# Echidna Region: Oceania Source: https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/echidna/ The echidna is one of only two kinds of mammals that lay eggs, along with the platypus. Its back is covered in spines like a hedgehog's, and it eats ants with its long snout and sticky tongue. When it's in danger, it digs into the ground until only its spines show. ## Quick facts - **Habitat**: It lives in the forests, deserts, and mountains of Australia and New Guinea. - **Diet**: It eats ants and termites with its sticky tongue. - **Size and weight**: Length 30–45cm, weight 2–7kg. - **Lifespan**: About 16 years - **Conservation status**: Least Concern - **Fun facts**: A baby echidna that hatches from an egg is called a "puggle"! / It has no teeth, so it mashes food between its tongue and the roof of its mouth. ## Learn more ### The strangest mammal, the Echidna Exploring nature's adorable oddity ### A mammal that lays eggs? The traits of a furred, milk-feeding mammal + the traits of an egg-laying reptile or bird = a rare monotreme with both of these traits. On Earth, only the echidna and the platypus exist as monotremes! ### A super body built for survival - **An electric-sensing nose** — its eyesight is weak, but the sensors on its nose tip detect the faintest movement of prey underground. - **Keratin spines** — its whole body is armored with hard spines, evolved from fur, up to 5cm long. - **A powerful digger** — it digs through soil quickly using its spongy soft foot pads and sturdy claws. ### A toothless insect hunter - **Zero teeth** — it uses its long, sticky tongue to lap up ants and termites. - **An acid-free stomach** — unlike other mammals, its stomach is nearly neutral (pH 6.2–7.4), with almost no stomach acid. - **A natural blender** — the soil and sand it swallows grind against the stomach's powerful muscles, crushing insects into small pieces. ### 'Snot bubbles' instead of sweat - **No sweat glands** — echidnas can't lower their body temperature by sweating or panting. - **Cooling through the nose** — when it's hot, it forms bubbles of saliva and mucus at its nose tip, cooling itself as they evaporate. - **Low body temperature** — its normal body temperature is already quite low, at 30–32°C, making it vulnerable to extreme heat. ### A perfect, impenetrable defense - When it senses danger, instead of running away, it freezes instantly on the spot. - Using its very short spine, it curls into a perfect ball, hiding its soft belly, and burrows into the ground. ### The strange 'mating train' - **Lining up for love** — during the breeding season, up to 10 males follow closely behind a single female. - **A 4-week march** — this odd train procession can last anywhere from a few days to as long as 4 weeks. - **An unusual anatomy** — males have a unique reptile-like reproductive organ with four heads. ### A rubbery egg the size of a grape - **A small, soft egg** — females lay just one egg a year. This egg has a soft, rubbery shell and is about the size of a grape. - **A temporary pouch** — the egg rolls directly into a 'temporary pouch' formed by the contraction of the female's abdominal muscles. - **A 10-day wait** — inside this safe, warm pouch, the baby hatches in just 10 days. ### Hello, baby 'puggle'! - **A spineless jelly** — the newly hatched baby has no spines or fur and no eyesight, in a very fragile state. - **Rapid growth** — it stays inside the mother's pouch for about 7 weeks, growing safely until its spines start to grow in. ### Special nursing without nipples - **Milk patches** — mothers have no nipples. Instead, milk seeps out through special skin glands called milk patches. - **Pink milk** — rich in iron, the milk has a pink tint, and the baby laps it up with its beak. - **A microbial shield** — since babies don't receive microbes at birth due to the eggshell, antimicrobial substances in the milk and skin help build up the baby's immunity. ### Comparing relatives: short-beaked vs long-beaked - Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus) - **Diet** — ants, termites - **Habitat** — found across Australia (most common) - **Features** — small, round body, strong digging power - Sir David's long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus) - **Diet** — earthworms - **Habitat** — the Cyclops Mountains of New Guinea - **Features** — 5 front claws, critically endangered ### Slow but tough vitality - With a slow metabolism and low body temperature, echidnas boast an amazing lifespan — 10 years in the wild, and up to 49 years in captivity. - These small, remarkable spiny creatures have guarded the Earth for tens of millions of years, and they need our care to keep living safely for years to come. ## More animals from this region - [Kangaroo](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/kangaroo/) - [Koala](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/koala/) - [Platypus](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/platypus/) - [Emu](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/emu/) - [Wombat](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/wombat/) - [Quokka](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/quokka/) --- All images and videos were made with AI to capture each animal's features, so they may look different from the real animals. The animal information comes from public sources and may contain mistakes.