Echidna- an amazing animal that combines several types of mammals. Outwardly, it resembles a porcupine, and in terms of lifestyle it resembles an anteater and.

Description and features of echidna

Echidna in the photo it resembles a porcupine due to its spiny back and small tail. However, its spines are not as long and have a brownish-yellow color. The coat of the animal is coarse, has a brown tint, which allows it to merge with dark soil and fallen leaves.

The spines are made of keratin and are hollow inside. The size of the echidna rarely exceeds half a meter in length, and its weight can be compared with an adult cat - up to 8 kg. Short clawed paws make the animal's gait clumsy, but the echidna swims perfectly. The limbs have claws that help destroy anthills, termite mounds, tear bark from trees, dig holes for protection and sleep.

On the hind legs there are long hooked claws, with which the echidna combs the hair between the spines. Males have a distinctive "spur" on their pelvic limbs. It was assumed that this spur contained poison, but this turned out to be an erroneous opinion.

The echidna has a very long and thin tongue covered with teeth.

Vision is poorly developed and the animal relies on hearing and smell. The amazingly sensitive ears of the echidna are able to pick up the sounds of small insects underground and inside. fallen trees. The main difference between echidna and other mammals is the presence of a cloaca, like in birds and amphibians.

The head is small, smoothly merges into the body. The animal does not have a pronounced neck. The beak has the form of a tube with a long and sticky, like an anteater, tongue (up to 25 cm). The teeth are missing, but they are replaced by keratin denticles and a hard palate against which food is rubbed.

Types of echidna

The echidna family is not very diverse. It is divided into 2 genera: real echidna and prochidna. There is a third genus, but it is considered extinct - Megalibgwilla. The zoologist who first described the echidna, due to the similarities in the structure of the oral cavity and tongue, classified it as a variety of anteaters.

The front paws of the echidna are equipped with powerful claws with which the echidna digs the soil.

After studying the animal, scientists later identified the animal to a separate family. The only true echidna is the Australian echidna. It has five subspecies, which are distinguished by their habitats.

Lifestyle and habitat

Lifestyle and habits echidnas V natural environment habitats depend on many factors. Each subspecies has its own characteristics and habitat. The behavior of the animal depends on the climate and terrain. Echidna lives on the Australian continent, the islands of Papua New Guinea, Tasmania, as well as in the territories of Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Australian echidna is able to adapt to various climatic conditions. She can live in arid desert, in humid forests and foothills, where the temperature drops below 0.

When the cold season comes, the echidna hibernates. Her body accumulates fat, which allows her to survive the lack of food. Hibernation is not necessary for the animal. IN mild climate and in constant access to food, the echidna leads a normal life.

In the absence of its usual food in the form of small insects, the mammal is able to travel long distances, including on water, without food. Fat accumulated during a period of abundant nutrition ensures survival for up to a month.

For the life of an echidna, the presence of the main food is necessary, and the animal easily adapts to environmental and landscape conditions.

In the cold season, the echidna hibernates.

Features of the behavior of the echidna:

  1. The animal leads a secretive life and prefers to stay awake at dusk or at night.
  2. Doesn't create permanent place residence.
  3. When threatened, it burrows into the ground, spreading thorns on the surface. If the soil does not allow you to quickly burrow, then it curls up into a ball, like hedgehogs.
  4. Does not create a couple and prefers loneliness.
  5. Does not limit its territory.
  6. Not aggressive towards its kind. Having met, two echidnas will disperse in different directions.
  7. Chooses soft soils, leaves, crevices and fallen trees as a place to sleep.
  8. Due to the low body temperature for a mammal (up to 33 degrees), it does not tolerate heat and cold. With a significant change climatic conditions, prefers to wait out the heat in the shade, and the strong cold in hibernation.

In a temperate climate, the echidna travels at any time of the day, but in hot and arid regions it waits out the heat of the day in the shade of trees and stones. At unfavorable temperatures, the animal becomes lethargic and slow. In this state, it is impossible to get away well from predators, so the animal hides until a favorable moment arrives.

