Short-beaked Echidnaハリモグラ
Tachyglossus aculeatusLC— Least Concern
The short-beaked echidna is a spine-covered, egg-laying monotreme found throughout Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, making it Australia's most widespread native mammal. Equipped with an electroreceptive snout and a sticky tongue for catching ants and termites, it also has an unusually low body temperature that can drop close to 5°C during hibernation. Despite being classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, it faces local threats from vehicle strikes and habitat loss.
Short-beaked Echidna (reference photo)
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Species Data
- Classification
- Monotremata / Tachyglossidae Source
- Size
- Body length 30–45 cm, snout about 75 mm
- Weight
- 2–8 kg
- Lifespan
- Wild: average about 10 years (records of 45–49 years) / captive: one individual lived 49 years at the Philadelphia Zoo
- Diet
- Insectivore Insectivorous, feeding mainly on ants and termites; breaks open nests with its snout and forelimbs and laps up prey with its sticky tongue. A 3 kg individual was recorded eating 200 g of termites in just 10 minutes
- Activity
- Mainly crepuscular, but tends to be nocturnal in hot periods and diurnal in cold periods; may hibernate in winter
- Distribution
- Found throughout mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the coastal and highland regions of eastern New Guinea, making it Australia's most widespread native mammal. Source
- Sources
- ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Did You Know?
- Along with the platypus, the short-beaked echidna is one of only a handful of egg-laying mammals; it lays a single egg about 14–16 mm in diameter, which hatches after roughly 10 days. Source
- Its snout contains electroreceptors sensitive enough to detect electric fields of just 1.8 mV/cm, roughly 1,000 times more sensitive than human touch. Source
- Its resting body temperature of 30–32°C is unusually low for a mammal, and during hibernation it can drop to nearly 5°C while heart rate falls from a resting 50–68 beats per minute to just 4–7. Source
Where to See This Species
Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 1
Source links to official sites, official YouTube channels, and news aggregators such as Zoo Ring. Visit the publisher for the full item.
Conservation Story
Conservation Status
Least Concern (LC)
Sources
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FAQ
- Does the short-beaked echidna lay eggs?
- Yes. It is one of only a few living egg-laying mammals, or monotremes, along with the platypus. It lays a single small egg, about 14–16 mm across, which hatches in roughly 10 days. Source
- How does the short-beaked echidna find food?
- It uses electroreceptors in its snout, sensitive enough to detect fields as weak as 1.8 mV/cm—about 1,000 times more sensitive than human touch—to locate ants and termites, which it then catches with a sticky tongue. Source
- Do short-beaked echidnas hibernate?
- Yes, during the Australian winter. Their already low body temperature of 30–32°C can drop to nearly 5°C, and heart rate falls from a resting 50–68 beats per minute to just 4–7. Source
- How many operating facilities are registered here?
- Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 1 Source
Books & gear
Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org