Sometimes called the spiny anteater, the short-beaked echidna (pronounced ih-KID-nuh) is found all over Australia and southern New Guinea.
They measure 30-45 cm (13.5-17.5 in.) long and weigh 2-5 kg (6.5-14.5 lb.).
Short-beaked echidnas are one of two types of echidnas. The other type is called the long-beaked echidna.
As long as there is a good supply of ants and termites, short-beaked echidnas can live in a range of climates and habitats. They are able to find shelter in rocks and fallen trees.
Are Echidnas Porcupines or Hedgehogs?
Although they resemble porcupines or hedgehogs, and they do eat ants, short-beaked echidnas are not related to porcupines, hedgehogs or anteaters. They are actually a special kind of mammal called a monotreme.
Egg-Laying Mammals
Echidnas are monotremes, or mammals that lay eggs. Another example of a monotreme is the platypus.
Echidnas have a lower body temperature than other mammals, maintaining temperatures around 31-32° C (87.8-89.6° F).
Similar to reptiles, their legs protrude outwards and then downwards, resulting in a waddling effect when they walk.
Echidna Spines
Two types of fur cover an echidna’s body. A coat of short, coarse hair insulates echidnas from the cold, while longer hairs act as spines, protecting them from predators.
Their sharp, creamy-colored spines are 50 mm (2 in.) in length and are composed of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails.
Echidna Defense
Short-beaked echidnas have several predators, including goannas (large Australian monitor lizards), dingoes, foxes, feral cats, dogs, eagles, and Tasmanian devils (which even eat the spines).
As defense, they may run away or curl into a ball exposing only the spines. In other cases, they may dig into the soil or wedge themselves into a crevice or log, again only exposing the spines.
What Short-beaked Echidnas Eat
Short-beaked echidnas eat ants, termites, grubs, larvae, and worms.
How Short-beaked Echidnas Hunt
The short-beaked echidna has several special adaptations to hunt its prey. It has a pointy snout that can sense electrical signals from insect bodies.
Once it detects its prey, the echidna uses its long, sharp claws and short, sturdy limbs to dig into the soil and expose the invertebrates. It finishes the deed by licking them up with its long, sticky tongue.
Echidnas do not have teeth, but they do have horny pads in their mouths and on the back of their tongues which grind the prey.
Echidna Reproduction
Echidnas are largely solitary creatures and only convene to mate. Mating season spans from July to August.
A few weeks after mating, the female echidna digs a burrow and lays one soft, leathery egg into a temporary ‘pouch’. She makes this pouch by folding a section of her lower abdomen skin.
After ten days, a blind, hairless baby echidna (known as a puggle) hatches and attaches itself to a milk patch inside the pouch.
For the next eight to twelve weeks, the puggle nurses inside the pouch until it develops spines. At this point, the puggle must vacate the pouch, but it still stays in the burrow for the next six months and continues to nurse.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List lists the short-beaked echidna as a species of least concern, but they are protected by law in Australia. Threats include road accidents, bush fires, and droughts.
What You Can Do to Help
If you live in Australia or New Guinea, you can help echidnas by driving carefully, keeping pet dogs under control, and leaving gaps under fences so echidnas can roam freely.
Short-beaked Echidna Range
Short-beaked echidnas live in a range of climates and habitats all throughout Australia and southern New Guinea.
More Echidna Resources
- State of Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries & Water Echidna Page
- Unique Australian Animals Echidna Page
- Philadephia Zoo’s Echidna Page
Quick Fact Sheet
Common Name(s): Short-beaked Echidna
Scientific Name: Tachyglossus aculeatus
Animal Type: mammal
Size: 30-45 cm (13.5-17.5 in.) long
Weight: 2-5 kg (6.5-14.5 lb.)
Lifespan: 40 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
About the Author
Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. She is also an award-winning author and illustrator of funny picture books for kids, including Soaked!, Animals Go Vroom!, and Wombats Are Pretty Weird.
To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit AbiCushman.com.
