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Echidnas
Sometimes known as the spiny anteater, the echidna is an egg-laying mammal of Australia and New Guinea. It has adapted to living in a variety of habitats, from deserts to mountains, as long as there is a ready source of its favorite food of termites. Questions and answers about echidnas can be found here.
315 Questions
What is the similarities between a platypus's and an echidna's hind spur?
There are no similarities, apart from the fact that the spur is located on each animal's hind legs.
The platypus's spur is sharp and attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh.The echidna's spur is blunt, and is not attached to a functional venom gland.
Are echidnas carnivores herbivores or omnivores?
Echidnas could be said to be carnivores but, more specifically, they are insectivores, living on a diet almost exclusively comprised of ants and termites. They will also eat other invertebrates such as grubs, larvae and worms.
Why is the platypus's and echidna's snout similar?
The snout of the platypus and the echidna are not similar at all. The platypus has a broad, flat bill which is equipped with sensitive electroreceptors which enable it to detect electrical impulses given out by tiny invertebrates underwater. The echidna has a long, pointed snout which it will push into termite mounds to get to termites, but it has no electroreceptors.
Monotremes lay eggs. However, the egg is retained for some time within the mother, which actively provides the egg with nutrients, and generally hatches soon after birth, within the span of 10 days.
What are the echidna and platypuses babies called?
A young platypus is simply called a platypus. There is no officially recognised term, although "platypup" is, rightly or wrongly, becoming more common.
The term 'puggle' is often used for a young platypus just as it is for a young echidna. It is not technically correct to use it, as there is no official name for a baby platypus. "Puggle" has reportedly been used in Australian bush lore as a name for baby echidnas for many decades. There have been claims that it developed as a name for baby echidnas, as they resembled "Puggles", an American soft-toy character. Perhaps because echidnas and platypuses are both monotremes, the term began to be applied to young platypus as well.
The company producing the "Puggles" toy considered legal action against the unauthorised use of the term "puggles". Whether or not this action went ahead is undetermined, and some have alleged that it could be illegal to use the word for anything other than the soft toy.
What The main similarity between echidnas and porcupines?
They are both mammals and have a spiked covering to protect themselves.
Do short beaked echidnas have webbed feet?
No. There is no webbing on echidnas' feet. They have sharp claws for digging, and quite separate toes.
The echidna belongs to the family Tachyglossidae, which is in the group of egg-laying mammals known as monotremes.
No, echidnas are not marsupials. They are monotremes, that is, egg-laying mammals. However, during breeding season, the female does develop a rudimentary pouch in which she incubates her egg, but this is really nothing more than a flap of skin.
Animal feed is material of animal or vegetable origin, prepared as feed for domestic or farm animals.
What is the gestation period of a spiny anteater?
The spiny anteater, more correctly known as the echidna, is an egg-laying mammals. The egg within the mother's body has a gestation period of 23 days. Once laid, the egg is then incubated for another ten days.
What is unique about the indigenous Australian platypus and echidna?
Platypuses and echidnas are both monotremes, that is, egg-laying mammals.
Where do the platypus and the echidna live?
The platypus and one species of echidna, the short-beaked echidna, both live in Australia. The short-beaked echidna and the long-beaked echidna are both found on the island of New Guinea.
The platypus can live in a variety of biomes within Australia.
- Platypuses can be found in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate rainforests
- They can be found in wet or dry sclerophyll forest (bushland)
- They are also found in sub-alpine forests
Platypuses live in burrows they dig in the banks of freshwater creeks, rivers and dams.
Echidnas are found throughout most of Australia, and are highly adaptable to a wide range of environments, which has been one of the reasons why they are not threatened by habitat loss. They live anywhere from bushland and woodlands, rocky areas as long as the soil is loose enough to dig, snowy mountains, sandy plains, heath, grasslands, semi-arid environments and deserts. Echidnas can be found wherever there are termites and ants.
