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The echidna, also called spiny anteaters, is an egg-laying mammal that can only be found in Australia and New Guinea. This animal is characterized by its barbless long quills covering its body, which serves as primary protection against its predators.

See the fact file below for more information on the Echidna, or you can download our 28-page Echidna worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY AND TAXONOMY

• The name echidna comes from the Greek word “ekhidna” which means viper. In Greek mythology, echidna was a half-woman and half-serpent creature that lived in a cave. 
• In 1797, the famous French naturalist Georges Cuvier proposed to name the spiny anteater after this mythological creature for possessing both characteristics of mammals and reptiles, similar to the serpent-woman.
• Echidnas belong to the eukarya, kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, and class Mammalia. It constitutes the family Tachyglossidae in the order Monotremata. As a monotreme mammal, the echidna is a warm-blooded animal that lays eggs and produces milk for its offspring.
• The close relatives of echidnas are the platypus, which is also a monotreme mammal. The family Tachyglossidae consisting of the echidna, and Ornithorhynchidae comprising the platypus, are the two surviving families in the order Monotremata.
• The echidna has two Genera. The short-beaked echidna is classified under the genus Tachyglossus, the only member of the genus. Three species of long-beaked echidna are members of the genus Zaglossus. The genus Megalibgwilia is only known from fossils; this large-sized genus of echidna existed during the Miocene until the latter Pleistocene period. 
• The table below shows the four existing species of echidna and their scientific names.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Echidna are medium-sized animals whose size ranges from 14 to 30 inches long and weigh from  5.5 to 22 pounds. They are characterized by their domed-shaped back, small face, tiny eyes, beak, short limbs, and thick quills on the back and sides of their body.
• The black-cream colored quills of echidna are called spines, these are barbless coarse hair made of a fibrous protein called keratin, and they can grow up to two inches long. 
• Beneath the echidna’s spines are the smaller hairs that keep them warm. This fur is typically dark in color. It ranges from honey to reddish-brown, or light brown to dark brown or black.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

• Like many animal adaptations, the color of an echidna varies depending on the location. Echidna in the northern and hotter regions are typically light brown. In contrast, echidna in southern areas appeared to be darker in color with thicker fur. An example of this is the black-colored echidna in Tasmania.
• The eyesight of echidnas is very poor, but they have a fantastic sense of hearing and smell. Echidnas don’t actually have a beak. Instead, it has a slender, hairless snout that functions as both mouth and nose. This snout has electroreceptors and a keen sense of smell that they use to search for prey, detect predators, and locate other echidnas.
• The electroreceptors in the echidna’s snout can detect electrical movements generated by their invertebrate prey. The mouths of echidnas are small, and their jaws are toothless. However, they have a long, flexible, and sticky tongue that moves quickly,  allowing them to catch the prey they have located easily. Their tongue can extend up to 7 inches.
• The limbs of an echidna are relatively short but can quickly dig burrows. Its front legs have five claws that are ideal for digging soil, tearing open logs, and scratching termite mounds. Echidna’s back limbs are pointed backward; it has an extra-long claw on the second toe that is used for grooming and scratching their spines to remove dirt and bugs.
• Echidnas have thick, hairless tails, but it is not noticeable because of their small size. 
• Female echidnas do not have nipples. They feed their offspring through a milk patch: a special gland on their pouches that secretes milk. 
• The long-beaked and short-beaked echidna can be easily recognized by their differences in physical appearance. 
• The long-beaked echidna is much larger than the short-beaked echidna. Its body has fewer and shorter spines. It has a long snout that is two-thirds of the length of its head, but it has a shorter tongue than the long-beaked echidna. In contrast, the short-beaked echidna is relatively smaller in size and has a shorter snout. However,  its body has numerous and longer spines than the long-beaked echidna.

BEHAVIOR

• Echidnas are solitary animals, meaning they live alone in their burrow, but it does not mean they are territorial. They share their home range with other echidnas, and their holes often overlap.
• During the daytime, the echidna is active, but in warmer seasons, they often become nocturnal (active at night) to avoid the heat. In the cold winter season, echidnas tend to hibernate in their burrows.
• Whenever an echidna detects a predator, it will curl up into a ball of spines or dig itself into the ground for its safety.

DIET

The primary diet of echidnas is termites and ants, which is why it is often called “spiny anteater”; however, they prefer termites over ants, especially the queen termites and the eggs. Aside from these, they habitually consume moth larvae, earthworms, and beetles.

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

• The breeding season of the echidna takes place from the end of June until early September, during which they perform a unique mating ritual. 
• During the breeding season, male and female echidnas release a strong smell, enabling the males to locate females.
• During courtship, many male echidnas form a line, following a single female echidna for weeks. This mating ritual is called “trailing.” In this process, trails of echidnas forage, walk and rest together as a group.
• The traveling trains contain up to ten male echidnae led by a single female echidna, who will choose her partner to mate with. As commonly observed, the smallest male echidna trails last, while the biggest male echidna trails in the front, nearer to the female.
• Two weeks after a successful reproduction, the female echidna lays a single leathery, soft-shelled egg and will put it directly into her pouch.
• Ten days later, the egg will hatch, producing an offspring called a puggle. For about 45-55 days, the puggle will remain inside the mother’s pouch, where it suckles milk from a specialized pore, as the female echidna does not have a nipple.
• After 45-50 days, the puggle will leave the mother’s pouch and start developing spines. At this stage, the mother echidna will deposit the young into a burrow she dug and return every five days to feed her offspring. The puggle stays in its mother’s burrow for 12 months before leaving for a solitary life.

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION

• Echidnas can be found in mainland Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. 
• The short-beaked echidna settles in mainland Australia, Tasmania, and some parts of New Guinea, while the three species of long-beaked echidna only live in New Guinea.
• They typically reside in hollow logs found in forests, grasslands, woodlands, and shrublands. As commonly observed, echidna prefers to live in areas not occupied by humans.

THREATS

• The western long-beaked echidna and Sir David’s echidna are both classified as critically endangered, and they may become extinct if their population continues to decline. The eastern long-beaked echidna is classified as vulnerable. 
• The long-beaked echidnas are threatened by hunting activities and habitat loss driven by mining, logging, and conversion of bush areas into agricultural farmland. 
• Echidna is also at risk of foxes and wild dogs. In addition to these, echidnas are often victims of being hit by vehicles when attempting to cross roads.
• Short-beaked echidnas are well-protected in Australia, where hunting, moving, and picking up echidnas is illegal.

Echidna Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Echidnas across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about the Echidna, an egg-laying mammal that can only be found in Australia and New Guinea.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Echidna Facts
2. Classify It!
3. My Body Parts
4. AHAmazing Abilities
5. Mapping My Home
6. Compare and Contrast
7. Name My Prey
8. Reproducing a Puggle
9. Arrange and Analyze
10. What Threatens Me?
11. Fact-Checking

Frequently Asked Questions

Are echidnas blind?

Echidnas have poor vision, and we don’t know if they can see color. But they can tell the difference between black and white and stripes oriented differently. So sight isn’t essential for survival; even blind echidnas can live happily and healthily!

Are echidnas poisonous?

The echidna produces a soft, waxy substance around its spur during mating season. Scientists have determined that this substance is not evil. Instead, it is used for communication between echidnas during mating season.

How long can echidnas live?

Echidnas can live up to 16 years in the wild, but their average life expectancy is within a decade. These unique animals are known as “spiny anteaters,” primarily due to their fondness for termites and ants.

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Link will appear as Echidna Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 22, 2022