1444 the echidna australian anteater

Echidnas are Australian anteaters.
Like the platypus, the echidna is a
monotreme, a mammal which lays eggs
and feeds its young with milk.

Echidna

Males are bigger than females.
Size is from 35 to 53 cm and they weigh from 4½ to 6 kg.
Echidnas have sharp spines and thick brown fur. They have a short stumpy tail.
They eat ants and termites. They have a stiff snout which they use to hunt for
food. The echidna’s mouth is on the underside of the snout and is useful for
sucking up food. They have no teeth.
They use their strong claws to dig and break open termite
mounds. When in danger echidnas quickly dig down into
soft ground leaving only the tips of the spines visible.
TermiteTermites
mound

Two weeks after mating the female lays an egg into the pouch on her belly.
It hatches after 10 days and the puggle (baby echidna) remains in the pouch
for 3 months.
When the spines grow, the baby is left in a den while the mother hunts for
food.

Puggle
Spines growing

Match the words with the definitions.

1. monotreme

___. Animal home.

2. pouch

___. Sharp point

3. hatch

___. A mammal which lays eggs and feeds
its young with milk.

4. spine

___. Animal’s nose

5. den

___. Baby echidna

6. puggle

___. To come out of an egg

7. snout

___. Pocket of skin for animal babies.

Find answers to these questions:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Where do echidnas live? ..................................................................
What colour are echidnas? ...............................................................
What do echidnas eat? .....................................................................
What do puggles eat? ......................................................................
Where is the mouth? .........................................................................
How much do the largest echidnas weigh? .......................................

True or False?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

 or 

Female echidnas are smaller than males.
They have long tails.
They have strong claws for digging.
They have sharp teeth.
The puggle stays in the pouch for 6 months.