12 Things You Didn't Know About the Strange and Spiky Echidna

8. They Have the Lowest Body Temperature of Any Mammal
short-beaked echidna
pelooyen / Getty Images
The echidna maintains a body temperature of about 89 degrees F (32 degrees C), which is thought to be the lowest body temperature of any mammal on the planet.3 What's more, their body temperatures can fluctuate drastically — by about 10 to 15 degrees F — throughout the day. A healthy human's body temperature fluctuates only about .9 degrees daily, for comparison.4