Echidna Profile

18. Echidna Profile

Common Name: Echidna
Scientific Name: Tachyglossus aculeatus (Short-beaked echidna)
Genus: Tachyglossus
Family: Tachyglossidae
Order: Monotremata
Class: Mammalia
Phylum: Chordata
Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

Physical Description

Echidnas are small, spiny mammals native to Australia and New Guinea. They are one of the only living egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. Their bodies are covered with sharp spines mixed with coarse fur, providing protection from predators. Echidnas have long snouts and sticky tongues specially adapted for feeding on ants and termites.

Length: 30 – 45 cm
Weight: 2 – 7 kg

Echidnas have powerful claws and strong limbs for digging burrows and tearing into insect nests. Their small eyes and ears are not very noticeable, but they possess an excellent sense of smell and electroreception to locate prey underground. Males and females look very similar, although males may be slightly larger.

Habitat

Echidnas are highly adaptable animals found across a wide variety of environments in Australia and parts of New Guinea.

Primary habitat: Forests, woodlands, grasslands, deserts, and mountain regions
Occasional habitats: Urban parks, farmland edges, and coastal scrublands

They shelter in hollow logs, burrows, caves, or dense vegetation and are capable of surviving in both hot deserts and cool alpine climates.

Speed & Agility

Echidnas are slow-moving but surprisingly strong and efficient diggers.

Walking speed: About 2 – 3 km/h
Digging ability: Can rapidly burrow into soil for protection within minutes

When threatened, echidnas curl into a ball or dig downward, leaving only their sharp spines exposed. Their strong claws make them excellent burrowers and foragers.

Diet

Echidnas are insectivores that mainly feed on ants and termites.

Primary prey: Ants, termites, insect larvae
Occasional prey: Worms and other small invertebrates

Their long, sticky tongues can flick in and out rapidly to capture insects. Echidnas do not have teeth; instead, they grind food using hardened pads in their mouths.

Behavior and Social Structure

Echidnas are generally solitary animals and spend much of their time foraging alone.

Territorial behavior: Mostly non-territorial, with overlapping home ranges
Social behavior: Solitary except during breeding season

Fun Fact: Echidnas are one of only five living species of monotremes — mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.

They are mostly active during cooler parts of the day and may become nocturnal in hot weather.

Reproduction

Echidnas have a unique reproductive cycle among mammals. Like platypuses, they lay eggs. These make them monotremes. The platypus and echidna are in fact the only mammals in the world that lay eggs.

Breeding season: June – September
Incubation period: About 10 days
Litter size: 1 egg
Pouch care: Young remain in the mother’s pouch for about 2 months

After laying a single soft-shelled egg, the mother places it in a temporary pouch where it hatches into a tiny baby called a “puggle.” The young echidna later stays in a burrow while the mother returns periodically to feed it milk.

Did You Know?

• Egg-Laying Mammal: Echidnas are among the world’s few mammals that lay eggs.

• Sticky Tongue Expert: Their tongues can extend up to 18 cm to catch insects.

• Spiny Defense: Sharp spines protect them from predators like dingoes and foxes.

• Excellent Diggers: Echidnas can disappear underground incredibly quickly when threatened.

Role in the Ecosystem

Echidnas play an important role in controlling insect populations, especially ants and termites. Their digging also helps aerate the soil, improving nutrient cycling and supporting healthy ecosystems.

Why They're At Risk

Although currently listed as Least Concern, echidnas face threats from habitat destruction, road accidents, bushfires, and introduced predators such as foxes and domestic dogs. Climate change and increasing wildfires may also affect food availability and habitat quality in some regions.