Echidna has spines like a porcupine, a beak like a bird and a pouch like a kangaroo, and lays eggs like a reptile. But… the spines are actually a modified hair. They are 5 cm long and a fur between the spines provides insulation. Echidnas have the lowest body temperature of any mammals, 32deg C which can fluctuate by up to 6-8 deg C over the course of the day. During winter months echidna goes into the hibernation, reducing body temperature and slowing metabolism. Adult echidna weight ranges between two and six kilos. They live for up to 45 years. Their natural environment is rough scrubland. They are solitary animals and mind their own business. The echidna diet consists of ants, termites, larvae and earthworms and the size of the pray is limited by a small mouth of echidnas, which is about 5mm. The tongue though, covered with very sticky saliva, can reach the pray up to 18 cm. The snout is used to forage through the leaf litter or another potential food source to detect the smell or the electric impulse of the potential prey.
