echidna

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni)

For Students

short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

echidna summary

Read Next

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)

Why Do Animals Have Tails?

World Data Locator Map: Australia

Is Australia an Island?

The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.

How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?

Flag of Australia

Add These 18 Paintings as Must-Sees During Your Next Trip to Australia

Discover

pulmonary veins and arteries, circulation, cardiovascular system, human anatomy, (Netter replacement project - SSC)

13 Questions About How the Human Body Works Answered

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Portion of the Aleppo Codex, a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible written in the Hebrew language in the 10th century CE; in the Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Why Do Languages Die?

Wasp spider. Argiope bruennichi. Orb-weaver spider. Spiders. Arachnid. Cobweb. Spider web. Spider's web. Spider silk. Black and yellow striped wasp spider spinning a web.

Do We Really Swallow Spiders in Our Sleep?

Car with a pickle design in the Zagreb Red Bull Soapbox Race, Zagreb, Croatia, September 14, 2019. (games, races, sports)

10 Unusual Sports

The impeachment trial of Pres. Andrew Johnson, illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 28, 1868.

What If the President Is Impeached?

echidna: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 19, 2025

News •

Echidna mothers change their pouch microbiome to protect tiny ‘pink jelly bean’ puggles, new research finds • May 16, 2025, 5:37 AM ET (The Guardian)

Facts

Also Known As	spiny anteater • Tachyglossidae

Photos

short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni)

See All Images →

Topics

long-beaked echidna Megalibgwilia western long-beaked echidna short-beaked echidna Sir David’s long-beaked echidna eastern long-beaked echidna monotreme platypus oviparity

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

monotreme: Introduction

Quiz

Humpback whale breaching out of the ocean. (sea mammal; ocean mammal)

A Quiz from Shrews to Whales

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

List

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World