The echidna is an extremely strange mammal that lives in Australia and New Guinea. Also known as the spiny anteater, it has a rounded, furry body covered with spines. The short legs have strong claws that dig out worms, ants, and other insects.
The long, narrow jaws enclose a very long tongue, which whips out to lick up food. The echidna can grow to a length of 46 cm (1.5 ft). The most unusual feature of echidnas is that they lay eggs, like the platypus, instead of bearing live young.
In Greek mythology, they depict Echidna as a fearsome monster known as the “mother of all monsters,” representing her as half-woman with the face of a beautiful female and half-serpent with a great scaly snake body.
The echidna or spiny anteater has a bare, tube-like snout and a long, sticky tongue. The dark feet have a set of powerful black claws. The second claw on each hind foot is elongated and is used by the echidna to scratch and groom between its spines.
The echidna is covered by short, black hair amongst the hard, sharp spines. These spines may reach 50mm long on the back but are shorter on the sides.
Because of its secretive habits, people rarely see echidnas. The echidna avoids extreme temperatures and shelters in burrows, caves, or quickly makes a shallow excavation in the ground. If threatened, echidnas lodge themselves under a rock or log, leaving only the sharp spines visible. It moves around, making snuffling noises while hunting for food.
Along with the platypus, echidnas are monotremes, strange mammals that lay eggs and then suckle their young. However, dingoes and large goannas may occasionally eat juveniles or young adults.
During the breeding season, between July and September, as many as six males will follow the female around at a time.
Eventually, she will mate with the most persistent of these, and about two weeks after mating, she will produce a single soft-shelled egg and hold it in her pouch for ten days until it hatches. The 12mm long infant will then suckle milk from pores in the pouch until it develops spines at about three months of age.
Content for this question contributed by Kristi Shevick, resident of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA
