The echidna that stopped a motor race

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The Mount Panorama 500 (better known nationally as the Bathurst 1000) is an Australian motor racing event and was recently held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales. The race always creates a great deal of interest and rev heads – sorry, motor-racing enthusiasts) stay glued to their TV screens for the duration of the event. In case you don’t know, if there is an accident or some other incident, a safety car comes onto the track and the drivers must all fall in line behind the safety car. They are not allowed to pass each other until the all clear is given and the safety car exits. The safety car was called out several times during this year’s race but one incident was noteworthy. An echidna wandered onto the track. Heaven knows how he found his way there. It’s nice to think they held up the race so it wouldn’t get squashed. The echidna is a monotreme, like the platypus. It is warm-blooded but lays eggs. The photo is mine of an echidna we saw on our travels. It’s hard to get a photo of its head. It’s pretty much all spines.