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

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

Alongside searching for the echidna, the expedition carried out the first comprehensive assessment of invertebrate, reptile, amphibian, and mammal life in the Cyclops Mountains.

From Science Daily

An international team of researchers found an Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna in Indonesia, the first time in 60 years the animal was seen.

From Washington Times

A long-lost species of echidna, named after British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, has been rediscovered in the thick jungles of Indonesia after more than 60 years.

From BBC