Australia. Guide to Australia

Australian echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus) - Egg-laying mammal of the family of echidnas, is found in Australia, on Tasmania, in New Guinea and the islands in Bass Strait. Australian echidna is the only representative of this kind of echidnas, its length - 30-45 cm, weight from 2,5 before 5 kg. The head is covered with coarse hair of vipers, neck is short, almost invisible from the outside, ears are not visible, echidna snout elongated into a narrow "beak" in length 75 mm, straight or slightly curved.

Shortened limbs of vipers, fingers are equipped with powerful claws flat, adapted for digging the ground and breaking the walls of termite mounds. The females in the abdomen after childbirth appears brood pouch.

As with platypus, "Beak" vipers richly innervated, in his skin are as mechanoreceptors, and special cells electroreceptors; use them to detect weak echidna oscillations of the electric field, arising from the movement of small animals. None of the mammal, besides echidnas and platypus, such a body is not found elektrolokatsii.

Echidna is found in any terrain, provide her with plenty of food - from the Australian rainforest to desert. echidna is active mainly in the afternoon, But the hot weather makes her move to nocturnal. Echidna poorly adapted to the heat, because it does not have sweat glands, a very low body temperature - 30-32 ° C. In hot or cold weather, it becomes sluggish; when strong cooling becomes dormant for up to 4 Months. Fat reserves allow it if necessary to starve a month or more.

Echidna eats ants, termites, small clams, chervyamii and other insects.
Echidna – this is not a territorial animal, except for breeding season, a solitary lifestyle,encountered echidna just ignore each other. Echidna is arranged to rest in any place - under the roots, stones, in the hollows of fallen trees. Echidna running poorly and its main defense - spines; disturbed echidna rolled into a ball, How to EC, and if there is time, partially buried in the ground, substituting the enemy back with raised spines.

Australian echidna does not apply to endangered species,in the nature of the echidna survives to 16 Years.
The main danger for the echidna is transport and land clearing.

Australian echidna was one of the charms of Summer Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney and is shown on the 5-cent coins and commemorative coin 200$.