At 33 ☌ (91.4 ☏), echidnas also possess the second-lowest active body temperature of all mammals, behind the platypus.ĭespite their appearance, echidnas are capable swimmers, as they evolved from platypus-like ancestors. The external ear is created by a large cartilaginous funnel, deep in the muscle. The ears are slits on the sides of their heads under the spines. Echidnas have tiny mouths and toothless jaws, and feed by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and licking off prey with their long, sticky tongues. Their hind claws are elongated and curved backwards to aid in digging. Įchidnas have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. This is similar to the platypus, which has 40,000 electroreceptors on its bill, but the long-beaked echidna has only 2,000, while the short-beaked echidna, which lives in a drier environment, has no more than 400 at the tip of its snout. They have elongated and slender snouts that function as both mouth and nose, and which have electrosensors to find earthworms, termites, ants, and other burrowing prey. There have been several reports of albino echidnas with pink eyes and white spines. They are usually black or brown in coloration. Superficially, they resemble the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals such as hedgehogs and porcupines. The spines are modified hairs and are made of keratin, the same fibrous protein that makes up fur, claws, nails, and horn sheaths in animals. Physical characteristicsĮchidnas are medium-sized, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines. Īn alternative explanation is a confusion with Ancient Greek: ἐχῖνος, romanized: ekhînos, lit.'hedgehog, sea urchin'. EtymologyĮchidnas are possibly named after Echidna, a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and reptiles. This ancestor was aquatic, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Their young are called puggles.Įchidnas evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, descending from a platypus-like monotreme. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the American true anteaters or to hedgehogs. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. Echidnas ( / ɪ ˈ k ɪ d n ə z/), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae / t æ k i ˈ ɡ l ɒ s ɪ d iː/, living in Australia and New Guinea.
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