The neocortex makes up half of the echidna's brain, compared to 80% of a human brain. Male echidnas have non-venomous spurs on the hind feet. The internal reproductive organs also differ, but both sexes possess an identical single opening called a cloaca, which they use to urinate, defecate and mate. An echidna's sex can be inferred from its size, as males are 25% larger than females on average. When fully grown, a female can weigh up to 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb), and a male can weigh up to 6 kilograms (13 lb). The average lifespan of an echidna in the wild is estimated at 14–16 years. AnatomyĮchidnas and the platypus are the only egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. Individual echidnas have large, mutually overlapping territories. They sometimes use the burrows (both abandoned and in use) of animals such as rabbits and wombats. Echidnas are found in forests and woodlands, hiding under vegetation, roots or piles of debris. HabitatĮchidnas do not tolerate extreme temperatures they use caves and rock crevices to shelter from harsh weather conditions. Echidnas' faeces are 7 cm (3 in) long and are cylindrical in shape they are usually broken and unrounded, and composed largely of dirt and ant-hill material. They have no teeth, so they break down their food by grinding it between the bottoms of their mouths and their tongues. The tongues of long-beaked echidnas have sharp, tiny spines that help them capture their prey. The short-beaked echidna's diet consists mostly of ants and termites, while the Zaglossus (long-beaked) species typically eat worms and insect larvae. The first European drawing of an echidna was made in Adventure Bay, Tasmania by HMS Providence's third lieutenant George Tobin during William Bligh's second breadfruit voyage. When swimming, they expose their snout and some of their spines, and are known to journey to water in order to groom and bathe themselves. At 33 ☌ (91.4 ☏), the echidna also possesses the second-lowest active body temperature of all mammals, behind the platypus.ĭespite their appearance, echidnas are capable swimmers, as they evolved from platypus-like ancestors. The external ear is created by a large cartilaginous funnel, deep in the muscle. The ears are slits on the sides of their heads that are usually unseen, as they are blanketed by their spines. The echidna feeds by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and using its long, sticky tongue, which protrudes from its snout, to collect prey. Echidnas have tiny mouths and toothless jaws. Their claws on their hind limbs are elongated and curved backwards to aid in digging. Įchidnas have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. Echidnas use their electroreceptive beaks to sense earthworms, termites, ants, and other burrowing prey. The short-beaked echidna, which lives in a drier environment, has no more than 400 at the tip of its snout. Like the platypus, they are equipped with electrosensors, but while the platypus has 40,000 electroreceptors on its bill, the long-beaked echidna has only 2,000. They have elongated and slender snouts that function as both mouth and nose. There have been several reports of albino echidnas, their eyes pink and their spines white. They are usually black or brown in coloration. Superficially, they resemble the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals such as hedgehogs and porcupines. Īn alternative explanation is a confusion with Ancient Greek: ἐχῖνος, romanized: ekhînos, lit.'hedgehog, sea urchin'. EtymologyĮchidnas are possibly named after Echidna, a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and reptiles. This ancestor was aquatic, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.Įchidnas evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, descending from a platypus-like monotreme. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas, which (along with sloths and armadillos) are xenarthrans. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. Echidnas ( / ɪ ˈ k ɪ d n ə z/), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae / t æ k i ˈ ɡ l ɒ s ɪ d iː/.
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