12 Things You Didn't Know About the Strange and Spiky Echidna
4. They Have No Teeth
Close-up of an echidna's face
Andrew Haysom / Getty Images
To eat those ants, termites, and beetle larvae, the echidna uses only its long and sticky tongue. Like anteaters, they have no teeth, but with hard pads on the base of their slender tongues — which they can extend up to an impressive 6 inches — and on the roof of their mouths, they can grind up their grub into a more manageable paste.2
Close-up of an echidna's face
Andrew Haysom / Getty Images
To eat those ants, termites, and beetle larvae, the echidna uses only its long and sticky tongue. Like anteaters, they have no teeth, but with hard pads on the base of their slender tongues — which they can extend up to an impressive 6 inches — and on the roof of their mouths, they can grind up their grub into a more manageable paste.2
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15 March 2024
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