prominence as Master of Resolution , under
17955-460: The fourth governor. As his wife Elizabeth had been unwilling to undertake a long sea voyage, Bligh was accompanied by his daughter, Mary Putland , who would be the Lady of Government House; Mary's husband John Putland was appointed as William Bligh's aide-de-camp . During his time in Sydney, his confrontational administrative style provoked the wrath of influential settlers and officials. They included
18126-543: The hibernation period, the animals stay in entirely covered shelter. Short-beaked echidnas can live anywhere with a good supply of food, and regularly feast on ants and termites. They are believed to locate food by smell, using sensors in the tips of their snouts, by shuffling around seemingly arbitrarily, and using their snout in a probing manner. A study of echidnas in New England (New South Wales) has shown that they tend to dig up scarab beetle larvae in spring when
18297-402: The human spinal cord ends at the first or second lumbar vertebra, for the echidna it occurs at the seventh thoracic vertebra. The shorter spinal cord is thought to allow flexibility to enable wrapping into a ball. The musculature of the face, jaw and tongue is specialised for feeding. The tongue is the animal's sole means of catching prey , and can protrude up to 180 mm (7 in) outside
18468-491: The internal reproductive organs differ, both sexes possess an identical single cloaca opening for urination, defecation, and mating. Male echidnas have non-venomous spurs on the hind feet, similar to the venomous male platypus. Due to their low metabolism and accompanying stress resistance, echidnas are long-lived for their size; the longest recorded lifespan for a captive echidna is 50 years, with anecdotal accounts of wild individuals reaching 45 years. The echidna's brain
18639-500: The job, the ship sank. Four of the prisoners and 31 of the crew died during the sinking. More prisoners would likely have perished, had not William Moulter, a bosun's mate, unlocked their cages before jumping off the sinking vessel. In October 1790, Bligh was honourably acquitted at the court-martial inquiring into the loss of Bounty. Shortly thereafter, he published A Narrative of the Mutiny on board His Majesty's Ship "Bounty"; And
18810-466: The last radiation of monotreme mammals, echidnas are believed to have evolutionally diverged from the platypus around 66 million years ago, between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. However, the echidna's pre-Pleistocene heritage has not been traced yet, and the lack of teeth on the fossils found thus far have made it impossible to use dental evidence. The short-beaked echidna was commonly called
18981-601: The like, and licking off prey with their long, sticky tongues. The ears are slits on the sides of their heads under the spines. The external ear is created by a large cartilaginous funnel, deep in the muscle. At 33 °C (91.4 °F), echidnas also possess the second-lowest active body temperature of all mammals, behind the platypus. Despite their appearance, echidnas are capable swimmers, as they evolved from platypus-like ancestors . When swimming, they expose their snout and some of their spines, and are known to journey to water to bathe. The first European drawing of an echidna
19152-506: The loss of Bounty , Bligh remained in the Royal Navy. From 1791 to 1793, as master and commander of HMS Providence and in company with HMS Assistant under the command of Nathaniel Portlock , he undertook again to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies . He also transported plants provided by Hugh Ronalds , a nurseryman in Brentford . The operation was generally successful but its immediate objective, which
19323-515: The loss of teeth occurred before the echidna-platypus split. Further evidence of water-foraging ancestors can be found in some of the echidna's anatomy, including hydrodynamic streamlining, dorsally projecting hind limbs acting as rudders, and locomotion founded on hypertrophied humeral long-axis rotation, which provides an efficient swimming stroke. Oviparous reproduction in monotremes may give them an advantage over marsupials in some environments. Their observed adaptive radiation contradicts
19494-475: The male is often observed to roll the female onto her side and then assume a similar position himself so the two animals are abdomen to abdomen, having dug a small crater in which to lie. They can lie with heads facing one another, or head to rear. If more than one male is in the vicinity, fighting over the female may occur. Each side of the bilaterally symmetrical, rosette-like, four-headed penis (similar to that of reptiles and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in length)
19665-514: The merchant service. Christian was well acquainted with the Bligh family. As Bligh was being set adrift, he appealed to this friendship, saying "you have dandled my children upon your knee". According to Bligh, Christian "appeared disturbed" and replied, "That,—Captain Bligh,—that is the thing;—I am in hell—I am in hell". Bounty ' s log shows that Bligh was relatively sparing in his punishments. He scolded when other captains would have whipped, and whipped when other captains would have hanged. He
