Echidnas live long and slow. Echidnas have one of the lowest body temperature of any mammal @ 32°C (89°F). Their body temperature is not controlled same way other mammals control theirs, and can fluctuate by up 6–8°C over the course of one day. They live as long as up to 50 years in captivity, with anecdotal reports of wild animals reaching 45 years which is are due to their low body temperature and slow metabolism.
Echidnas are mammals without nipples. Echidnas feed their young milk like all other mammals but they don't do it with nipples because they dont have any. Instead of breast, female echidnas have special glands in their pouches called milk patches which secretes milk, its from these patches that the puggle laps up.
They're toothless but make up for it with their tongues. Having no teeth, Echidnas break down their food by grinding it between the bottoms of their mouths and their tongues. Using their long and sticky tongues to feed on ants, termites, worms, and insect larvae. The Echidnas way of rapidly darting its 6-inch tongue in and out of its mouth to slurp up insects helps it get as much feed that keeps it going.
Echidnas, are walking contradictions.
They are classified as mammals, but they lay eggs like reptiles.
They are classified as long- or sort-beaked most times, but don't have beaks at all, in the traditional sense; they have either long or short fleshy noses.
They don't really look like true anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), either, and they are not closely related to them. They are spiny, though; their bodies are covered with hollow, barbless quills.
