Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.
Taxonomy | Physical Characteristics |
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Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia — mammals Order: Monotremata — monotremes (egg-laying mammals) Family: Tachyglossidae — echidnas, spiny anteaters Genus: Tachyglossus Species: Tachyglossus aculeatus - short-beaked echidna Subspecies: Tachyglossus aculeatus acanthion |
Body Weight Head-body Length Snout Length Pelage |
Distribution & Status | Behavior & Ecology |
Range Habitat IUCN Status CITES Appendix Other Designations Populations in the Wild |
Locomotion Activity Cycle Social Groups Diet Predators |
Reproduction & Development | Species Highlights |
Sexual Maturity Gestation Litter Size Interbirth Interval Birth Weight Age at Weaning Typical Life Expectancy |
Feature Facts
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© 2017 San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
How to cite: Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) Fact Sheet. c2017. San Diego (CA): San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance; [accessed YYYY Mmm dd]. http://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/short-beaked-echidna.
(note: replace YYYY Mmm dd with date accessed, e.g., 2015 Sep 10)
Disclaimer: Although San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance makes every attempt to provide accurate information, some of the facts provided may become outdated or replaced by new research findings. Questions and comments may be addressed to library@sdzwa.org.
Many thanks to Dr. Stewart C. Nicol for providing expert content review of this fact sheet.
Dr. Nicol is Professor and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. Since the 1980s, he has conducted field and laboratory research on the ecophysiology of monotremes (echidnas, platypus). Dr. Nicol has published extensively on many aspects of echidna biology, including physiology, diet, communication, reproduction, breeding behavior, anatomy, and evolution.
Learn more about Dr. Nicol’s research and career: