Short-beaked echidna
The short-beaked echidna is one of the most unusual, but also one of the most widespread animals in Australia. It is found throughout the continent, as well as in Tasmania and southern New Guinea. Even though it resembles hedgehogs with its yellow spines, the short-beaked echidna is not related to them. Its strong front legs enable it to dig into the ground very quickly when in danger.
Spiny anteaters and monotremes
The family of echidnas is also called spiny anteaters and, as the name suggests, short-beaked echidnas feed almost exclusively on ants and termites. They have no teeth, but catch their prey with the help of their long, sticky tongue. Together with platypuses, echidnas form the order of monotremes. Their name is Greek and means ‘single opening’. It comes from the fact that they only have one excretory organ, the so-called ‘cloaca’.
Offspring
The reproduction of short-beaked echidnas is particularly interesting. Although they are mammals, the females lay eggs, usually one per year. During pregnancy, the females form a pouch on their abdomen in which they initially carry the egg and, after hatching, the young. When the hatchling develops its spines at about seven weeks of age, it leaves the pouch and then spends another five to six months in a hidden burrow.
Facts
- Binominal name: Tachyglossus aculeatus
- Other names: Short-nosed echidna
- Order: Monotremata
- First described: 1792 (George Shaw)
- Distribution: Australian mainland, Tasmania, southern New Guinea
Short-beaked echidna Folding Card
This special souvenir note from the Australia Series is dedicated to the short-beaked echidna. Printed on genuine security paper, it features a lizard as a gold foil patch, motifs in UV color and haptic elements. While the vertically designed obverse depicts a short-beaked echidna, the reverse shows the famous sandstone formation Uluru or Ayers Rock in Central Australia and Aboriginal art. Uluru is 348 m (1,142 ft) high and is revered as a sacred place by the Aboriginal people of the area. Under UV light, a road sign with a short-beaked echidna becomes visible. The Australia Series, which comprises a total of eight souvenir notes, is also available in a booklet with lots of information and pictures.
Obverse: Short-beaked echidna, stylized lizard, map of Australia
Reverse: Uluru or Ayers Rock, sandstone formation in Central Australia, Aboriginal art, stylized sea turtle
| Dimensions: 145 x 70 mm (5.71 x 2.76 in) Material: Paper |
