Echidna facts: sort of like hedgehogs but not really | Animal Fact Files

Echidnas are egg laying mammals. Along with the platypus, the four living echidna species are classified in the monotreme order. Monotremes are mammals and thus produce milk for their young and create their own heat (along with other mammalian traits) but this unique mammals have a cloaca and lay eggs. Echidnas only lay a single egg during the breeding season, though they may have plenty of partners! Echidnas live in a wide variety of habitats from sea level to mountainous regions. They can live just about anywhere they can find food! These little animals come equipped with spines for defense which protects them from predators like dingoes, though they are still hunted by humans and are threatened by habitat loss as well as collisions with cars and other threats. Echidnas are able to enter low activity states - like hibernation - for upwards of two months at a time, though usually these states are shorter with periods of activity in between. Scientific Name: Family - Tachyglossidae Range: Australia and New Guinea Size: 15-37lb (7-17kg) Diet: ants, termites, earthworms, beetle larvae, etc. Lifespan: 40+ years You can learn more on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/animalfactfiles Facebook - https://facebook.com/animalfactfiles --- We always do what we can to be as accurate as possible, but we're only human; if you catch a mistake please let us know and provide a link for verification! --- All images, videos and sound effects used herein are 1) public domain, 2) used under a Creative Commons license, 3) used with the express permission of the copyright holder, or 4) used under the parameters of Fair Use law. Credits via Flickr: karen johns - https://www.flickr.com/photos/54516384@N02/48967092592; https://www.flickr.com/photos/54516384@N02/28110964447; https://www.flickr.com/photos/54516384@N02/48967097842 Matt Ryall - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjryall/4324186231; https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjryall/4324929482 Cazz - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cazzjj/28818803723 Alan & Flora Botting - https://www.flickr.com/photos/alan-flora_botting/49983938342 lin padgham - https://www.flickr.com/photos/linpadgham/30226600097 Brianna Laugher - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pfctdayelise/36194021433 Steve Bittinger - https://www.flickr.com/photos/sbittinger/10144703326 Colin J - https://www.flickr.com/photos/coljac/3392131862 Ed Dunens - https://www.flickr.com/photos/blachswan/15458392309 Rod Waddington - https://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_waddington/31165425862 Credits via Wiki Users: Gunjan Pandey - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short-beaked_echidna.ogv; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short_nosed_echidna.ogv Cretus - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short-beaked_echidna_in_suburban-Sydney_backyard.webm Other attributions: Peter Kuttner - https://vimeo.com/97710855 Jane Hammond - https://vimeo.com/125530415 Trevallan - https://vimeo.com/120849332 Wendy's Place - https://vimeo.com/298822764 Mel - https://vimeo.com/206674645 Cowirrie - https://vimeo.com/309597834 davidkrilamhauge - https://freesound.org/people/davidkrilamhauge/sounds/501739 Ian R McCann - https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/species/8416 Websites used for research collection: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Australian_Mammals/Ys_NC1P9AX4C https://www.google.com/books/edition/Neurobiology_of_Monotremes/3KoaAgAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Echidnas/WArLBAAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Echidna/2UQH-YrWwCYC https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_Pursuit_of_Early_Mammals/wuwtxuJoX6IC https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mammal_Teeth/BGGTYS2AgncC https://www.google.com/books/edition/Constructing_Intellectual_Property/bW3BqDL_5UcC https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mammalogy/GVy2AgAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Manson_s_Tropical_Diseases/BhRTORvhXSMC https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=161170#null https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tachyglossidae https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zaglossus_bruijni https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zaglossus_bartoni https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zaglossus_attenboroughi https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tachyglossus_aculeatus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An-z8Q3gMzo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHjdIXN9v2g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZGhk0i228 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YB6mVWadKQ This video is licensed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)*. *you can find information about all the different types of CC licenses here: https://creativecommons.org/ **changes were made to the original Transcript: alugha Click here to see more videos: https://alugha.com/AnimalFactFiles

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