The adaptability of the animal makes it easy to keep it in captivity. Echidna in Russia and lives in zoos in other countries. However, echidna breeds reluctantly in an artificial environment.

Nutrition

Echidna feeds small . The main diet is ants and termites. The device of the oral cavity allows a thin and sticky tongue to penetrate deep into the dwelling of insects. Together with food, stones and sand enter the stomach of the animal, which are also involved in the digestion process. Together with ants, the echidna receives all the necessary substances, including water.

In the absence of anthills and termite mounds, the echidna animal temporarily replaces them with other small insects and larvae from trees. The special structure of the sense organs helps to detect insects. Good hearing, sense of smell and the presence of electrolocation allow you to quickly detect a cluster of termites or ants.

The echidna's tongue is ideally suited for collecting and eating small bugs. It is capable of making up to 50 bursts in 30 seconds. Such speed does not allow nimble insects to leave the devastated house. In the case of a lack of nutrition, the echidna changes its habitat. To do this, it is able to travel long distances by land and water. To search for food, the animal is not afraid to approach human settlements and farms.

Echidna's favorite food is ants, termites and other small invertebrates.

Echidna breeding

Echidna, an animal that prefers a solitary life, meets with its relatives only during the mating season. It lasts from late spring to early autumn. The female, ready for mating, emits a strong smell every two years and leaves marks that attract males. Several males take care of one female for a whole month.

During this period, echidnas live together. During the Australian winter they bask, eat and sleep together. After the stage of dating and courtship, the so-called "wedding ritual" begins.

A group of males, the number of which reaches 10 individuals, begin to circle around the female. They dig a ditch up to 30 cm deep and push rivals. In the end, the winner is determined, who is considered worthy of the "bride".

After the groom is determined, the process of intercourse begins. Animals lie on their side for an hour. A fertilized female leaves the male forever, the survival of future offspring depends only on her.

The gestation of the egg continues for four weeks. Echidna is oviparous mammals. The echidna egg is about 15 mm in size. By using abdominal muscles, the female forms a fold on her stomach, in which she places the future cub. A week and a half later, a newborn echidna appears.

The animal is covered with translucent skin and completely helpless. In the region of the bag there is a milky field, to which the newborn crawls with the help of developed front paws. Echidnas do not have nipples, so pinkish milk is secreted directly onto the surface of the skin, where it is licked off by the young. Pink color milk has because of its high iron content.

The echidna feeds its young with milk.

For about two months, the female carries a small echidna in her bag and feeds her with milk. The cub quickly gains weight, becomes overgrown with hair, eyes develop and open. After hatching, the size of the fetus is 1.5 centimeters, the weight is less than one gram, and after 2 months its weight reaches 400-430 grams. The grown offspring have spines, and the female hides them in a prepared hole.

Visits once a week to feed full fat milk. The little echidna is under the care of her mother for up to six months, after which she sets off on her own adult journey. Echidna reaches sexual maturity at the age of 2 years. The slow rate of reproduction and small offspring is associated with good survival and a long life span.

Lifespan and natural enemies

The life expectancy of the Australian echidna in the wild is about 16 years. In zoo conditions, there are cases when an individual lived up to 45 years. In their habitats, the echidna is rarely the target of hunting. A harmless animal senses a predator long before it is discovered. In such situations, the echidna leaves the hunter and hides in the thickets.

Echidna hides in thickets from its potential enemies.

If it is not possible to leave, she assumes a defensive posture. The predator, having found an impregnable "fortress" with thorns, most often does not take risks and retreats. If the animal is very hungry or has an overwhelming number, then they try to dig under the echidna from all sides in order to get to vulnerable places.

The main enemies are:

Locals hunt the animal because of the delicious and healthy fat, and jewelry is made from its needles. The Australian echidna population is not on the verge of extinction. These harmless animals are often found in their natural habitat. The main enemies for the population are roads. Basically, this is due to the slowness of the animal.

An echidna animal can also be a pet. Thanks to his good disposition and not aggressive behavior, it gets along with the other inhabitants. When keeping a echidna, it is worth paying attention to her love of loneliness. The aviary should not be too small, located in the sun or in full view of everyone.

