echidna

views updated May 29 2018

echidna (spiny anteater) Monotreme related to the platypus, found in Australia and New Guinea. It is a primitive egg-laying mammal with a cloaca, spines on the upper body, and an elongated snout. Length: 30–77cm (12–30in).

echidna

views updated May 21 2018

e·chid·na / əˈkidnə/ • n. a spiny insectivorous egg-laying mammal (family Tachyglossidae, order Monotremata) with a long snout and claws, native to Australia and New Guinea. Also called spiny anteater.

echidna

views updated Jun 11 2018

echidna (Tachyglossus) See TACHYGLOSSIDAE.

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