Short-beaked echidna
Amazing fact
The short-beaked echidna has no teeth, but has hard pads at the back of its mouth.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The short-beaked echidna has no teeth, but has hard pads at the back of its mouth.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Short-beaked echidna
- Scientific name
- Tachyglossus aculeatus
- Japanese name
- ハリモグラ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Monotremata
- Family
- Tachyglossidae
- Genus
- Tachyglossus
Like the platypus, it is an egg-laying mammal; it lives in Australia and New Guinea and raises its young on milk.
It protects itself by bracing with its strong legs and raising the spines that cover its back.
It sticks out a long, sticky tongue from the small mouth at the tip of its long snout to lick up ants and termites.
How the Short-beaked echidna lives
It is active during both day and night. It digs into ant and termite nests with its front paws. It may use leaf litter or grass tussocks as shelter for hibernation.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 40–55 cm
- Weight
- 2.5–8 kg
- Diet
- Ants and termites
- Range
- Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania
Where the Short-beaked echidna has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ハリモグラ
- 简体中文
- 澳洲针鼹
- 繁體中文
- 澳洲針鼴
- 한국어
- 짧은코가시두더지
- Español
- Equidna de hocico corto
- Français
- Échidnés À Nez Court Épineux
- Deutsch
- Kurzschnabeligel
- Português (Brasil)
- Equidna-de-focinho-curto
- Italiano
- Echidna istrice
- हिन्दी
- छोटी चोंच वाला एकिडना
- العربية
- ذو المنقار القصير الايكي دنا
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Nokdiak moncong pendek
- Tiếng Việt
- Thú lông nhím mỏ ngắn
- Русский
- Австралийская ехидна
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ハリモグラChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Tachyglossus aculeatusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Short-beaked echidna, look for this
- Look for the fur growing among its spines.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Short-beaked echidna
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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