Echidna

EchidnaTachyglossideSpiny Ant Eater

An Echidna is a Monotreme

Egg laying mammal

Diet

Ants Termites Grabs Larvae Worms Sense electrical

signals from insects Uses claws to dig &

exposes insects Licks them up with

his long sticky tongue

Description

Coarse hair Longer hair which are creamy

colour are spines – 5cm long 30 -45cm long 2 – 5 kg Short legs with long claws Pointy snout Tiny mouth – no teeth

- long sticky tongue

Habitat The Echidnas main

requirement is a large supply of ants and termites so Echidnas are found all over Australia from the highlands to deserts to forests

The Echidna has no fixed home, except when the female is suckling its young.

Echidnas can be found in a variety of shelters from rocks to fallen wood, small caves, or even under bushes

Predators

Cars kills hundreds every year on our roads.

Goannas eat young Echidnas Dingoes, foxes as well as feral

cats and dogs Bushfires and Droughts are a

natural enemy

Breeding / Reproduction develops a pouch at the start of the mating

season which occurs in July and August. 3 weeks or so after matting the female digs a

burrow and lays 1 soft leathery like egg into this pouch.

10 days for an Echidna egg to hatch The young blind hairless Echidna attaches

itself to a milk patch on its mothers skin inside the pouch and suckles for the next 8 to 12 weeks

Once spines develop on the young Echidna is "evicted” from the pouch but stays in the burrow.

Mum Echidna comes back and regularly lets the young Echidna suckle. This occurs for the next 6 months

Baby Echidna is called a Puggle

Interesting Facts

Echidna is Named After the Greek "Mother of Monsters”

An echidna can lift objects twice its weight.

Knuckles the Echidna