Echidna

e-kid'na, a family of quadrupeds found in Australia and New Guinea. The echidna is related to the famous Australian duckbill and, like it, resembles several different animals. Its nose terminates in a narrow, horny beak. Its back and sides to its very toes are set thickly with strong spines. There are two species, one with three toes, one with five. Both are strong diggers and are able to conceal themselves in loose earth in an incredibly short time. Like the duckbill, the echidna lays eggs in a burrow, and keeps them warm, bird fashion, until its young are hatched. It is about the size of a hedgehog, much smaller than a porcupine. It lives chiefly on insects, which it catches with a long, sticky tongue. See Duckbill