Due to their low metabolism and accompanying stress resistance, echidnas are long-lived for their size; the longest recorded lifespan for a captive echidna is 50 years, with anecdotal accounts of wild individuals reaching 45 years. [17] The echidna's brain is half neocortex, [18] compared to 80% of a human brain.

They evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, and 4 species of echidna survive today: the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), Sir David’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), the western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii), and the eastern long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bartoni).

Mar 28, 2025 · echidna, (family Tachyglossidae), any of four species of peculiar egg-laying mammals from Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea that eat and breathe through a bald tubular beak protruding from a dome-shaped body covered in spines.

While the echidna (pronounced ih-KID-na) is considered a mammal — because it's warm-blooded, has hair on its body and produces milk for its young — this large hedgehog-like creature is in a class of its own.

Everything you should know about the Echidna. The Echidna looks like a cross between a hedgehog and an anteater, and is a rare mammal that lays eggs.

The echidna (ih-KID-na), sometimes called a "spiny anteater," is an unusual mammal. It is so different from any other that it still puzzles researchers and scientists. The echidna has remained unchanged since prehistoric times, finding ways to survive while other species became extinct. But what really sets echidnas apart from other mammals?

Apr 7, 2023 · A baby echidna is a puggle. A group of echidnas is a parade —unless they’re mature males waddling after a female in mating season, in which case it’s a train (often with a younger male at ...

The most common echidna species, the short-beaked echidna, is found across Australia and Tasmania. It has a short beak and primarily feeds on ants and termites. In contrast, the long-beaked echidna, found in New Guinea, has a much longer beak and a diet that includes earthworms and other invertebrates. Long-beaked echidnas are larger than their ...

The four species of echidna and the platypus are the only surviving members of an ancient order of mammals that lay eggs but also have mammary glands that produce milk to nurse their young. Echidnas are named after a Greek mythological creature who was half …

Related Read: Echidna Facts. 4 Types of Echidna Species 1. Short-Beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) Photo by Charles J. Sharp on Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Cropped from original). The Short-Beaked Echidna, a widespread monotreme, calls Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia home.