19836-424: The milk weight is converted into body mass, and as such, a high proportion of milk is converted into growth; a correlation with the growth of the puggle and its mother's size has been observed. By the time the puggle is around 200 g (7.1 oz), it is left in the burrow while the mother forages for food, and it reaches around 400 g (14 oz) after around two months. Juveniles are eventually ejected from
20007-463: The modern platypus. This would imply that echidnas evolved from water-foraging ancestors that returned to land living , which put them in competition with marsupials. Although extant monotremes lack adult teeth (platypuses have teeth only as juveniles), many extinct monotreme species have been identified based on the morphology of their teeth. Of the eight genes involved in tooth development, four have been lost in both platypus and echidna, indicating that
20178-399: The most part, in a part of the world I never expected, it is however a place that has afforded me relief and saved my life, and I have the happiness to assure you that I am now in perfect health.... Know then my own Dear Betsy, that I have lost the Bounty ... on the 28 April at day light in the morning Christian having the morning watch. He with several others came into my Cabin while I
20349-481: The most sensitive organs to such a shortage; laboratory testing has revealed the echidna's cardiovascular system is similar to that of the seal. Following the devastation of a bushfire, echidnas can compensate for the lack of food by reducing their daytime body temperature and activity through use of torpor, for a period of up to three weeks. The echidna's optical system is an uncommon hybrid of both mammalian and reptilian characteristics. The cartilaginous layer beneath
20520-447: The mother's skin, but they are now thought to feed by sucking the areolae. They have been observed ingesting large amounts during each feeding period, and mothers may leave them unattended in the burrow for between five and ten days to find food. Studies of captives have shown they can ingest milk once every two or three days and then increase their mass by 20% in one milk-drinking session lasting between one and two hours. Around 40% of
20691-426: The mutineers. Many of the loyalists claimed to have heard the mutineers cry "Huzzah for Otaheite!" as Bounty pulled away. Timor was the nearest European colonial outpost in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia), 3,618 nmi (6,701 km; 4,164 mi) away. Bligh and his crew first made for Tofua, only a few leagues distant, to obtain supplies. However, they were attacked by hostile natives and John Norton,
20862-508: The mutiny are still debated; some sources report that Bligh was a tyrant whose abuse of the crew led them to feel that they had no choice but to take over the ship. Other sources argue that Bligh was no worse (and in many cases gentler) than the average captain and naval officer of the era. They also argue that the crew—inexperienced and unused to the rigours of the sea—were corrupted by the freedom, idleness and sexual licence of their five months in Tahiti, finding themselves unwilling to return to
21033-418: The mutiny, they were passive and did not resist. They subsequently received royal pardons. One was convicted but excused on a technicality. The remaining three were convicted and hanged. The following is a letter to Bligh's wife, written from Coupang, Timor, Dutch East Indies (circa June 1791), in which the first reference to events on the Bounty is made. My Dear, Dear Betsy, I am now, for
21204-415: The need for keratin synthesis for hair and spines, to provide defences against the cold weather and predators. The principal carbohydrate components of the milk are fucosyllactose and saialyllactose; it has a high iron content, which gives it a pink colour. The high iron content and low levels of free lactose differ from eutherian mammals. Lactose production is believed to proceed along the same lines as in
21375-508: The number of short-beaked echidnas has been less affected by land clearance than have some other species, since they do not require a specialised habitat beyond a good supply of ants and termites. As a result, they can survive in cleared land if the cut-down wood is left in the area, as the logs can be used as shelters and sources of insects. However, areas where the land has been completely cleared for single crops that can be mechanically harvested, such as wheat fields, have seen extinctions. Over
21546-467: The penis is retracted inside a preputial sac in the cloaca. The male echidna's penis is 7 centimetres (2.8 in) long when erect, and its shaft is covered with penile spines . These may be used to induce ovulation in the female. It is a challenge to study the echidna in its natural habitat, and they show no interest in mating while in captivity. Prior to 2007, no one had ever seen an echidna ejaculate. There have been previous attempts, trying to force
