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Tachyglossus aculeatus
(Short-beaked Echidna)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Monotrematae
Family: Tachyglossidae
Genus: Tachyglossus
Species: T. aculeatus (9)

pic (2)

Picturepic (10)
Description(1):
  • Monotreme
  • Tachyglossus- fast tongue
  • Have many features which are reptilian in nature such as egg laying, legs that extend outward then downward, and a lower body temperature (about 31-32C), than other mammals
  • 30 cm to 45 cm in length and weigh between 2 kg and 5 kg (the Tasmanian varieties are larger than their Australian mainland counterparts)
  • The body, with the exception of the underside, face and legs, is covered with cream colored spines
  • The spines reach 50 mm in length
  • Insulation is provided by fur between the spines which ranges in color from honey to a dark reddish-brown and even black (The fur of the Tasmanian subspecies is thicker and longer than that of echidnas in warmer mainland areas and often hides the spines)

Picture
Tachyglossus aculeatus distribution (6)
Habitat(1):
  • Common throughout most of temperate Australia and lowland New Guinea
  • Common in dry open country on the east coast in Tasmania
  • Also found on open heathlands and in forests and can sometimes be seen slowly wandering along roadsides
Picture
Short-beaked Echidna feeding (8)
Nutrition(1):
  • Eat ants and termites as well as other invertebrates especially grubs, larvae and worms
  • They use their strong forepaws to open up the ant or termite nest and then probe the nest with their sensitive snout
  • The rapidly moving 15 cm tongue catches any insects in the nest with a layer of sticky mucous
  • They have narrow jaws and no teeth so food is crushed between hard pads which lie in the roof of the mouth and on the back of the tongue
  • Eat a lot of soil and ant-nest material when feeding which makes up the bulk of droppings

Picture
Egg (7)
Reproduction(1):
  • Reproduce sexually 
  • Breed from the end of June to September
  • Multiple males mate with one female during the mating season(3)
  • The males have a 4-headed penis, but only 2 of the heads are used during intercourse with the female (3)
  • Two weeks after mating, a single rubbery-skinned egg is laid directly into a small backward facing pouch which has developed in the female
  • After 10 days the egg hatches and the young remains in the pouch
  • During the following period of lactation the female spends most of her time in a burrow but will leave the young behind, covered with soil or wood fibre, to go foraging
  • The mammary glands secrete milk through two patches on the skin; the young suck milk from the mother's hair that surrounds these patches
  • Juveniles are eventually ejected from the pouch at around 2 - 3 months of age due to the continuing growth of their spines
  • The juvenile is weaned at about 6 months of age
Picture
Baby echidna (5)
Conservation status(1):
  • Common and widespread
  • Can live anywhere that there is a supply of ants, not very affected by land clearing
  • Naturally preyed upon by eagle and tasmanian devils
  • Though now they are protected by laws, they were a favorite food of Aboriginal people and early white settlers 
Interesting facts(1):
  • Do not have nipples
  • Are mammals but lay eggs instead of birthing live young
  • Very shy but can be approached slowly
  • They are infested with what is said to be the world's largest flea - Bradiopsylla echidnae, which is about 4 mm long
  • Echidnas are good swimmers
  • Male echidnas have a spur on each hind foot though, unlike the platypus, the spur is blunt and the venom gland is not functional
  • Male echidnas have a four-headed penis (3)

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