Together with the platypus, echidnas
are the world's only monotremes, or
egg-laying mammals. There are two
species of echidnas, one confined to
the highlands of New Guinea, and one
which lives in Australia and New
Guinea.
The smaller species is found
throughout Australia, although the
animals vary in colour depending on
their location. In the northern, hotter
regions, echidnas are light brown, but they become darker with thicker
hair further south. In Tasmania, they are black. All echidnas have
sharp spines covering the back of their short, stocky bodies.The
echidna's snout is between 7 and 8 cm long, and is stiffened to enable
the animal to break up logs and termite mounds when searching for
food.
An echidna's mouth is on the underside of its snout, at the end. This
allows the animal to feed easily - especially when suckling. Adult
echidnas vary in size, from 35 to 53 cm. Males weigh about 6
kilograms, while females weigh about 4.5 kilograms.The short, stout
limbs of an echidna are well-suited for scratching and digging in the
soil. The front feet have five flattened claws which are used to dig
forest litter, burrow, and tear open logs and termite mounds. The hind
feet point backwards, and help to push soil away when the animal is
burrowing. Two of the claws on each back foot are used for grooming.
An echidna's tail is short, stubby and hairless underneath.For most of
the year echidnas are solitary animals, although each animal's
territory is large and often overlaps with that of other echidnas. During
the breeding season they probably use their fine sense of smell to
locate one another. Echidnas are usually found among rocks, in hollow
logs and in holes among tree roots. During rainy or windy weather they
often burrow into the soil or shelter under bushes and tussocks of
grass.The echidna looks fearsome enough, but it is a shy animal and
would rather retreat than fight if disturbed.
When frightened it will curl into a ball, with its snout and legs tucked
beneath it and its sharp spines sticking out. It will wedge itself beneath
rocks, or burrow straight down into soft soil, to escape predators such
as dogs, eagles and dingos.Like the platypus, the male echidna has a
hollow spur on its back leg. While a male platypus can use this spur to
inject poision into would-be attackers, echidnas do not have this
ability.
With a keen sense of smell, an echidna uses its long, hairless snout to
search for food, detect danger and locate other echidnas. Termites are
the preferred food, which is why the animal is often called the 'spiny
anteater'. After finding food, an echidna catches the prey with its long,
sticky tongue. Because it has no teeth, it grinds its food between its
tongue and the bottom of its mouth.In warm areas, echidnas feed
during the cooler morning and evening hours, and sleep during the
heat of the day.
In southern Australia, they often stop eating during the colder months
and then eat large amounts during spring.Being monotremes, echidnas
produce young from eggs which are hatched outside their body, in the
same way as birds and most reptiles. During the breeding season, a
female echidna develops a simple pouch into which she lays a single
egg. The egg takes about 10 days to hatch, producing a young animal
which measures around 1.45 cm (about the size of a jellybean) and
weighs as little as 380 milligrams.
The young echidna is carried around in its mother's pouch for about
three months, during which the female will sometimes drop it into a
burrow for protection.By the time the infant leaves the pouch, its
spines have started to develop, but it still stays close to its mother and
continues to suckle milk through specialised pores in the skin inside
her pouch. Although they begin to eat termites and ants soon after
leaving the pouch, young echidnas are often not fully weaned until they
are several months old.Echidnas have been known to live for as long
as 16 years in the wild, but generally their life span is thought to be
under 10 years
Echidnas