21717-458: The platypus. The age of sexual maturity is uncertain, but may be four to five years. A 12-year field study found the short-beaked echidna reaches sexual maturity between five and 12 years of age, and the frequency of reproduction varies from once every two years to once every six years. In the wild, the short-beaked echidna has an average lifespan of 10 years, though they can live as long as 40. The longest-lived specimen reached 49 years of age in
21888-404: The platypus. The average brain volume is 25 ml (0.88 imp fl oz; 0.85 US fl oz), similar to a cat of approximately the same size; while the platypus has a largely smooth brain, the echidna has a heavily folded and fissured, gyrencephalic brain similar to humans, which is seen as a sign of a highly neurologically advanced animal. The cerebral cortex is thinner, and
22059-532: The pouch at around two to three months of age, because of the continuing growth in the length of their spines. During this period, the young are left in covered burrows while the mothers forage, and the young are often preyed upon. Suckling gradually decreases until juveniles are weaned at about six months of age. The duration of lactation is about 200 days, and the young leave the burrow after 180 to 205 days, usually in January or February, at which time they weigh around 800 and 1,300 g (28 and 46 oz). There
22230-470: The power of your ever affectionate Friend and Husband Wm Bligh. Strictly speaking, the crime of the mutineers (apart from the disciplinary crime of mutiny ) was not piracy but barratry , the misappropriation, by those entrusted with its care, of a ship and/or its contents to the detriment of the owner (in this case the British Crown ). After his exoneration by the court-martial inquiry into
22401-416: The prey are active, but eschew this prey when it is inactive, leading to the conjecture that echidnas detect prey using hearing. Vision is not believed to be significant in hunting, as blind animals have been observed to survive in the wild. Echidnas use their strong claws to pull apart nests and rotting logs to gain access to their prey. They avoid ants and termites that secrete repulsive liquids, and have
22572-403: The remains of the egg yolk, and the eyes are still barely developed, they already have well-defined front limbs and digits that allow them to climb on their mothers' bodies. Hatchlings attach themselves to their mothers' milk areolae, specialised patches on the skin that secrete milk—monotremes lack nipples—through about 100–150 pores. The puggles were thought to have imbibed the milk by licking
22743-649: The return. Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, daughter of a customs collector (stationed in Douglas, Isle of Man ), on 4 February 1781. The wedding took place at nearby Onchan . The couple had eight children together: six daughters and twin sons (the boys died in infancy). The couple remained married until Elizabeth's death on 15 April 1812. A few days after the wedding, Bligh was appointed to serve on HMS Belle Poule as master (senior warrant officer responsible for navigation). Soon after this, in August 1781, he fought in
22914-519: The same fibrous protein that makes up fur, claws, nails, and horn sheaths in animals. Superficially, they resemble the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals such as hedgehogs and porcupines . They are usually black or brown in coloration. There have been several reports of albino echidnas with pink eyes and white spines. They have elongated and slender snouts that function as both mouth and nose, and which have electrosensors to find earthworms, termites, ants, and other burrowing prey. This
23085-523: The sand cleared by the river's now more narrowly focused force. Bligh died of cancer in Bond Street , London, on 7 December 1817 and was buried in a family plot at St. Mary's, Lambeth (this church is now the Garden Museum ). His tomb was notable for its use of Coade stone ( Lithodipyra ), a compound of clay and other materials that was moulded in imitation of carved stonework and fired in
23256-471: The sclera of the eyeball is similar to that of reptiles and avians. The small corneal surface is keratinised and hardened, possibly to protect it from chemicals secreted by prey insects or self-impalement when it rolls itself up, which has been observed. The echidna has the flattest lens of any animal, giving it the longest focal length . This similarity to primates and humans allows it to see distant objects clearly. Unlike placental mammals, including humans,
23427-411: The ship was taken over without bloodshed. The mutineers provided Bligh and eighteen loyal crewmen a 23-foot (7 m) launch (so heavily loaded that the gunwales were only a few inches above the water). They were allowed four cutlasses , food and water for perhaps a week, a quadrant and a compass, but no charts, or marine chronometer . The gunner, William Peckover , brought his pocket watch, which
