Short-beaked echidna

Tachyglossus aculeatus · The short-beaked echidna is a mammal found throughout Australia and in coastal and highland regions of New Guinea.

Also called Kangaroo Island Echidna, Short-nosed Echidna.

Short-beaked echidna
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Short-beaked echidna
Photo: Krigore, CC BY-SA 4.0
Short-beaked echidna
Photo: Diegoabw, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderMonotremata
FamilyTachyglossidae
GenusTachyglossus
SpeciesTachyglossus aculeatus

Where it lives

Almost all of Australia, Tasmania and lowland New Guinea.

Fun facts

  • An echidna's tongue can flick in and out of its snout up to 100 times a minute to catch ants and termites.
  • A 3-kilogram echidna can gobble up 200 grams of termites in just 10 minutes.
  • During hibernation an echidna's heart rate can drop to just four to seven beats per minute, and it may breathe once every three minutes.
  • A newborn echidna, called a puggle, is only about the size of a grape when it hatches.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).