Animal Planet :: Mammal Guide -- Aridland

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Short-Nosed Echidna

The short-nosed echidna is one of two echidnas (both known as spiny anteaters) in the family Tachyglossidae that — along with the duck-billed platypus — make up the monotremes.

It is toothless and has a long sticky tongue for lapping up ants and termites.

Mixed in with the hair on its back are hard quills; its stomach is covered in fur.

The quills appear about fifty-five days after hatching, at which point the infant is no longer carried in the pouch but left in a sheltered place.

For the next three months, the mother returns regularly to nurse it, but instead of nipples, she has — like the platypus — specialized areas of skin that exude milk.

When threatened, this nocturnal creature burrows into the ground or rolls up into a ball.

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	Name: Short-Nosed Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) Family: Tachyglossidae (Echidnas) Range: Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania Habitat: Arid regions, including grasslands, forests, and rocky areas Diet: Ants, termites, grubs, and worms Head and Body Length: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) Tail Length: 3 to 3.5 inches (7 to 9 cm) Weight: 5.5 to 13 pounds (2.5 to 6 kg) Life Cycle: Mating July to August; usually one egg laid, incubated 9 to 27 days; young stays in mother's pouch until quills grow Description: Dark brown or black fur; covered in large, yellow, black-tipped spines; small head; long, slender snout; no visible neck; short, stubby tail Conservation Status: Not listed by the IUCN. Related Content: Australia Zoo