23598-559: The short-beaked echidna date back around 15 million years ago to the Miocene epoch, and the oldest specimens were found in caves in South Australia , often with fossils of the long-beaked echidna from the same period. The ancient short-beaked echidnas are considered to be identical to their contemporary descendants except the ancestors are around 10% smaller. This "post-Pleistocene dwarfing" affects many Australian mammals. Part of
23769-523: The short-beaked echidna has been published, but studies of several aspects of their ecological behaviour have been conducted. They live alone, and, apart from the burrow created for rearing young, they have no fixed shelter or nest site. They do not have a home territory they defend against other echidnas, but range over a wide area. The range area has been observed to be between 21–93 ha (52–230 acres), although one study in Kangaroo Island found
23940-526: The skin to increase or lower heat loss. In areas where water is present, they can also swim to keep their body temperatures low. The "thermoneutral zone" for the environment is around 25 °C (77 °F), at which point the metabolism needed to maintain body temperature is minimised. The echidna is endothermic , and can maintain body temperatures of around 32 °C (90 °F). It can also reduce its metabolism and heart rate and body temperature. In addition to brief and light bouts of torpor throughout
24111-415: The skin, covers the entire body. By contraction of various parts of the panniculus carnosus, the short-beaked echidna can change shape, the most characteristic shape change being achieved by rolling itself into a ball when threatened, so protecting its belly and presenting a defensive array of sharp spines. It has one of the shortest spinal cords of any mammal, extending only as far as the thorax . Whereas
24282-437: The small intestine, which is around 3.4 m (11 ft) in length. Insect exoskeletons and soil are not digested, being ejected in the waste. Numerous physiological adaptations aid the lifestyle of the short-beaked echidna. Because the animal burrows, it must tolerate very high levels of carbon dioxide in inspired air, and will voluntarily remain in situations where carbon dioxide concentrations are high. It can dig up to
24453-402: The snout. The snout's shape, resembling a double wedge, gives it a significant mechanical advantage in generating a large moment, so makes it efficient for digging to reach prey or to build a shelter. The tongue is sticky because of the presence of glycoprotein -rich mucus, which both lubricates movement in and out of the snout and helps to catch ants and termites, which adhere to it. The tongue
24624-433: The snout; the mouth cannot open wider than 5 mm (0.2 in). The body of the short-beaked echidna is, with the exception of the underside, face and legs, covered with cream-coloured spines. The spines, which may be up to 50 mm (2 in) long, are modified hairs, mostly made of keratin . Insulation is provided by fur between the spines, which ranges in colour from honey to a dark reddish-brown and even black;
24795-505: The soft, unprotected part, and can also urinate, giving off a pungent liquid, in an attempt to deter attackers. Males also have single small spurs on each rear leg, believed to be a defensive weapon that has since been lost through evolution. Echidnas typically try to avoid confrontation with predators. Instead, they use the colour of their spines, which is similar to the vegetation of the dry Australian environment, to avoid detection. They have good hearing and tend to become stationary if sound
24966-579: The speed with which the echidna uses its tongue to catch ants and termites, and aculeatus means 'spiny' or 'equipped with spines'. The short-beaked echidna is the only member of its genus , sharing the family Tachyglossidae with the extant species of the genus Zaglossus that occur in New Guinea. Zaglossus species, which include the western long-beaked , Sir David's long-beaked and eastern long-beaked echidnas , are all significantly larger than T. aculeatus , and their diets consist mostly of worms and grubs rather than ants and termites. Species of
25137-467: The spiny anteater in older books, though this term has fallen out of fashion since the echidna is only very distantly related to the true anteaters . It has a variety of names in the indigenous languages of the regions where it is found. The Noongar people from southwestern Western Australia call it the nyingarn . In Central Australia southwest of Alice Springs , the Pitjantjatjara term
25308-439: The tongue is retracted, the prey is caught on backward-facing keratinous "teeth", located along the roof of the buccal cavity, allowing the animal both to capture and grind food. The tongue moves with great speed, and has been measured to move in and out of the snout 100 times a minute. This is partly achieved through the elasticity of the tongue and the conversion of elastic potential energy into kinetic energy . The tongue
