Head to head
Western Long-beaked Echidna vs Echidna
Western Long-beaked Echidna
VS Echidna
The western long-beaked echidna and the short-beaked echidna, described on our Echidna page, are both egg-laying mammals covered in spines, but one is a rare New Guinea mountain animal and the other a common Australian one.
| Western Long-beaked Echidna | Echidna | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Zaglossus bruijnii | Tachyglossus aculeatus |
| Snout | A long, downward-curving snout, much longer than the short-beaked echidna's | A shorter snout |
| Size | The largest of the echidnas, with a body of spines and coarse hair | Weighs 2 to 7 kg and is 30 to 45 cm long |
| Diet | Mainly earthworms, caught with a long, sticky, spiny tongue | Ants and termites, lapped up with a 15 cm sticky tongue |
| Range | Mountain forest in western New Guinea | All of mainland Australia and Tasmania, plus southern and lowland New Guinea, in nearly every habitat |
| Eggs | An egg-laying mammal, or monotreme | Lays a single soft-shelled egg into a temporary pouch |
| Special trait | Not specifically documented | Has no teeth, senses prey by electric field, and can lower its body temperature close to 5 degrees Celsius in winter torpor |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered, hunted for meat and losing forest | Least Concern, common and widespread |
Western Long-beaked Echidna vs Echidna: common questions
Which echidna eats earthworms?
The western long-beaked echidna, while the short-beaked echidna eats ants and termites.
Do both echidnas lay eggs?
Yes, both are monotremes, among the few mammals that lay eggs.
Where do the long-beaked and short-beaked echidnas live?
The western long-beaked echidna lives in mountain forest in western New Guinea, while the short-beaked echidna lives across Australia and in southern and lowland New Guinea.