Four species of spiny, egg-laying mammals from Australia and New Guinea, also called spiny anteaters. Their snouts carry electrosensors for finding buried prey, and they have long sticky tongues but no teeth. Their young are called puggles.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
The rare long-beaked echidnas of New Guinea are hunted for food.
At a glance
Found inAustralia, New Guinea
ColoursBrown, Black, Cream
SizeSmall
WeightFemales about 4.5 kg, males about 6 kg
Legs4
Covered inSpines
Lives alone
Lives for15–40 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Australia, including Tasmania, and New Guinea.
- What it eats
- Short-beaked echidnas eat mostly ants and termites; long-beaked echidnas eat worms and insect larvae.
Did you know
Echidnas and the platypus are the only mammals that lay eggs.
A captive echidna lived to 50, very long for a mammal its size.
The mother lays a single leathery egg straight into her pouch.
Often confused with
- Hedgehog
Both are spiny, but the echidna lays eggs and is not closely related to hedgehogs.
Compare side by side - Platypus
The only other egg-laying mammals are the four species of echidna, which are covered in spines and live on land.
Compare side by side
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