Long-beaked echidna

Long-beaked echidnas
Temporal range: Miocene to present
Western long-beaked echidna
(Zaglossus bruijni)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Monotremata
Family: Tachyglossidae
Genus: Zaglossus
Gill, 1877
Type species
Zaglossus bruijni
Peters and Doria, 1876
Species

Zaglossus attenboroughi
Zaglossus bartoni
Zaglossus bruijni
†Zaglossus hacketti
†Zaglossus robustus

The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genera (Genus Zaglossus) of echidna. Echidna is a spiny monotreme that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species, and two extinct ones.

Echidnas are one of only two types of living mammals that lay eggs.

Species

Zaglossus attenboroughi

Remarks: Species described from one sample only. May be endangered, or locally extinct. See Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna

Zaglossus bartoni

Remarks: see Eastern Long-beaked Echidna

Zaglossus bruijni

Remarks: see Western Long-beaked Echidna

Zaglossus hacketti

Remarks: This species is known only from a few bones. At a metre long, it was huge for an echidna and for monotremes in general.

Zaglossus robustus

Remarks: This species is known from a fossil skull about 65 cm long.

References

  1. ↑ Groves, C.P. (2005). "Order Monotremata". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

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