How did the horned viper adapt to its habitat?
The echidna is an egg-laying mammal of Australia and New Guinea, and ideally suitedto its environment.It has a long tongue with sticky saliva, with which it eats termites and ants.It has long snout which makes it easy for the echidna to burrow for ants, termites and, for the long-beaked echidna, worms and larvae.During breeding season, the female echidna develops a pouch, where she lays and incubates her egg. Although the pouch is little more than a fold of skin, it protects the egg from would-be predators such as goannas and snakes.The echidna has sharp claws for digging, and this ability to dig effectively is helped by its compact, muscular body shape and strong forelegs. When threatened, they can dig very, very quickly into the earth, disappearing horizontally, leaving only their quills exposed while they burrow.The echidna is very adaptable, living in a wide variety of climates and environments, from sub-alpine regions to arid semi-desert - wherever there are termites and ants (Or, in New Guinea, wherever there are worms, larvae and other arthropods).Echidnas burrow as a protective defence, leaving only the spines exposed to the potential predator.Echidnas are able to tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide, a necessity for an animal which burrows for protection (and sometimes for food). Because of this, they can also tolerate lower oxygen levels, and this is useful when bushfires occur.When flash floods occur, echidnas can dive underwater, and as they do so, their heart rate drops, which saves oxygen needed by the brain and the heart.