25479-432: The train often changes composition, as some males leave and other join the pursuit. In cooler parts of their range, such as Tasmania, females may mate within a few hours of arousal from hibernation. Before mating, the male smells the female, paying particular attention to the cloaca. This process can take a few hours, and the female can reject the suitor by rolling herself into a ball. After prodding and sniffing her back,
25650-422: The trial on 12 May 1810, arriving on 25 October 1810. In the days immediately prior to their departure, his daughter, Mary Putland (widowed in 1808), was hastily married to the new Lieutenant-Governor, Maurice Charles O'Connell , and remained in Sydney. The following year, the trial's presiding officers sentenced Johnston to be cashiered , a form of disgraceful dismissal that entailed surrendering his commission in
25821-530: The two became friends. The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMAV Bounty occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Led by Master's Mate / Acting Lieutenant Fletcher Christian , disaffected crewmen seized control of the ship, and set the then Lieutenant Bligh, who was the ship's captain, and 18 loyalists adrift in the ship's open launch. The mutineers variously settled on Tahiti or on Pitcairn Island . Meanwhile, Bligh completed
25992-456: The underside and short tail are also covered in fur. The echidna's fur may be infested with what is said to be one of the world's largest fleas , Bradiopsylla echidnae , which is about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. The limbs of the short-beaked echidna are adapted for rapid digging; they are short and have strong claws . Their strong and stout limbs allow it to tear apart large logs and move paving stones, and one has been recorded moving
26163-412: The vessel was rated only as a cutter , Bounty had no commissioned officers other than Bligh (who was then only a lieutenant), a very small crew, and no Royal Marines to provide protection from hostile natives during stops or to enforce security on board ship. To allow longer uninterrupted sleep, Bligh divided his crew into three watches instead of two, placing his protégé Fletcher Christian —rated as
26334-435: The volume in comparison to 29% for humans. This part of the brain in humans is thought to be used for planning and analytical behaviour, leading to debate as to whether the echidna has reasoning and strategising ability. Experiments in a simple maze and with a test on opening a trap door to access food, and the echidna's ability to remember what it has learnt for over a month, has led scientists to conclude its learning ability
26505-411: The wealthy landowner and businessman John Macarthur , and prominent Crown representatives such as the colony's principal surgeon, Thomas Jamison , as well as senior officers of the New South Wales Corps . Jamison and his military associates were defying government regulations by engaging in private trading ventures for profit, a practice that Bligh was determined to end. The conflict between Bligh and
26676-642: The weather is still warm, and food is generally always plentiful. One explanation is that echidnas maximize their foraging productivity by exercising caution with their energy reserves. Another hypothesis is that they are descended from ectothermic ancestors, but have taken to periodic endothermy for reproductive reasons, so that the young can develop more quickly. Supporters of this theory argue that males hibernate earlier than females because they finish their contribution to reproduction first, and they awake earlier to undergo spermatogenesis in preparation for mating, while females and young lag in their annual cycle. During
26847-500: The west and the Kelp Welsh River, east of Port Moresby , in the east, where they may be found in open woodland. Echidnas have the ability to swim, and have been seen cooling off near dams during high temperatures. They have also been seen crossing streams and swimming for brief periods in seas off Kangaroo Island. They swim with only the snout above water, using it as a snorkel. The solitary short-beaked echidna looks for
27018-424: The year, the echidna enters periods during the Australian winter when it hibernates, both in cold regions and in regions with more temperate climates. During hibernation, the body temperature drops to as low as 4 °C (39 °F). The heart rate falls to four to seven beats per minute—down from 50 to 68 at rest —and the echidna can breathe as infrequently as once every three minutes, 80 to 90% slower than when it
27189-560: Was a Sleep, and seizing me, holding naked Bayonets at my Breast, tied my Hands behind my back, and threatened instant destruction if I uttered a word. I however call'd loudly for assistance, but the conspiracy was so well laid that the Officers Cabbin Doors were guarded by Centinels, so Nelson, Peckover, Samuels or the Master could not come to me. I was now dragged on Deck in my Shirt & closely guarded—I demanded of Christian
