Echidna

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈkɪdnə/

Definitions

1. A spiny egg-laying mammal native to Australia and nearby regions, possessing a long snout and tongue for consuming ants and termites
2. A monotreme with sharp spines covering its body, found in Australia and New Guinea, that feeds on insects using its elongated snout and sticky tongue
3. An egg-laying mammal featuring a stocky body covered in protective quills, native to Australasia, adapted to consume ants and termites with specialized mouthparts

Etymology: The animal's name was coined in scientific writing around 1811, when naturalists were trying to classify a creature that seemed to belong to no existing category. The most cited explanation links it to Echidna, a monster from Greek mythology who was a beautiful woman from the waist up but had the body of a serpent below. The creature's mixed features made the comparison tempting: early naturalists were unsure whether it was a mammal or an amphibian. A second possibility runs through the Greek "ékhidna," meaning "snake" or "viper," which passed into Latin as "echidna." Its close relative "ekhînos," meaning "hedgehog" or "sea urchin," also carries the sense of "sharp points," which fits the animal's spines. The 1810 Encyclopaedia Britannica offered its own proposal, calling the animal the "porcupine ant-eater," and the name may reflect a blend of these roots rather than a single source.