Echidnas, poop and creepy crawlies

Echidna in the wild

Echidna in the wild. Photo taken for EchidnaCSI.

Leading science communicators from the 成人大片 will join forces with a local echidna ecologist, to share their expertise in echidnas and insects in a free, interactive workshop on Kangaroo Island, as part of National Science Week (14-22 August).

鈥淭hrough events like these, we hope to inspire people to become more curious about the world around them, as well as offering a hands-on, meaningful way to contribute to scientific research and conservation."Dr Peggy Rismiller OAM

Open to the general public via registration, Spines, Scats and Six Legs (Sunday 22 August), is a two-hour, all-ages event, in which participants will discover why Kangaroo Island鈥檚 echidnas are the best studied in the world, which unique insects inhabit the island, and what echidnas eat according to their poop. The event includes talks, insect catching and analysing animal poo.

Presenting researchers include Dr Tahlia Perry and Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries from the 成人大片鈥檚 School of Biological Sciences, and local echidna ecologist Dr Peggy Rismiller OAM.

Dr Tahlia Perry will show participants what can be learned about echidnas by their poop, and how they can participate in echidna conservation through the University鈥檚 Echidna Conservation Science Initiative (CSI).

鈥淓chidna populations on Kangaroo Island are now listed as endangered following significant habitat loss due to bushfire. EchidnaCSI is playing an important role in monitoring the effects of fires on echidnas, including on their diet in burnt areas,鈥 said Dr Perry/

鈥淚t will be great if we can recruit a few more citizen scientists to join our echidna conservation efforts, particularly on Kangaroo Island where the population was so hard hit by the January 2020 fires.鈥

Insect expert, Dr Erinn Fagan-Jefferies听will inform audiences about the creepy critters living in the local area. Dr Fagan- Jefferies听is currently researching the biodiversity and taxonomy of parasitoid wasps in Australia. In a听recent study, she worked with South Australian schoolchildren on a biodiversity project, which resulted in the discovery of a number of new insect species.

Dr Rismiller OAM, who is also part of EchidnaCSI, will share secrets about echidnas she has learnt over 30 years of study, including their mating and breeding habits, their love of travelling great distances, and their unexpectedly diverse diet.听

鈥淭hrough events like these, we hope to inspire people to become more curious about the world around them, as well as offering a hands-on, meaningful way to contribute to scientific research and conservation,鈥 said Dr Rismiller.

WHAT:听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听Spines, Scats and Six Legs

奥贬翱:听听听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听Dr Tahlia Perry, Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries and Dr Peggy Rismiller OAM

WHERE:听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Parndana Campus, Wedgewood Road, Seddon, Kangaroo Island, SA 522

WHEN:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听10 am to 12 pm or 2 to 4 pm Sunday 22 August 2021

COST: 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听Free event,听

Tagged in echidna, EchidnaCSI, conservation, Kangaroo Island, wasps, citizen science, insects, featured story