Egg-Laying Mammal of Action!

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Egg-Laying Mammal of Action!

Today’s special animal friends are the Echidnas, four species in two genera in the family Tachyglossidae. They are egg-laying mammals – monotremes – like the duck-billed platypus and are often called “spiny anteaters.” They are found only in continental Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. The short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus, is the only species in its genus. It is Australia’s most widespread native mammal and can also be found in New Guinea and Tasmania. It is a species of Least Concern for IUCN. Bindi Irwin, who is a cutie-pie, will tell you about them:

Short-beaked echidnas prefer temperatures in the 60s F. They stay in burrows to regulate their body temperature when the ambient temperature is much hotter or colder. They can dig their own burrows with their sturdy legs and strong claws, or they can use burrows dug by wombats and other animals. In order to breathe in enclosed spaces, they have evolved to tolerate unusually low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels.

Echidnas’ mating practices are unusual. Female fertility is signaled by scent, and males will follow the female around until she decides she’s interested in mating with one, usually the one who can keep up the longest. Males have a four-headed penis, and there’s other weird stuff, too. Females lay one egg 22 days after mating; the egg is immediately deposited in the mother’s pouch, where it hatches in about 10 days. The underdeveloped hatchling, called a puggle, feeds on milk secreted in the pouch for about 50 days. After this, the mother leaves it in a burrow, feeding it only once every five days for several months.

Captive breeding of short-beaked echidnas was unsuccessful until 2015, when Australian researchers figured out how to get the blokes and sheilas to mate. Many puggles are now born in captivity. As Bindi and Chandler explained, echidnas are insect eaters, with ants and termites as their favorite food. In Australia, threats to the short-tailed echidna include predation by dogs and cats, eagles and goannas, and vehicle impacts, as well as habitat loss.

There are three species of long-beaked echidnas in the genus Zaglossus. They are found only in New Guinea. There are Eastern and Western long-beaked echidnas as well as Sir David’s long-beaked echidna, Zaglossus attenboroughi, named after the popular nature broadcaster. They are Critically Endangered. The species was identified in 1961 and not spotted again until 2023.

The Western long-nosed echidna is also Critically Endangered, while the Eastern species is classed as Vulnerable. Threats include habitat loss and hunting. While commercial hunting is prohibited, they are a popular food among New Guinea natives, who are permitted to hunt them as a cultural tradition.