Short-beaked Echidna

The short-beaked echidna is a small, spine-covered monotreme, or egg-laying mammal, native to Australia and New Guinea, recognized by its stocky body covered in a coat of sharp spines mixed with fur, a narrow toothless snout used to probe for food, and long claws suited for digging. It feeds mainly on ants and termites, which it gathers with a long, sticky tongue after breaking into nests with its powerful claws, and when threatened it curls into a tight, spiny ball or digs rapidly straight down into the ground for protection. Short-beaked echidnas are solitary and mostly active at dawn, dusk or night depending on climate, and unlike many other Australian native mammals, the species remains widespread and is classified as being of least concern.