Long-beaked echidna
Genus of monotremes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The long-beaked echidnas (genus Zaglossus) make up one of the two extant genera of echidnas: there are three extant species, all living in New Guinea.[2][3] They are medium-sized, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines made of keratin. They have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. They forage in leaf litter on the forest floor, eating earthworms and insects.
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Long-beaked echidnas[1] | |
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Western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Monotremata |
Family: | Tachyglossidae |
Genus: | Zaglossus Gill, 1877 |
Type species | |
Tachyglossus bruijni | |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
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The species are
- Western long-beaked echidna (Z. bruijni), of the highland forests;
- Attenborough's long-beaked echidna (Z. attenboroughi), discovered by Western science in 1961 (described in 1998) and preferring a still higher habitat;
- Eastern long-beaked echidna (Z. bartoni), of which four distinct subspecies have been identified.
The Eastern species is listed as vulnerable, while the Attenborough's and western long-beaked echidna species are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.[4][5][6]