echidna

American  

[ih-kid-nuh] / ɪˈkɪd nə /

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.

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echidna British  

/ ɪˈkɪdnə /

noun

1. Also called: spiny anteater.  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

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Etymology

Origin of echidna

< 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

Example Sentences

But several media outlets had already shared the video - as well as earlier posts, said to be taken in Australia, which show her holding an echidna and a "little shark".

From BBC

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