Example shown to students.

1. EchidnaTachyglosside
Spiny Ant Eater

2. An Echidna is a Monotreme
 Egg laying mammal

3. Diet
 Ants
 Termites
 Grabs
 Larvae
 Worms  Sense electrical
signals from insects
 Uses claws to dig &
exposes insects
 Licks them up with his
long sticky tongue

4. Description
 Coarse hair
 Longer hair which are creamy
colour are spines – 5cm long
 30 -45cm long
 2 – 5 kg
 Short legs with long claws
 Pointy snout
 Tiny mouth – no teeth
- long sticky tongue

5. Habitat
 The Echidnas main requirement
is a large supply of ants and
termites so Echidnas are found
all over Australia from the
highlands to deserts to forests
 The Echidna has no fixed home,
except when the female is
suckling its young.
 Echidnas can be found in a
variety of shelters from rocks to
fallen wood, small caves, or
even under bushes

6. Predators
 Cars kills hundreds every year on
our roads.
 Goannas eat young Echidnas
 Dingoes, foxes as well as feral cats
and dogs
 Bushfires and Droughts are a natural
enemy

7. Breeding / Reproduction
 develops a pouch at the start of the mating
season which occurs in July and August.
 3 weeks or so after matting the female digs a
burrow and lays 1 soft leathery like egg into this
pouch.
 10 days for an Echidna egg to hatch
 The young blind hairless Echidna attaches itself to
a milk patch on its mothers skin inside the pouch
and suckles for the next 8 to 12 weeks
 Once spines develop on the young Echidna is
"evicted” from the pouch but stays in the burrow.
 Mum Echidna comes back and regularly lets the
young Echidna suckle. This occurs for the next 6
months
 Baby Echidna is called a Puggle

9. Interesting Facts
 Echidna is Named After the Greek
"Mother of Monsters”
 An echidna can lift objects twice its
weight.
 Knuckles the Echidna

10. Interesting Facts
 Echidna is Named After the Greek
"Mother of Monsters”
 An echidna can lift objects twice its
weight.
 Knuckles the Echidna