Echidna at home shows his craving for digging earth and rearranging stones. Therefore, if you let her out for a walk, it is important to exclude damage valuable plants and compositions.

In captivity, the echidna is able to do without its usual diet of insects. She is a predator, so her diet includes chopped meat products, eggs, milk. Echidna will not refuse fruit puree, bread. Due to the absence of ants, the animal needs an additional source of water.

In any case, if an anthill or a termite mound appeared on the site, then this will be a special gift for a domestic echidna. Echidna is an amazing animal that lives only in and adjacent islands. This animal is considered one of the symbols of the state and is depicted on money, postcards and postage stamps.

Echidna animal - funny animal. From Greek it sounds like "hedgehog". The resemblance to the prickly fellow is striking. But the real relative is the platypus, in the monotreme family.

Appearance

As you understand, the echidna is completely covered with needles, with the exception of the abdominal part and sides. The needles go from yellow to dark, reaching up to 10 cm.

Skin color is brown. It weighs a little more than a domestic dog, around 7 kg, 50 cm long. The body is clumsy, and the head is disproportionately small.

The muzzle of the echidna is elongated, due to the long tubular nose, similar to the proboscis. The eyes are small and black, the tail is about a centimeter and is not visible during examination. The genitourinary system, the intestines are connected to the cloaca. The limbs are developed, on the front claws for the convenience of hunting, digging, and on the back, the second fingers are elongated and have a thin bend in order to comb out the fur between the needle hairs.

Habitat

These are endemic, that is, they can be found on the Australian continent, the islands of Tasmania, New Guinea and on the ground in the Bass Strait. They like temperate or dry climates. You can meet echidna in forests, deserts, thickets, gorges. She has no sweat glands, the temperature is lowered to 35 degrees, in sleep mode up to 5. Therefore, she can live in hot conditions.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Significant length of daylight hours Australian echidna sleeping, hunting at night. To do this, she digs holes in the bushes with her powerful paws. It is noticed that it is often next to rabbits or occupies them. In winter, it can hibernate for 4 months, always tries to hide in the shade in summer.

In search of food, food lovers can travel up to 15 km. They feed mainly on ants and termites. This process is fascinating, since nature has deprived them of their teeth.

The marsupial echidna throws out a tongue with a sticky consistency up to 16 cm and captures food. Special jagged processes on it and the palate allow you to crush food. Manipulations occur quickly up to 100 times per minute, she is adapted to throw out her weapon.

reproduction

Despite a lonely existence, the animal breeds once a year, starting in May. The female rubs against the ground, leaving a sharp musky aroma, attracting males. Up to a dozen individuals go by train for one week. After mating, the female echidna leaves and lays one egg.

It is curious that before laying on the animal's stomach, wool rolls, releasing a sticky secret, so a fragile testicle is glued to the body and is in a kind of purse. The cub will leave her in two months.

The newborn feeds on milk, which seeps on the skin of the abdomen, since mother nature did not conceive the nipples for this mammal. Further, leaving the offspring, the echidna visits them 1-2 times within seven days, they spend the rest of the time in a mink.

Enemies

Earlier Australian echidna actively exterminated by people for food. Main Predators:

  • Tasmanian devil;
  • Dingo dogs;

In case of danger, the echidna quickly burrows into the sand, pushing only thorns on the surface or curls up into a ball, like a hedgehog.

These are the only animals of their class that have electroreceptors on their beaks that can catch magnetic fields other brothers, prey.

As you have already noticed, the echidna is a mammal that lays eggs. The brain is primitive, but in addition to searching for edible insects, it can be distracted by unusual objects, when compared with the same platypus.

Lifespan

The echidna lives for 13 years, and they exist well in captivity, but do not acquire broods. In one zoo, a long-liver was recorded who crossed the 40-year mark. To preserve the population, extermination is excluded, and two of them (short-beaked, long-beaked) are added to the Red Book.

Echidna, despite its appearance, resembling a cross between an anteater and a hedgehog, is actually the closest relative. This is another mammal that is capable of laying eggs.

