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Glite Dictionary
echidna

echidna

2 9.9
A small spiny mammal from Australia and New Guinea that lays eggs and eats ants
  • noun
  • /ɪˈkɪdnə/
  • Australian
translation icon : equidna
  • In Australia, you can often see an echidna foraging for food in the bushland.
  • platypuses and echidnas

Examples

  • The echidna uses its long snout to dig for ants and termites in the ground.

  • Down under, in Oz, there is a small, awfully cute monotreme known as the echidna.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The echidna lives far away at the bottom of the world, mostly rolled up in a ball.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • They knew about ostriches and cobras, platypuses and echidnas.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The modern representatives of this group, the platypus and the echidna, still manifest their ancient heritage: they lay eggs rather than bearing live young, and have a low, fluctuating body temperature, traits left over from mammals' reptilian ancestors.

    Academic text (2002)

  • With its spiny back and unique features, the echidna is a fascinating animal native to New Guinea and Australia.

Synonyms

spiny anteater
vsechidna
  • Australian
9.5

A mammal that digs burrows, lays eggs, has sharp spines, and eats ants and termites

has identical meaning and serves as the more common name

Surface Forms

echidna singular
echidnas plural

Etymology

Echidna comes from the Greek word ekhídna meaning 'viper' or 'snake'. Early naturalists chose this name because echidnas lay eggs like reptiles and have a strange, ancient look, so the name helps you remember that this spiny mammal is egg-laying and a bit reptile-like.