Cool Facts About Echidna

Echidnas, the spiky little creatures, have been dwelling on the face of the earth from millions of years. Yes, they are that old! Although primitive and similar to platypuses, echidnas split from them and evolved into their own. So there should be an interesting reason behind the prolonged survival of these creatures. There is; and it is to sing praiseworthy hymns about mother earth’s way of striking a balance between the young and the old. Don’t go by lack of their sightings in the wild, for their population is large and well hidden in Australia and New Guinea. However, what’s most interesting about these creatures is that they lay eggs, despite being a mammal. One of the only two of such kind in the world – a monotreme! With their pointed spikes and rather humble look, they appear altogether dangerous and cuddly (avoid cuddling at all costs though if you come across one by chance), at the same time. The section that follows will throw light on some more interesting facts about echidnas; continue reading to equip yourself with the knowledge.

Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Tachyglossus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Monotremata
Family: Tachyglossidae
Genus: Tachyglossus
Species: Tachyglossus Aculeatus (Short-beaked echidna, Australia) and Zaglossus (Long-beaked echidna; New Guinea)
Diet: Carnivore (ants, termites, worms and insects)
Size: 35 to 50 cm
Average Weight:  6kg (males) and 4.5 kg (females)
Life Span: 10 to 16 years in the wild, and up to 49 years in captivity
Average Clutch Size: 1
Gestation Period: 22 days
Habitat: Australia and New Guinea

Interesting And Fun Facts About Echidna

• Though these cute animals are called by a number of names, however, the scientific name for these animals is Tachyglossus Aculeatus, which is Latin for spiny quick-tongue or spiny anteater. These names became popular because of their hunting skills.
• These rodents like animals have long sticky tongues which help them in catching ants and termites, which form their staple food. They are also known to feed on earthworms, small beetles, larvae of moths and beetles, pupae, and winged ants. Apart from eating ants and other insects, echidnas depend upon water too, to maintain their metabolisms.
• The way this creature preys is quite interesting. It lies on the ant mound and sticks its tongue inside it, allowing the ants to climb on its tongue. Then with a gentle stroke, it swallows its tongue inside along with the insects.
• A short-beaked echidna doesn’t have teeth to chew the food and crushes the insects between its tongue and the upper walls of its mouth. Long-beaked echidnas have little spines growing out on their tongues, which help them masticate the food they swallow.
• A 3 kg echidna eats about 200 gm of ants and other insects in about 10 minutes. The more the weight of an echidna, the more amount of food it requires each time.
• The mating process in these animals takes place belly to belly as it is easier and reduces the chances of each hurting the other on the spines. The echidnas mate generally during July to September.
• The females are generally chased by a number of males who try to mate with her, but it is up to the female to decide its partner. The gestation period of echidna females is of three weeks.
• A newborn echidna is called a puggle or a joey. These offspring are born hairless and blind, and need mother’s milk—pink in colour because of the high ferrous contents—for about seven months.
• Echidna is a monotreme, meaning that this mammal lays eggs just as the reptiles do. It lays a single egg which it keeps inside its pouch, until it is hatched and the young one starts to grow spines. Till that time, the puggle suckle to mother’s milk from inside the pouch only.
• When a puggle starts to grow spines, the mother echidna then leaves the newborn into a newly dug hole. The puggle emerges from the hole after a period of 6 months. Its mother lactates the young one once in a few days till they are seven month old and are weaned.
• Echidnas grow up to a maximum size of fifty centimetres. Though exceptions are always there but the difference is not more than a couple of centimetres. In spite of their small body size, echidnas are capable of lifting heavy weights; they can lift weight equivalent to twice their body weight.
• Echidnas have a surprisingly high mortality rate and lifespan. An echidna can live up to 16 years of age in the wild and this period can be even longer, if domesticated. One echinda lived for 49 years in Philadelphia Zoo.
• Though small in size, echidnas have no real predators (except from cars which run over them when crossing the road) when they reach adulthood. The newborns however, without their spines, are quite prone to being eaten by snakes, eagles, and goannas.
• Each spine on the back of echidna is a single hair which grows into one thick spine. So the creatures don’t suffer much when one of these spines breaks and falls; fact is that their spines fall like hair all the time.
• Though echidnas have always flourished in the wild, they can also be domesticated as they are believed to be great learners. Tests were conducted on these animals and they turned out to be just slightly less intelligent than a household cat.
• These are warm blooded animals and mostly remain dormant, hibernating for about 6 to 28 weeks, depending on the local conditions, during the winters, to maintain their body temperature. They need to bask in the sun, especially during winters to maintain apt body temperature.
• Echidnas don’t have fixed home; they keep changing their nests every now and then. They make thick bushes, hollow logs, under piles of debris, caves, or burrows created by other small rodents their on-the-go nests.
• Since echidnas don’t have sweat glands and do not pant, they need to take immediate shelter from excessive heat. Depending on the local temperature, they are active during different times of the day.
• Interestingly, echidna is named after a Greek mythological monster.
• Echidna has had the honour of being the mascot of the Sydney Olympic Games in the millennium year, 2000.