echidna

[ ih-kid-nuh ]

noun

1. Also called spiny anteater. any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines.

echidna

/ ɪˈkɪdnə /

noun

1. any of the spine-covered monotreme mammals of the genera Tachyglossus of Australia and Zaglossus of New Guinea: family Tachyglossidae. They have a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites Also calledspiny anteater

Word History and Origins

Origin of echidna¹

< New Latin (1798), originally a genus name; Latin: serpent, Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters < Greek échidna, akin to échis viper

Word History and Origins

Origin of echidna¹

C19: from New Latin, from Latin: viper, from Greek ekhidna

Example Sentences

A tiger shark in northern Australia has given researchers the surprise of their lives - by throwing up a fully intact and famously land-dwelling echidna.

From BBC

“I managed to only get one picture, but you can see the outline of the echidna in the water.”

From BBC

“It was a fully intact echidna with all its spines and its legs,” he said.

From BBC

“In this case, I think the echidna must have just felt a bit funny in its throat.”

From BBC

Professor Flannery said the research reveals that 100 million years ago, Australia was home to a diversity of monotremes, of which the platypus and the echidna are the only surviving descendants.

From Science Daily