The short-nosed spiny anteater, also known as the Echidna, is found in Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. It belongs to the Monotremata family. It has a compact, round body, closely set with spines. Though it is smaller than its relative, the long-nosed spiny anteater, it has more and longer spines. It has a slit-like mouth, through which its tongue — often as long as 15 cm to 18 cm — extends. Its tongue is coated with saliva, which it uses to catch and feed on insects and small invertebrates.

Anteaters are excellent diggers, using strong claws to rapidly dig into the ground if threatened. But what’s unique about this species is that it lays eggs, in spite of being a mammal. It shares this characteristic with only two other species: the long-nosed spiny anteater and the platypus.

The egg is incubated in a small groove on the female’s abdomen. When the baby hatches, it lives on its mother’s milk. After about three weeks, its mother no longer carries it.

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