The echidna family includes 3 genera: real echidnas (lat. Tachyglossus), prochidna (lat. Zaglossus) and the already extinct genus Megalibgwilia. In proechidnas, 3 species were previously distinguished, but now only 1 remains. Among the real echidnas, the Australian (lat. Tachyglossus aculeatus) and Tasmanian (lat. Tachyglossus setosus) are distinguished.


Australian echidna (lat. Tachyglossus aculeatus)

Already from the name of the animal, we can learn about its habitat. In addition to Australia, Tachyglossus aculeatus is found in Tasmania, New Guinea, and also on small islands in the Bass Strait. Australian echidnas can live in almost any part of the mainland, regardless of the landscape. They can become their home moist forests, and arid areas, both mountains and plains. Even in cities, they are not so rare.


Habitat of the Australian echidna

True, echidnas do not tolerate heat and cold well, because they do not have sweat glands. IN hot weather they become lethargic and low temperatures fall into hibernation, which can last 4 months. During this period, they use up their subcutaneous fat reserves.


Outwardly, the Australian echidna, however, like the Tasmanian, resembles big hedgehog with an elongated muzzle like an anteater. His entire body, except for the abdomen and muzzle, is strewn with many sharp and hard needles. The head is covered with thick hairs.


The length of this animal does not exceed 45 centimeters, and the weight is not more than 5 kg. It is difficult to understand where the head ends and the body begins, since the neck is very short, which is a definite plus for the echidna. She, like a hedgehog, in case of danger, curls up into a ball, exposing huge 5-6-centimeter needles to the enemy.


Echidna curled up in a ball

At the same time, she tries to cover the only vulnerable spot on the body - abdomen. For greater safety, the echidna can literally dig a small depression in the ground with its clawed front paws in just a minute. There she hides her muzzle and the front of the body. When trying to pull it out of there, the echidna is securely fixed with its claws and needles on the walls of the pit, and therefore it will take a lot of effort to carry out this action.


The elongated muzzle is a modified "beak", adapted to the extraction of insects that live in narrow crevices and minks. In most cases, these are ants, which are easy to pull out with a long sticky tongue, earthworms and other insects. The echidna's tongue can make up to 100 movements per minute. She has no real teeth. The horny teeth located on the back of the tongue help her grind food.


Echidnas love to eat well and eat a lot. To do this, they can walk quite long distances without stopping and resting, which can reach 10-15 kilometers per day.

Like a platypus, the "beak" of the echidna is covered with special electroreceptors that allow you to pick up the slightest vibrations. electric field another animal. No other mammal has this feature.


The powerful echidna claws are excellent digging tools. Thanks to them, the animal easily creates a gap in the strong walls of termite mounds and anthills. With the help of elongated claws on the hind legs, echidnas clean their “spiky coat”.

Their eyesight is poor, but their hearing is excellent. But during the night foraging for food, they rely more on their sense of smell.


Echidnas are loners by nature. They unite in groups only with the beginning mating season and then run away again. They do not protect their territory, they do not build a permanent shelter. Echidnas are free and free to travel wherever they please. Any secluded place is suitable for sleeping and resting, whether it is a hole between the roots of trees, a crevice between stones, hollows of fallen trees, etc.

They move a little awkwardly. But they swim very well. Echidnas are able to swim across small bodies of water.


Reproduction of echidnas is a separate conversation. With the onset of the mating season, a small group consisting of several males begins to form around one female. For a while they feed together and move from place to place. After 4 weeks of courtship, the fight for the female begins, in which there will be only one winner.


After mating, the female goes to the construction of a brood chamber, where, 3-4 weeks after mating, she lays a single egg 15-17 mm long and weighing 1.5 g. This is where the fun begins.

For a long time, scientists could not understand how the egg ends up in the brood pouch, since the female cannot roll it into it either with her mouth or with her paws. The answer was found only in 2003 after a 12-year study of the behavior and life of echidnas in nature.


