This has led to the classification of the echidna and platypus in a separate scientific category known as the monotremes (which means they have a single opening for the digestive and genitial organs). While it is obvious that the hedgehog-like echidna, also known as the spiny anteater, looks nothing like the water-loving platypus (which has a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver, webbed feet, and soft velvety fur), the echidna and platypus share one unique feature - they are the only mammals in the world that lay eggs.Īll other mammals known give birth to live young. This gives it excellent protection from almost anyone who doesn’t have a shovel to dig it out. wikimedia commons The echidna (above) and the platypus are the only mammals in the world that lay eggs.Īnd if the echidna (pronounced ik-KID-na) regards you as a danger, it will abandon its meal of ants or termites, roll into a spiky ball, or wedge itself into a crack, or rapidly burrow straight into the soil until only its sharp spines are exposed. If you walk through the Australian countryside and see what looks like a wire brush stuck in an ants’ nest, it may be an echidna having a snack. The echidna enigma … and the platypus puzzle
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