 Explore our wide variety of animal facts and learn some fun trivia about our friends in the animal kingdom.
 Fun Echidna Facts for Kids
Check out our range of fun echidna facts for kids. Learn what they look like, where they live, what they eat and much more. Read on for all kinds of interesting information about echidnas! | | |
- Echidnas are mammals found in New Guinea and Australia.
- They are covered in spines made from keratin, the same protein in human fingernails.
- Echidna and platypus are the only mammals that lay eggs.
- There are four different species of echidna still alive today, three long-beaked and one short-beaked.
- Echidna live in forests and woodland.
- They have long, thin snouts with electrosensors that allow them to sense ants, worms, termites and other potential food under the ground or in logs.
- Echidnas collect prey using a sticky tongue that extends from their snout.
- Echidnas are excellent diggers with big claws. They are quick to bury themselves when they feel threatened by predators such as cats, dog, foxes and snakes.
- They have very low body temperatures, with only the platypus being lower among all mammals.
- Echidna live for around 15 years.
- It is believed that echidnas evolved from water based ancestors somewhere between 20 to 50 million years ago. Despite living on land, they have kept their swimming skills, sometimes cleaning themselves in water.
- Echidnas are sometimes called “spiny anteaters”, although they are not closely related to anteaters.
- The name echidna comes from a creature in Greek mythology that was a combination of snake and woman, a reference to the echidna sharing features of both reptiles and mammals.
- The Australian 5 cent coin features an echidna.
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