It turned out that before laying, the females begin to form a small fold in the area of ​​the supposed location of the future brood pouch. The female curls up into a ball while laying her egg. A special sticky secret begins to stand out in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe fold, which attaches the egg to the stomach, and then the fold around it begins to gradually stretch.


baby echidna

After 10 days of “hatching”, a tiny cub 15 mm long and weighing 0.5 g appears from the egg. It is blind, naked, its hind legs are practically not developed, but tiny fingers can already be seen on the front legs. Then he slowly moves to the front of the bag, where the pores that secrete milk are located.

With the onset of the growth of spines (at about 2 months of age), the mother escorts the cub out of her bag, builds a separate chamber for him and leaves him. True, not at all, once every 5-7 days she comes to feed him with milk. This continues until the age of 5-6 months, after which young echidnas begin an independent life and go on their journey called "life".


Echidnas are long-lived. In nature, their age can reach 16 years, and when kept in a zoo - 45 years.

These animals are not endangered. Perhaps because for a person there is little sense from them, but natural enemies such as, dingoes, foxes or monitor lizards cannot seriously damage their numbers.

Echidna can be found not only in nature, but also on the Australian 5-cent coin, as well as on postage stamps.

Echidna is a very strange animal. She has a narrow elongated muzzle, similar to a tube, short strong legs with long curved claws. With their help, she quickly digs up the ground. The echidna has a beak but no teeth. Instead of teeth, her entire palate is dotted with small hard, sharp, horny needles. The tongue of the echidna is sticky and long. She can pull it out very far to catch the insect.
This animal has a flattened body, the length of which is more than 60 cm. The entire skin of the animal is covered with hard short spines. They resemble the spines of a hedgehog and a porcupine. Echidna is a bird animal. This mammal lays eggs like birds. Like birds, she has one outlet for laying eggs and feces. The female places the egg in a bag, which disappears after reproduction, and is formed during a new laying. An echidna can only lay one egg at a time.

The hatched baby is blind, naked and helpless. He sits in the bag until it becomes crowded there. The main food for echidnas are ants and insects. This animal digs ants out of the ground, and catches flying insects with a sticky tongue. If the echidna is in danger, it immediately burrows into the ground (literally in a few minutes) and the attacker stumbles upon its sharp needles.

Echidna digs holes under the roots of stumps and trees. During the day, she rests in a hole, and at night she goes hunting. This strange beast lives in Australia and New Guinea.

Gallery of photos and pictures of echidna

This article will focus on a very strange in all respects and a unique animal with a peculiar and very funny appearance.

Many people are familiar with an animal that looks like an echidna. This is a hedgehog. In fact, the animal considered in the article, being a cross between a hedgehog and an anteater, is the very close relative platypus. The echidna is another of the few mammals that lay eggs.

Varieties

The echidna family includes 3 genera: the extinct genus Megalibgwilia, prochidnas and real echidnas.

Today, proechidnas have only 1 genus (there were 4 before). Among the real ones, the Australian and Tasmanian echidnas stand out.

The echidna has an unusually elongated muzzle, strong short legs with curved long claws, with which it quickly digs the ground.

Strange, but she has no teeth, but there is a highly modified beak. Instead of teeth, the echidna has sharp, small horny needles. And her unusual tongue is very long and sticky. With it, the echidna easily catches insects.

The body of the animal is flattened, its length is more than 60 centimeters, the skin is covered with short hard spines resembling those of a porcupine and a hedgehog.

australian animal

The Australian echidna was first described in 1792 by George Shaw (an English zoologist), who later described the platypus.

The scientist mistakenly attributed this strange animal, found on an anthill, to animals called anteaters. Later (10 years later) Edward Home (an anatomist) discovered common feature the platypus and echidna have a cloaca into which the ureters, intestines, and genital tract open. In this regard, a detachment of single-passers was singled out.

The Australian Echidna is smaller than the Echidna. Its length is usually from 30 to 45 centimeters, and its weight is 2.5-5 kilograms. The Tasmanian subspecies is slightly larger, it reaches 53 centimeters.

