Exotic Echidnas!

 

 

 

 

My first amazing animal is an Echidna. For the first part look at the picture, can you tell what it is? a mammal? a reptile?  To be honest it is neither of these. The echidna is a monotremata. now for the people who don't know a monotremata  is actually a marsupial, mammal, and reptile.  monotrematas have a pouch like a marsupial, breath air and live on land like a mammal, and lay eggs like reptiles. to begin the learning the echidna is one of the most exotic animals you will ever find. the main place you will find echidnas is in Australia and in New Zealand. as you see the echidna has a bill sort of like an anteater. This is because like the anteater the echidna too eats and termites. the large bill on its head is to help the echidnas eat ants and push through tough things to get to their food. the next part of the echidna is the eyes. the echidnas eyes may be small but they help the echidna see in the night (because there nocturnal). Also like most animals, the echidna is colour blind. Though small and colour blind the echidnas eyes are amazingly sharp and can spot things miles away from it. the next part of the echidna is the claws. echidnas mainly use there claws to dig dens (where echidnas live). because echidnas live in a den, they can stay cool in the spring ,summer and can stay warm in the fall and winter.echidnas claws are the main reason they have shelter. the next exotic feature is the spines. like hedgehogs, the echidnas use their spines for protection. but unlike the hedgehogs, the echidna also relaxes its spines and carry their egg around on there back. one of the last parts is the pouch. of course it is obvious what the pouch is used for. but if you don't know it is to carry the baby. the last part is about baby echidnas. echidnas mating season is usually in the spring and the mother lays one egg a year. the echidnas eggs are about the size of a small grape. when the echidna is born it will stay in its mothers pouch for three months. when the baby is six months old he/she starts to live on his/her own. and that basically sums up echidnas. please leave comments about your opinion of my blog. also every day i will post a new blog. tomorrows will be another monotremata,the Plautus.  and if you know a very exotic animal, please suggest it in a comment and i will write about it. even if they are from the dinosaur times. thank you for coming on my blog.