Hi Steemit family!

Echidna, the animal half snake and half mammal

Today I bring you another fascinating creature of nature, especially because it is a mammal that can lay eggs, you probably think it is the platypus, but it is not, although it is the only relative of the same family, I am talking about the Echidna the missing link between reptiles and mammals. Come with me to learn more about this incredible creature.

source

Its scientific name is Tachyglossus aculeatus, although they are considered as mammals I think that they should have an independent classification due to the unique particularities that they possess, I believe that the decision that they are mammals is due to that in spite of laying eggs they produce milk and they suckle, in any case it is an exceptional and very strange species, unfortunately it is in extreme danger of extinction.

source

They are endemic to New Guinea and Australia, their behavior is mainly insectivorous in their diet we can find a wide variety of insects, ants, worms, larvae, termites, their kinship with the mammal side is by the anteaters, in fact, call it anteater thorny. Spines are the perfect arsenal to fight some natural predators, their spines are not toxic and only use them to defend themselves.

source

There are 3 kinds of Echidna, the short horn, the western longhorn, Echidna long horn lake of Sir David and Echidna long eastern, the shorthorn is the most common among his family, being the longhorn those that are in a critical and vulnerable state. Its main predators are the Tasmanian demons. In addition, the longest horn species are the largest in size, measuring up to 3 feet long, and weighing an average of 20 to 30 pounds.

source

Among their eating habits, we have that they are excellent insect hunters thanks to their incredible developed sense of smell. Among their habitats are the extremes between cold and heat, also have powerful claws specialized in digging the most difficult terrain. In its mouth, it has thick saliva, produced by the glands in charge of such function, with this saliva they manage to catch a great number of insects to be crushed by a species of hard keys since this species does not have teeth.

source

The other characteristics are divided between reptiles and mammals, for example, its body has to be heated with the sun since its thermoregulation is identical to most cold-blooded reptiles, lay eggs, but in turn produce milk to breastfeed, some bone parts are of reptilian origin, lack an ear pavilion, but that does not mean that they do not hear well, on the contrary, they have excellent hearing.

source

Among the mammal parts are the hair which is attributed only to this species, in addition to having a mammal system which works through the skin since they do not have nipples as such to produce milk, the other organs are entirely mammals.

source

In spite of sharing some similarities with the marsupials, this one does not have a bag like the one of the kangaroos, reason why the same fact of reproducing makes grow in the abdomen of the female a bag that is product of accumulation of corporal fats, is in that bag where it places the egg which will hatch after 10 days, and if we add the 22 days of pregnancy the total is 32 days of preparation and formation of the new creature. That 5 months after developing slowly will be ready to get by their own means.