Echidna breeding season provides opportunities to learn more about the elusive creatures, but echidnas on the move means they're also more likely to run into trouble with humans. Here's how you can help on both fronts.

They're small, spiky and spread across the country — echidnas are one of Australia's most iconic animals yet surprisingly little is known about this elusive species.

"These are often in areas where official sightings haven't been recorded," Professor Grutzner said.

As well as recording echidna sightings, the project has asked participants to collect echidna scat and send it to researchers in the post.

"Trying to devise a mechanism to actually work out how many there are is surprisingly difficult, so nobody really knows how many there are. Professor McCallum said such a fascinating animal, one that in evolutionary biology terms seemed to have been caught between being a reptile and a true mammal, deserved more research and more care from humans, especially around breeding season.

"When they're in the pouch they're literally going to be like a little pink blob and the pouch, when relaxed, opens right up so it will be very obvious."