- For other uses, see Echidna (disambiguation).
Echidnas, also decreasingly referred to by the name "spiny anteaters", are the only surviving monotremes apart from the Platypus. The four surviving species, native to New Guinea and Australia, all belong to the Tachyglossidae family. The echidna is named for an ancient Greek monster.
Taxomony
Echidnas are classified into two genera. The Zaglossus genus includes three surviving species and two extinct species known only from fossils; while only one species of the Tachyglossus genus is known.
Zaglossus genus
There are three living Zaglossus species are endemic to New Guinea. They are rare, and hunted for food. They forage in leaf litter on the forest floor, eating earthworms and insects.
The two extinct species are:
Tachyglossus genus
Echidnas are found in many environments, including urban parkland.
The Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is found in south east New Guinea and also occurs in almost all Australian environments: from the snow-clad Australian Alps to the deep deserts of the Outback: essentially anywhere that ants and termites are available. Its size is smaller than the Zaglossus species. Its hair is longer: Tasmanian varieties have hair so long the spines can be hidden.
Description
Echidnas are small mammals that are covered with coarse hair and spines. Superficially they resemble both the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals like hedgehogs and porcupines. They have snouts which have the functions of both the mouth and nose. Their snouts are elongated and slender. They have very short, strong limbs with large claws and are powerful diggers. Echidnas have a tiny mouth and a toothless jaw. They feed by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and using their long, sticky tongue which protrudes from their snout to collect their prey. The Short-beaked Echidna's diet consists largely of ants and termites, while the Zaglossus species typically eat worms and insect larvae.
Apart from the Platypus, the echidna is the only egg-laying mammal. The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg twenty-two days after mating and deposits it directly into her pouch. Hatching takes ten days; the young echidna, called a puggle, then sucks milk from the pores of the two milk patches (monotremes have no nipples) and remains in the pouch for forty-five to fifty-five days, at which time it starts to develop spines. The mother digs a nursery burrow and deposits the puggle, returning every five days to suckle it until it is weaned at seven months.
Echidna curled into a ball, being carefully moved off the road.
Trivia
In the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, an echidna by the name of Knuckles is a popular anthropomorphic character, having a pink/reddish fur coat with spikes that resemble heavy dreadlocks. Early on, he had the ability to glide and climb walls (a doubtful ability for the animal). In later entries in the franchise, one of his primary abilities is to dig into earth quickly to search for items. Several other Echidna characters exist in the Archie Comic series, but most of them lack these abilities, and Knuckles is described as having ancient genes reactivated. In the game, Knuckles is described as being the last of the Echidnas.
References
- Flannery, T.F. and Groves, C.P. 1998 A revision of the genus Zaglossus (Monotremata, Tachyglossidae), with description of new species and subspecies. Mammalia, 62(3): 367-396
- Parker, Janet "Echidna Love Trains", "Scribbly Gum" online magazine, http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/June2000/default.htm
- Rismiller, Peggy "Echidnas and Goannas of Kangaroo Island", http://www.earthwatch.org/results/interviews/rismiller.html
- Groves, Colin (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds) Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, p. p. 1-2, Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
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