The head of the animal is covered with coarse thick hair, the short neck is almost invisible. The muzzle is elongated into a narrow, slightly curved or straight "beak" (75 millimeters).

The limbs, like all echidnas, are shortened. Powerful flat claws are equipped with paws capable of digging the ground and breaking the walls of termite mounds.

Features of the Australian echidna

The continent of Australia is located quite far from other continents, so the animals that live on it have gone their own evolutionary path. Modern prochidna is the most famous surviving member of the genus. The Australian echidna inhabits almost the entire territory of the continent.

The animals of Australia are diverse and numerous. Echidna among them - unique creature. In these places, it has the following parameters: a hairless pointed nose with well-developed nostrils and a small mouth opening at the very tip.

Spines grow out of thick wool. They cover the entire back and sides of the echidna.

Each paw has 5 strong claws, which are perfectly adapted for digging. The 2nd finger of the hind paws ends in a curved long claw, which the animal uses to scratch the skin.

Echidna digs the ground in search of food (ants and termites). She collects insects with her unusually long and sticky tongue.

It should be noted that in Australia economic activity human contributed to a significant reduction in the number of these amazing animals in recent years.

Australian echidna habitats

From the very name of the animal, you can understand where it lives this species echidnas.

In addition to Australia, the echidna is found in New Guinea, Tasmania, as well as on the small islands of the Bass Strait. Australian echidnas are able to live in almost any corner of the mainland. Their place of residence does not depend on the landscape. Their home can be both arid areas and humid forests; both plains and mountains.

There are some Interesting Facts regarding echidna:

  • Echidna is an animal that, at the moment of danger, curls up into a ball, like a hedgehog, while it basically tries to cover its most vulnerable spot on the body - the abdomen.
  • Tasmanian echidnas have not very thick short spines, so they do not need scratching claws.
  • Echidnas belong to a small group of long-lived mammals living up to 50 years, which is not typical for such a small animal.
  • Like the platypus, this animal is an egg-laying mammal.
  • Echidnas, like birds, have one hole for defecation and laying eggs. The female places her egg in a bag that disappears after reproduction and is formed during a new laying. The echidna only lays one egg at a time.
  • In female echidnas, milk flows through the pores into a pouch on the front of the pouch, from where the baby licks it off.

Nutrition

Echidnas feed on termites, ants, earthworms and other insects, catching them from their hiding places. long tongue, which can produce 100 movements per minute.

The Australian marsupial echidna is an animal that sometimes feeds on small animals and insects. It is a carnivorous mammal, but the size of its prey depends on the size of its mouth. Another feature is that the upper jaw of the echidna is connected to the lower one, and therefore its mouth opening is small. And the tongue can protrude up to 18 centimeters.

Echidna draws insects stuck to the tongue into its mouth. Usually, the echidna goes for food at dusk. In hot weather, she only hunts at night. Prey is found with the help of its excellent sense of smell. While digging in search of food, the echidna is capable of turning over stones twice as heavy as its own weight.

Lifestyle

Echidna is an animal whose size of living area depends on the amount of food on it. In forested humid areas, where, as a rule, there is a lot of prey, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe territory per animal is approximately 50 hectares. During the day, the echidna usually rests, hiding under stones, tree roots and in hollows. At night, the search for insects begins, and the echidna leaves the shelter at a certain temperature. In hot weather, it comes out only at night, because it tolerates excess heat and sunlight terribly. When bright sunlight the animal may even die. Outside the shelter, it can only be in cold weather.

The echidna doesn't have many enemies. The main danger for her is only a meeting with a person who hunts her for the sake of fat.

Echidna in danger is able to burrow surprisingly quickly into the ground, and if the soil is hard, it rolls up into a ball. IN winter time the echidna usually hibernates.

Echidnas have poor eyesight, but their hearing is excellent. At the same time, at the time of night outings for food, they mainly rely on their excellent sense of smell.

Conclusion

Oddly enough, like many other natural creatures, the echidna is a totem animal. It patronizes all those who were born on June 13th.

For those born on this day, it is the echidna that is the protector and sacred animal that brings good luck.