Echidna

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Echidna

Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, are four extant mammal

Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
species belonging to the Tachyglossidae family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
of the monotreme

Monotreme

Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young like Marsupialias and Placentalia .They are conventionally treated as comprising a single order Monotremata, though a recent classification proposes to divide them into the orders Platypoda and Tachyglossa ....
s.

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Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, are four extant mammal

Mammal

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
of the monotreme

Monotreme

Platypus

The Platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal Endemic to Eastern states of Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay Egg instead of giving birth to live young....
, they are the only surviving members of that order

Order (biology)

In Biological classification used in biology, the order is a taxonomic rank between class and family . The superorder is a rank between class and order....
. Although their diet consists largely of ants and termites, they are not actually related to the anteater

Anteater

Anteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa....
species. They live in New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period....
and Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. The echidnas are named after a monster in ancient Greek mythology

Echidna (mythology)

In the most ancient layers of Greek mythology, Echidna was called the "Mother of All Monsters". Echidna was described by Hesiod as a female monster spawned in a cave, who mothered with her mate Typhon every major horrible monster in the Greek myths,...
. Contrary to previous research, the Echidna does enter REM sleep, albeit only when its body temperature is between 15-28°C.

Description

Echidnas are small mammals that are covered with coarse hair

Hair

Hair is a protein filament that epidermal growth from hair follicle deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats....
and spines

Spine (biology)

In biology, spine or spiny may refer to:*Spine , needle-like structures in plants*Spine , needle-like structures in animalsSpine may also refer to:...
. Superficially they resemble the anteaters of South America, and other spiny mammals like hedgehog

Hedgehog

A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the Order Erinaceomorpha. There are 16 species of hedgehog in five genus, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand....
s and porcupine

Porcupine

Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp Spine , or quills, that defend them from predators. They are endemic in both the Old World and the New World....
s. They have snouts which have the functions of both the mouth and nose. Their snouts are elongated and slender. They have very short, strong limb

Limb (anatomy)

A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body.Most animals use limbs for locomotion, such as walking, running, or climbing....
s with large claw

Claw

A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end of the leg or Arthropod leg for gripping a surface as the creature walks....
s and are powerful diggers. Echidnas have a tiny mouth

Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
and a toothless jaw

Jaw

The jaw is either of the two opposable structures forming, or near the entrance to the mouth.The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of most animals....
. They feed by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and use their long, sticky tongue

Tongue

The tongue is skeletal muscle on the floor of the mouth that manipulates food for chewing . It is the primary organ of taste. Much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds....
which protrudes from their snout to collect their prey. The Short-beaked Echidna

Short-beaked Echidna

The Short-beaked Echidna , also known as the Spiny Anteater because of its diet of ants and termites, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus....
's diet consists largely of ants and termites, while the Zaglossus species typically eat worms and insect larvae.

The long-beaked echidnas have tiny spines on their tongues that help capture their meals.

Echidnas and the Platypus are the only egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg

Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
twenty-two days after mating and deposits it directly into her pouch. Hatching takes ten days; the young echidna, called a puggle

Puggle

Puggle can refer to:*Puggle , a crossbreed between a Pug and a Beagle*The Puggle Tales, a series of books by A. A. Barber of The Lost Forests...
, then sucks milk

Milk

Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals . It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digestion other types of food....
from the pore

Lactiferous duct

Lactiferous ducts lead from the lobules of the mammary gland to the tip of the nipple. They are also referred to as galactophores, galactophorous ducts, mammary ducts, mamillary ducts and milk ducts....
s of the two milk patches

Mammary gland

Mammary glands are the organ s that, in mammals, produce milk for the sustenance of the young. These exocrine glands are enlarged and modified sweat glands and give mammals their name....
(monotremes have no nipple

Nipple

In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young....
s) and remains in the pouch for forty-five to fifty-five days, at which time it starts to develop spines. The mother digs a nursery burrow and deposits the puggle, returning every five days to suckle it until it is weaned at seven months.

Male echidnas have a four-headed penis

Penis

The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
, but only two of the heads are used during mating. The other two heads "shut down" and do not grow in size. The heads used are swapped each time the mammal copulates.

Taxonomy

Echidnas are classified into three genera

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
. The Zaglossus genus includes three extant species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
and two species known only from fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
s, while only one species from the genus Tachyglossus is known. The third genus, Megalibgwilia
Megalibgwilia

Megalibgwilia is a genus of echidna known only from Australian fossils that incorporates the oldest known echidna species. It lived during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct about 50,000 years ago....
, is only known from fossils.

Zaglossus

The three living Zaglossus species are endemic

Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
to New Guinea

New Guinea

Earthworm

Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. The earthworm is the most known worm in America, and other countries....
s and insect

Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s. The species are:

the Western Long-beaked Echidna
Western Long-beaked Echidna

The Western Long-beaked Echidna is one of the four extant echidnas and one of three species of Zaglossus that occur in New Guinea. Fossils of this species also occur in Australia....
(Zaglossus bruijni) of the highland forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
s
Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna
Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna

Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna , also known as the Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna or Cyclops Long-beaked Echidna, is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus to occur in New Guinea....
(Zaglossus attenboroughi), recently discovered, prefers a still higher habitat
the Eastern Long-beaked Echidna
Eastern Long-beaked Echidna

The Eastern Long-beaked Echidna , also known as Barton's Long-beaked Echidna, is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus to occur in New Guinea....
(Zaglossus bartoni), of which four distinct subspecies have been identified

The two fossil species are:

Zaglossus robustus
Long-beaked echidna

The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genus of echidnas, spiny monotremes that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species, and two extinct species in this genus....
Zaglossus hacketti
Long-beaked echidna

The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genus of echidnas, spiny monotremes that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species, and two extinct species in this genus....

Tachyglossus

The Short-beaked Echidna

Short-beaked Echidna

New Guinea

Australia

Australian Alps

The Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. They are located in south-eastern Australia and straddle the Australian Capital Territory, south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria, Australia....
to the deep desert

Désert

?D?sert? is ?milie Simon's debut single, released in October 2002. The song was a huge success both critically and commercially in her homeland....
s of the Outback

Outback

The Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main urban areas....
, essentially anywhere that ants and termites are available. Its size is smaller than the Zaglossus species, and it has longer hair.

Megalibgwilia

The genus Megalibgwilia
Megalibgwilia

Megalibgwilia is a genus of echidna known only from Australian fossils that incorporates the oldest known echidna species. It lived during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct about 50,000 years ago....
is only known from fossils:

Megalibgwilia ramsayi from Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene

The Late Pleistocene is a faunal stage of the Pleistocene epoch . The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of Eemian interglacial phase before final glacial episode of Pleistocene 126,000 ? 5,000 years ago....
sites in Australia
Megalibgwilia robusta from Miocene
Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
sites in Australia

External links

by Doug Stewart, National Wildlife, April/May 2003.
, article "Echidna Love Trains": Echidna spotting, Trains (breeding behaviour), The amazing puggle (young), Species, Dreaming (REM sleep), Managing populations; June 2000