When it comes to cute, a big nose, beady eyes and bald spots don't typically feature on the list of desirable features.
But when you're a puggle, it really works.
Queensland's Australia Zoo has released an oh-so-cute photo of its latest arrival - a baby echidna that's the first to be born under a breeding program that began just two years ago.
The puggle, which at three months old weighs just 696 grams, doesn't have a name yet because it's still too young to work out if it is a he or a she.
Zoo keepers are happy with the puggle's progress. It's gaining weight, growing new hair and spines every day, and nursing happily from mum Tippy.
ECHIDNA FACTS
- "Puggle" is the term used for the young of an echidna until it leaves the pouch
- Mothers give birth to an egg that incubates in her pouch
- The puggle hatches after 10 days and stays in the pouch for 45 to 60 days
- After that, puggles start to develop spines prompting mothers in the wild to leave them in a nursery burrow, with the mother coming back once or twice a week to feed it
- Echidnas are one of two types of monotreme, or egg-laying mammals, found in the world. The other is the platypus, and both are unique to Australia.