27360-531: Was an educated man, deeply interested in science, convinced that good diet and sanitation were necessary for the welfare of his crew. He took a great interest in his crew's exercise, was very careful about the quality of their food and insisted upon the Bounty being kept very clean. The modern historian John Beaglehole has described the major flaw in this otherwise enlightened naval officer: "[Bligh made] dogmatic judgements which he felt himself entitled to make; he saw fools about him too easily … thin-skinned vanity
27531-615: Was called Kingstown, later renamed Dún Laoghaire . Many sources claim that Bligh designed the North Bull Wall at the mouth of the River Liffey in Dublin. He did propose the construction of a sea wall or barrier at the north of the bay in order to clear a sandbar by Venturi action , but his design was not used. The wall that was constructed used a design by George Halpin and resulted in the formation of North Bull Island by
27702-421: Was first described by George Shaw in 1792. He named the species Myrmecophaga aculeata , thinking that it might be related to the giant anteater . Since Shaw first described the species, its name has undergone four revisions: from M. aculeata to Ornithorhynchus hystrix , Echidna hystrix , Echidna aculeata and finally, Tachyglossus aculeatus . The name Tachyglossus means 'quick tongue', in reference to
27873-507: Was given in honour of Bligh. In Adventure Bay, Tasmania , third lieutenant George Tobin made the first European drawing of an echidna . In February 1797, while Bligh was captain of HMS Director , he surveyed the Humber estuary, preparing a map of the stretch from Spurn to the west of Sunk Island . In April–May, Bligh was one of the captains whose crews mutinied over "issues of pay and involuntary service for common seamen" during
28044-414: Was his curse through life … [Bligh] never learnt that you do not make friends of men by insulting them." Bligh was also capable of holding intense grudges against those he thought had betrayed him, such as Midshipman Peter Heywood and ship's gunner William Peckover ; in regard to Heywood, Bligh was convinced that the young man was as guilty as Christian. Bligh's first detailed comments on the mutiny are in
28215-587: Was killed and was succeeded by Captain Charles Clerke , who was dying from tuberculosis. Due to his weakened state, Clerke placed Bligh in charge as navigator of the expedition and attempted to explore the Northwest Passage for a second time. Following Cook's and Clerke's deaths, Bligh played a significant role in navigating the beleaguered expedition back to England in August 1780. He was also able to supply details of Cook's last voyage following
28386-538: Was made in Adventure Bay, Tasmania by HMS Providence 's third lieutenant George Tobin during William Bligh 's second breadfruit voyage. The short-beaked echidna 's diet consists mostly of ants and termites, while the Zaglossus (long-beaked) species typically eat worms and insect larvae. The tongues of long-beaked echidnas have sharp, tiny spines that help them capture their prey. They have no teeth, so they break down their food by grinding it between
28557-465: Was merely one of many places where the esteemed seedless breadfruit could be found. The real reason for choosing Tahiti has its roots in the territorial contention that existed then between France and Great Britain at the time. Bounty never reached the Caribbean, as mutiny broke out on board shortly after the ship left Tahiti. The voyage to Tahiti was difficult. After trying unsuccessfully for
28728-528: Was no vacancy for a midshipman . He became a midshipman early in the following year. In September 1771, Bligh was transferred to Crescent and remained on the ship for three years. In 1776, Bligh was selected by Captain James Cook (1728–1779), for the position of sailing master of Resolution and accompanied Cook in July 1776 on Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean , during which Cook
28899-555: Was promoted again to vice-admiral of the blue . Perhaps significantly, he never again received an important command, though with the Napoleonic Wars almost over there would have been few fleet commands available. Bligh was recruited to chart and map Dublin Bay , and recommended the building walls for a refuge harbour at what was then known as Dunleary; the large harbour and naval base subsequently built there between 1816 and 1821
29070-571: Was to provide a cheap and nutritious food for the African slaves in the West Indies islands around the Caribbean Sea was not met, as most slaves refused to eat the new food. During this voyage, Bligh also collected samples of the ackee fruit of Jamaica, introducing it to the Royal Society in Britain upon his return. The ackee's scientific name Blighia sapida in binomial nomenclature
29241-406: Was used to regulate time. Most of these instruments were obtained by the clerk, Mr Samuel, who acted with great calm and resolution, despite threats from the mutineers. The launch could not hold all the loyal crew members, so four were detained on Bounty for their useful skills; they were later released in Tahiti. Tahiti was upwind from Bligh's initial position, and was the obvious destination of
#602397