I kid you not

Yes, it is an echidna. Only two mammals native to Australia lay eggs: the platypus and the echidna. After choosing the wrong one first, Patti did finally get the echidna. And Rachel gets a point since she said it was an anteater, because this spiky character does eat ants (although he prefers termites--they're juicier). The one in the photo was poking his nose into holes in the rocks looking for lunch. Check out this website if you want to know more: Australian Wildlife--Echidna. Really, they are fascinating creatures. I mean, can you flick your tongue out seven inches beyond your lips 100 times a minute? I'm just saying . . .

And speaking of platypuses, we did see a couple of these at the aquarium in Sydney. But the little rascals swim pretty quickly so the best picture I got was just the bottom half. So there are his two hind legs and his tail viewed from the underside. I say "his" because, well, . . . just because.

And for our last photo, here is another shot from the aquarium. I have done my dead-level best to enhance this so you can see this very odd creature. It is something like a seahorse, only the fins look like leaves. I think they call it a sea dragon. It didn't dart around the tank (fortunately) since it obviously hides best by acting like a plant. It's about six inches long. Hasn't God created some mind-boggling creatures? He's amazing, really. (God, that is.)