‘J’étais convaincu qu’il dormait.’ European views of a unique Australian mammal

Abstract

In this paper I briefly summarise the earliest French observations of Tasmanian mammals, which predate the founding of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and then discuss what appears to be the first observation of hibernation in an echidna, which was made by Prosper Garnot, a zoologist on the voyage of la Coquille (1822–1825). Finally, I review subsequent observations on hibernation in this species, including my own research, and attempt to place this in the context of the echidna’s life history and Australian ecosystems.