Spiny Anteater
Characteristics Of Spiny AntEater
Echidna’s are monotremes of the same order as the duck billed platypus, the only other mammal who lays eggs and has a pouch. Commonly called the spiny anteater, the echidna looks like a cross between a hedgehog and an anteater but is not closely related to either. It does have some very strange characteristics though. Physically, it has a snout with a tiny mouth at the end and a long sticky tongue that helps it eat ants and termites. One species, the long beaked echidna, eats worms and larvae. The echidna’s front paws are made for digging, while the hind paws point backwards and have an extra long claw on the second toe for grooming.
Spiny Anteater Reproduction Method
The spiny anteater, more correctly known as the echidna, is a monotreme (egg-laying mammal), meaning it reproduces by laying eggs. It is one of just two types of monotremes, the other being the platypus.
Echidna (Spiny Anteater) 02
Spiny Anteater Habitat
Echidnas are found throughout most of Australia, and are highly adaptable to a wide range of environments, which has been one of the reasons why they are not threatened by habitat loss. They live anywhere from bush land and woodlands, rocky areas as long as the soil is loose enough to dig, snowy mountains, sandy plains, heath, grasslands, semi-arid environments and deserts. Echidnas can be found wherever there are termites and ants. The echidna found throughout Australia is the short-beaked echidna. It is also found in the lowlands of southeast New Guinea. The long-beaked echidna is a rarer species, found only in New Guinea. It ranges from low-level coastal regions to rain forests in mountainous areas.
Spiny Anteater
growing spiny anteater.
Spiny Anteater Eggs
baby spiny anteater eggs.
Grown Spiny Anteater
grown spiny anteater.
Classifications & Scientific Names
Name: Spiny Anteater/Platypus
Domain: Eukaryote.Kingdom: Animalia.
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia.
Order:Monotremata
Family:Tachyglossidae
Genus:Tachyglossus
Species:platypus.