Echidna, << ih KIHD nuh, >> is a type of mammal that has sharp spines and lays eggs . Along with the platypus , echidnas are the only surviving monotremes. Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs. All other mammals give birth to live young. There are four species (kinds) of echidna. Three species of long-beaked echidna live in New Guinea and the Indonesian island of Salawati. There is one species of short-beaked echidna. It lives in both New Guinea and Australia, including Tasmania and a number of offshore islands. Echidnas live in a wide range of habitats such as tropical forests, snowy alpine areas, and hot, dry deserts.
Echidnas have sharp spines on their back and sides that protect them from predators. They have light brown to black fur. Echidnas from cold areas have more fur and fewer spines than echidnas from warmer environments. Echidnas have exceptionally strong claws. They use their claws to bury themselves into the ground for protection against predators. Echidnas sometimes dig burrows to sleep in. They may also sleep in hollow logs or rocky crevices.
The echidna digs into the soil and termite mounds to find food. An echidna’s nostrils and mouth are at the end of a long, thin snout. It has no teeth. It crushes its food with horny plates at the base of the tongue and on the roof of the mouth. The echidna has a long tongue and produces sticky saliva that it uses to lick up invertebrates (animals without backbones) such as ants and termites. The echidna measures over 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and weighs from 4 to 35 pounds (2 to 16 kilograms).
Female echidnas lay one egg a year. The egg has a tough, leathery shell. It hatches after about 10 days in a pouch that forms on the female’s belly. The young echidna remains in the pouch for several weeks and feeds on the mother’s milk. When the young begins to develop spines, the mother deposits it in a burrow until it is about six or seven months old, when it can feed on its own. Echidnas have a low body temperature and use little energy. During winter, echidnas enter hibernation. They become cold and remain inactive for days to months. They can also become inactive when their environment is disturbed and food is hard to find, such as after a bushfire. Echidnas may live up to 45 years in the wild and longer in captivity.
