Interesting Echidna Facts
What mammal has spines like a hedgehog, a snout like an anteater, and lays leathery eggs like a reptile? The echidna or spiny anteater. Even though it looks like a cross between an anteater and a hedgehog, the echidna isn’t closely related to to either of these animals. Actually, its closest relative is the duck-billed platypus.1. The scientific name for an echidna is Tachyglossus aculeatus (which means spiny fast-tongue or spiny anteater).
The echidna and platypus are the only remaining members of a primitive group of mammals called monotremes. You were probably taught that mammals do not lay eggs because their babies are born alive. While this is true for most mammals, monotremes are a little different. Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs.
2. There are two main types of echidna: the short-beaked and the long-beaked.
3. Echidnas are warm-blooded mammals.
4. Echidnas have been known to live for up to fifty years.
5. Each of the echidna’s spines is formed from a single hair.
6. An echidna can lift objects twice its weight.
7. Echidnas drink water and can swim.
8. Echidnas like to bask in the sun like reptiles. They also lay eggs like reptiles. The eggs incubate for 10 days inside the mother’s pouch before hatching.
9. A baby echidna is called a puggle. Puggles are born blind and hairless.
10. Puggles drink milk. Echidna milk is pink because of the high iron content.
11. Ancestors of echidnas roamed the planet with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs died out but monotremes are still alive.
12. Echidnas are active day and night and are mainly solitary animals.
13. Echidnas are strong diggers and they have long, sharp claws. Short-beaked echidnas eat ants and termites. Long-beaked echidnas eat worms and insect larvae.
14. Echidnas have a small mouth and toothless jaw. They have a long, sticky tongue which sticks out from its snout.
15. An anteater may eat up to 30,000 ants in one day
16. Long sticky tongue can be 24 inches in length
17. The tongue can be flicked in and out of the mouth 150-160 times a minute.
18. They don’t have any teeth!
19. They are almost blind, but have an excellent sense of smell - as much as 40 times better than a human.
20. They have the lowest body temperature of any terrestrial mammal, reaching as low as 89.6 degrees (F). Humans are 98.6.
21. Anteaters sleep for as much as 16 hours a day out in the open with their tail wrapped around them like a blanket
22. Sometimes called an “ant bear” (oso hormiguero in Spanish)
23. They never completely destroy an anthill or termite mound. They leave part of the mound intact so that the ants can rebuild and they can feed there again in the future.
24. Anteaters are well adapted for eating their favorite meal - ANTS.
25. The echidna has hair, but no spines, on its belly, legs and face. However, when it rolls up the spines on its back and sides cover the animal completely.
