Echidnas are amazing animals that can surprise anyone who encounters them in the wild. Their appearance may seem strange and even a little scary, but behind it there is something incredible! 
This family is divided into three genera: the now extinct genus of prehistoric echidnas, the proechidnas and the real echidnas. They, by the way, are the most ancient mammals on Earth - their family was formed approximately 180 million years ago, at the end of the Jurassic period. This is the oldest class of mammals, the primal beasts. 
One of the interesting facts about echidnas is their unique ability to defend themselves from predators. When they sense danger, they immediately roll into a ball so that their sharp spines point in all directions. This gives them the ability to protect themselves from any predator that might try to attack them.
In addition, echidnas are the real monsters of the insect world. They can eat up to 20,000 ants at one time and their appetite is amazing. 
Echidnas can swim and run surprisingly fast. They are also one of the few mammals that can completely freeze their metabolism, giving them the ability to survive in difficult conditions. By the way, despite their small size, echidnas can live for a very long time - some even celebrate their half-century anniversary. And they can reproduce well in captivity. 
These animals love to bask in the sun. They can lie on rocks and stones for several hours, enjoying the warmth. Interestingly, they can even lose up to 40% of their weight during such sunbathing! 
In addition, echidnas have an unusual language. It is long and sticky, and they use it to catch ants and other insects. But that's not all - they can also open their mouths so wide that sometimes it seems as if they are preparing to eat something of absolutely incredible size. 
But the funniest thing about echidnas is their behavior during breeding. When a pair of echidnas meet, they begin to play "chess." One echidna rolls the other on its quills until they roll into a circle. Then they begin to increase the distance between them until they each roll back to their own corner. This can last for several hours! 
After such fun, the female echidna lays an egg. One. It does not have a hard shell, so the female echidna puts it in a pouch, where the baby hatches after ten days. He, feeding on mother's milk, spends one and a half to two months in the pouch. Moreover, the echidna is so strange that it does not have nipples and the cub simply licks milk from its fur when it is secreted from the mammary glands on the skin. After two months, the mother digs a hole for her baby, where he stays until seven months, and the echidna drops in a couple of times a week to visit the baby and feed it. Then he is ready for independent life. 
In general, if you are ever lucky enough to meet an echidna in the wild, then know that under the funny and absurd appearance there is a real long-lived animal that is capable of protecting itself from almost any danger and gobbling up a whole horde of insects.
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