Short-nosed echidna. This species is found around Australia and in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. An echidna’s body is covered with spines about five centimetres long, with fur growing between the spines. They eat ants, termites, grubs and worms, and use their forepaws to dig into ant nests and their fast-moving tongues, which are covered with sticky mucus, to trap the ants. Echidnas can live in most habitat types including bush, savannah, arid and semi-arid areas and rainforest.Echidna species and the platypus are the only animals in the monotremata order: mammals that lay eggs. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)
|